FOR THE RECORD: UWC World Scholarly Council protest against Russian as second state language (02/19/06)

FOR THE RECORD

UWC World Scholarly Council protest against Russian as second state language

Following is the text of a protest titled " 'No' to Russian as a Second State Language in Ukraine!" that was released by the World Scholarly Council of the Ukrainian World Congress on February 9.

The Ukrainian scientific community outside Ukraine feels obligated to raise its voice in a strong protest against the renewed efforts by certain political forces in Ukraine to declare Russian as a second state language.

If such legislation were to be adopted, the Ukrainian language would soon be replaced by Russian altogether, for the need to learn and to use Ukrainian would simply disappear. Schools would be justified in using Russian as a language of instruction while offering Ukrainian on a voluntary basis similar to a foreign language. This was done in Soviet times as an effective means of Russification.

Politicians who have their own agenda refuse to acknowledge the fact that language is more than simply a means of communication, particularly in financial matters. Today, in many countries English is used as lingua franca, but none of them made English a state or official language. The idea of nationhood and, by extension, of statehood is intimately tied to language as particular way of expressing ideas using a unique sound system. If the Ukrainian language were to be replaced by Russian, the Ukrainian sovereign state would simply become a Russian province.

We appeal to you, Mr. Viktor Yushchenko, as the president of Ukraine, as well as to members of the Verkhovna Rada and to all Ukrainian citizens, regardless of their ethnic origin, to reject this demeaning proposal and to protect and support the Ukrainian language.

Prof. Lubomyr Wynar, president,
World Scholarly Council, UWC; president,
Ukrainian Historical Association; head, History Section,
Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, U.S.A.

Prof. Assya Humesky, vice-president,
World Scholarly Council, UWC; vice-president,
Ukrainian American Association of University Professors;
head, Philological Section, Shevchenko Scientific Society, U.S.A.;
head, Language and Literature Section,
Ukrainian Academy of Arts and Sciences, U.S.A.

Prof. Rev. Oleh Kravchenko, vice-president,
World Scholarly Council, UWC; ex-president,
Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences, Canada

Prof. Arkadii Zhukovskyi, vice-president,
World Scholarly Council, UWC; president,
Shevchenko Scientific Society, France

Prof. Stefan Kozak, president,
Shevchenko Scientific Society, Poland

Prof. Dmytro Shtohryn, chairperson,
Ukrainian Scientific Research Program, University of Illinois

Prof. Osyp Matryniuk, secretary,
World Scholarly Council, UWC

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