Thread: Что произойдет в восточной Украине? (Eastern Ukraine?)

If they say they have their own language, then they do! I think you should respect that.

I respect the truth. I don't need to respect an artificial language if even the "true patriots" don't respect it. Do you know why? Because they understand its nature, although they hardly admit it.

The two languages are not even fully mutually understandable, you can't understand ALL Ukrainian, can you? Nor could you speak it, could you? It has sounds that Russian doesn't have, and some different letters, as well as words that are completely different. Even I know this!

(Deleted.L.)There are a lot of dialects based on the proto-Russian grammar. Of course, I can't speak all of them. You may find some dialects in Russia and you will not understand them fully. But it doesn't make them "languages". If you want to separate a certain territory, you create a "language" based on the local dialect you selected and then you persuade the people that they are "special", so they must use this lovely "language". That's how it works.

As a Swedish person I can understand ALL Norwegian, and Norway used to be Swedish territory. I could even pretend to speak Norwegian if I wanted.

Yes, because for reasons of policy you (your society) were forced to consider it as a "language". Although it's not true. And now you (personally) repeat it, because "it's a rule with us". Also, it's not "politically correct" to think that they have no their own language. But such reasonings are far from science, it's just a liberal fundamentalism.

Saying that Ukrainian is a dialect of Russian and not a separate language seems to be deliberately provocative towards [some] Ukrainians, and it gives fuel to the anti Russian sentiment in Ukraine. Is that really helpful?

Remember, the truth is always helpful (Deleted. L.).
Modern Ukrainian "language" is an artificial language. It was made as an opposition to modern Russian, so we have to consider it as an anti-Russian tool.