While living in Ukraine, I’ve picked some Ukrainian words and a bit of the language. Along the way, I discovered the 3000 most important words in the Ukrainian language video series on YouTube and decided to share it here and post it here as my reference.
Ukrainian is an East Slavic language spoken by approximately 37 million people worldwide. It is the official language of Ukraine and is also spoken in neighboring countries such as Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. Ukrainian has a rich linguistic history that spans centuries, with influences from various cultures and languages.
Origins and Early Development
The origins of Ukrainian can be traced back to the 9th century when Old East Slavic was spoken in the region that is now Ukraine. Old East Slavic was the language of the Kievan Rus, a medieval state that encompassed modern-day Ukraine, Belarus, and parts of Russia. Old East Slavic served as the precursor to the modern East Slavic languages, including Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian.
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Ukrainian language began to diverge from Old East Slavic and develop its own unique features. During this time, Ukrainian literature and culture flourished, with prominent writers and poets such as Taras Shevchenko and Ivan Franko contributing to the development of the language.
Influence of other Languages
Throughout its history, the Ukrainian language has been influenced by neighboring languages such as Polish and Russian. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Ukraine was under Polish rule, and as a result, Polish loanwords entered the Ukrainian language. Additionally, the Polish language influenced the development of Ukrainian syntax and grammar.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Ukraine came under Russian rule, and the Russian language began to have a significant impact on Ukrainian. Russian loanwords entered the Ukrainian language, and Ukrainian was suppressed in favor of Russian as the official language. However, Ukrainian continued to be spoken by the majority of the population and played an important role in Ukrainian culture.
Modern Ukrainian
In the 20th century, Ukrainian underwent significant changes as a result of political and social developments in Ukraine. During the Soviet era, Ukrainian was the second official language of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, and Ukrainian literature, culture, and education thrived. However, there were also attempts to russify Ukraine, and Ukrainian was suppressed in some areas.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Ukrainian became the official language of Ukraine, and efforts were made to promote the use of Ukrainian in all spheres of life. Today, Ukrainian is a vibrant and dynamic language that continues to evolve and develop. It has a rich literary tradition and a growing presence on the internet and in popular culture.
