Duolingo: What You Need to Know About Ukrainian Language

Duolingo has recently been reportedBetween February 14th and February 21st, there was a 200% rise in the number of users who studied Ukrainian.

This language learning site confirms that there was a spike in interest in Ukraine and its language. It also indicates a potential desire to be of assistance in times of turmoil.

Duolingo has created a guide to learning Ukrainian, which includes some historical context as well as common mistakes.

Duolingo says that Ukrainian is a Slavic Language, which means it can be related to languages like Russian, Czech, or Polish. While modern Ukrainian is multifaceted, there are some similarities to similar languages. You can also use a Cyrillic version of the alphabeWhile it shares many letters with Russian writing, there are a few letters that can be used to make Ukrainian sounds.

The site reveals that even with these similarities not all neighboring nations speak or understand Ukrainian. Because the Soviet Union, in which the spoken language was Russian, occupied Ukraine for almost 70 years, Russian was the only official language of Ukraine.

This required that all government agencies, schools, and businesses use Russian. It led to Ukrainian families speaking Russian at home, as well as Russian in public places. This resulted in older Ukrainians being raised around Russian, while younger generations are still able to speak Russian.

Although there are similarities between Russians and Ukrainians, they also have many differences. “… because the languages come from a common ancestor, sometimes a speaker of one language could deduce the meaning of a word based on its roots — the same way an English speaker might be able to look at the word Hund in German, relate it to “hound,”It is possible to work out what it means ‘dog,’”This blog has a lot to say.

Duolingo’s blog says that learning Ukrainian as an English speaker for the first time could be tricky, especially because of what’s called the case system.

“This means that nouns change their form depending on what role they play in the sentence,” the blog reads.

Duolingo claims that many languages use case systems, including English. However, English speakers are more inclined to mark case only on a few words.

The blog addresses vocabulary, accents and pronunciation as well spelling. It also discusses how language can be political or connected to identity.

The site is a good resource for information regarding the current war. a video of the Ukrainian President ZelenskyyHe can switch between Russian and Ukrainian in one speech, depending on whether he’s addressing fellow Ukrainians or sending an email to the Russian forces inside the country.

Duolingo says that where a Russian speaker puts emphasis on the word Ukraine can also determine identity or political alignment: “… it can sound more like the word for a borderland, or region at the edge of a larger area, or it can sound like a separate word entirely, emphasizing Ukrainian sovereignty,” they write.

“So Russian speakers who want to suggest that Ukraine is part of Russia will put the stress on the “a” in the Russian word украинский (Ukrainskiy), which makes it sound more like a borderland. Ukrainians and Russians who support Ukrainian sovereignty will pronounce “Ukrainian” with the stress on the “yi” in украинский (Ukrayinskiy).”

The blog posts end with an acknowledgement of the importance and opportunities to volunteer if you are fluent in Ukrainian and other Slavic language, like Translators Without Borders

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