Language, Politics and History: Complexity in Language in Wartime Ukraine

Felicia Lee

24 February this year marked the two-year anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian war. The war has raised complex questions relating to the role of language in the war, language issues and language choice among Ukrainians in post independent Ukraine. It is impossible to divorce the notion of language with history and politics in the discourse at the same time.

With that said, The Secret Life of Language’s latest episode, presented and hosted by our very own Dr Olga Maxwell, delves into these issues with commentary from Ukrainian historian, Dr Iryna Skubii, affiliated with the Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and sociolinguist, Prof Natalia Kudriavtseva, who teaches translation and Slavic studies at Kryvyi Rih State Pedagogical University in Ukraine.

Listen to the episode here.