On December 26, within the framework of the EU Project “Intensification of Influence of Teachers of Luhansk Region on the Process of Reconciliation and Peace-Buidling”, a seminar was held for language teachers of the Lubny district of the Poltava region.
On the eve of the new year 2023, a scientific and practical seminar “Current Ukrainian Language in Linguistic Aphoristics”, organized by the Center for Professional Development of Pedagogical Workers of the Lubny City Council of the Lubny District of the Poltava Region, was held for language teachers of the Lubny District of the Poltava Region.
At the invitation of the organizers, Kateryna Hlukhovtseva, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor of the Ukrainian Language Department of Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University, spoke with a report on the specific features of the Ukrainian language, reflected in well-known figurative expressions about the language of leading cultural figures. She emphasized that the linguistic aphorisms of advanced cultural figures about language have always been the object of attention of teachers, writers, and scientists, because these winged sayings are structurally simple; brevity and capacity of content, imagery, creative vision of language phenomena through the prism of the surrounding reality. They are often used in educational activities, because they help to concisely formulate the essence of linguistic phenomena, to highlight the main and secondary. “Linguistic aphorisms name the main specific features of the Ukrainian language: power; wealth of expressive means; picturesqueness, melodiousness, flexibility of morphological and syntactic means. As well as autochthony, mediality, ancient writing,” the scientist noted.
The listeners of the scientific and practical seminar agreed with the speaker’s opinion that the Ukrainian language, as the only state language in Ukraine, is a linguistic integrator that serves the entire sphere of communication and unification of the state, is a means of international understanding and integration. Kateryna Hlukhovtseva noted: “In 1991, the status of Ukraine as a state changed, the national language code was changed. Instead of Russian-Ukrainian bilingualism, a single state language was introduced, which became Ukrainian. Currently, we can say that a gradual, not always painless process of approval of the new language code is taking place in Ukraine.”
The participants of the seminar were able to make sure that the Ukrainian language preserves the historical identity of the nation, the cultural and informational sovereignty of the people, because the social experience of the people is explained in the norms of personal behavior, traditions of social life, professional skills, customs, signs, and oral folk creativity.
The researcher focused on the eloquent statement of the Ukrainian linguist, publicist and translator Vitalii Radchuk: “The word evil or friendly, crooked or kind, sharp or flattering, black or red, honest or insincere is a code of conduct. From one word we hear, we recognize who is who and from where. A word is a business card: age, profession, social status, country and citizenship, native region. The word unites people into a nation and builds a state. Finally, the word protects the cultural value and informational sovereignty of the nation from the invasion of foreign words.”
The leading idea of the seminar was the proposition that the language is the nation-building code of the people, it reveals the mentality of the communicants, their spiritual traditions. This thesis is confirmed by the catchphrase of Konstiantyn Ushinskyi: “In the bright, transparent depths of the national language, not only the nature of the native country is reflected, but also the entire history of the spiritual life of the people. Generations of the people pass one after the other, but the results of each generation’s life remain in the language – as a legacy for posterity. Language is the most important and strongest link that connects the dead, living and future generations of the people into one big, historical whole. It not only expresses the vitality of the people, but it is this very life.”
In the conclusion of the report, Professor Kateryna Hlukhovtseva emphasized: “The importance of the native language for an individual is priceless, because by knowing the language, we know ourselves,” confirming this belief with the words of Ivan Franko: “And we all, both literate and illiterate, need to know our common language , to know what our great-grandfathers thought, how they fought and how they looked at the world. It is good to know that we are not from yesterday, that our word was once honored and respected and served to reveal high thoughts, wise laws and sincere, deep feeling.”
Linguistics teachers of the Lubny district of the Poltava region took an active part in the discussion of the seminar’s problems. The listeners were interested in questions devoted to the current trends in the development of the Ukrainian language. The scientific and educational event was a continuation of good partnership and fruitful cooperation between scientists of Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University and educators of Poltava region.
This document was prepared with the financial support of the European Union. The content of this document is solely the responsibility of the SI “Luhansk Taras Shevchenko National University” and in no case can be considered as the position of the European Union.
Project team