aaus-list @ ukrainianstudies.org -- Re: [aaus-list] French think Ukrainian "not necessary" in Ukraine

Although I share Mr. Velychenko's disappointment at what the French embassy has done, I think we all understand that France is not Ukraine. So, I suspect that it would be a case of false equivalency to imply such a comparison by wondering how the French media would react if this were to happen in Paris.

Further, why complain to or about the French? Their actions simply reflect reality. Most citizens of Ukraine, the vast majority of whom are Ukrainians, are not particularly concerned about the Ukrainian language, including young people born after the collapse of the USSR. (Which is why the widespread meme about waiting for the younger generation before things change in Ukraine is questionable.)

Progress on the "language front" in Ukraine since independence has been at best miniscule, and this in spite of the ukrainianization of the school system throughout most of the country. Indeed, the use of Russian is on the rise in some sectors. Cf.

http://zgroup.com.ua/article.php?articleid=4844

as well as more sophisticated analyses by Volodymyr Kulyk and several others on this list.

Majemo te, shcho majemo.

From: stephen velychenko <velychen@chass.utoronto.ca>
To: aaus-list@ukrainianstudies.org
Sent: Sunday, July 31, 2011 12:47 PM
Subject: [aaus-list] French think Ukrainian "not necessary" in Ukraine

Sent: Friday, July 29, 2011 4:28:20 PM
Subject: Fwd: French embassy started to ignore Ukrainian language

Dear Friends,
It was very sad to read today in Ukrainian Magazine 'Ukrainski
Tyzhden'/Ukrainian Weekly Nr 31 (196) 29 July -4 August 2011 the
article 'Swallowed silently', p. 40, about French Embassy in Ukraine,
which announced positions for interns at Kyiv office, asking for
Russian language as requirement and stating that Ukrainian language is
not required to know at all. http://www.tyzhden.ua/Columns/50/27389
I can only imagine what French media would write if any of foreign
embassies would say, that French is not required to know for interns
in France and English would be enough.
I shared my disappointment here - and you may follow:
- Hide quoted text -http://www.ambafrance-ua.org/spip.php?article1893
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/navigation_3620/courrier_3884/reaction-actualite-internationale_65924.html
Best,
OK

--
Stephen Velychenko
Research Fellow,Chair of Ukrainian Studies;
100 St George Street,
University of Toronto
Toronto M5S 3G3
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