Language is an invaluable asset of humanity, a mirror that reflects the soul of a nation, its history, customs, and preferences. Learn more about the history of Slavic writing in Ukraine and the role of the modern Ukrainian language

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Day of Slavic writing and culture in Ukraine is celebrated every year on May 24. In addition to Ukrainians, this holiday is celebrated by Bulgarians, Serbs, Macedonians, Montenegrins, Russians and Belarusians. Saints Cyril and Methodius, the creators of Slavic writing, are solemnly glorified on this day in all Slavic countries.

Read more about the history of the holiday and the importance of language in the modern world.

History of Slavic writing

In the 9th century, around 862, the Orthodox monks Cyril and Methodius laid the foundations of Slavic writing - they created a new alphabet, which was later called "Cyrillic". It was named in honor of the Byzantine Constantine, who, having accepted monasticism, became Cyril.

Kirill started the Slavic alphabet on the basis of the Greek alphabet, but significantly changed it. Subsequently, the alphabets of many modern nations were created on the basis of the Cyrillic alphabet.

The activities of Saints Cyril and Methodius were aimed at the popularization of Slavic writing and literature, as well as the development of education and culture of the Slavic peoples. Linguists translated the Gospel and Psalter from Greek into Slavic, as well as many other books, wrote their own works and conducted scientific activities.

In medieval Europe, the Slavic language became the third language, after Greek and Latin, through which the word of God spread.

Today, more than 250 million people in Eurasia use Cyrillic as their national alphabet. Since January 1, 2007, after the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union, the Cyrillic alphabet has become the third official alphabet of the EU.

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Slavic writing in Ukraine

The Ukrainian chronicler Nestor became a follower of the creators of Slavic writing, Cyril and Methodius, and, according to researchers, it was from him that the written Ukrainian language began. The most significant work of Nestor the Chronicler is "The Tale of Past Years" - a chronicle work, which was composed in Kyiv at the beginning of the 12th century. It is the main source of study of our ancient history.

For years and decades, Ukrainians were told about the artificiality and secondary nature of their language. However, the history of Ukrainian writing and culture dates back many centuries. According to the scientific investigations of linguists, the language of the Ukrainian nation began to form in the 6th–9th centuries. The colloquial language of the southern regions of Russia in the 10th–13th centuries. Is one of the stages of the development of the modern Ukrainian language.

Currently, the Ukrainian language is among the top 50 most widely spoken languages in the world.

The Ukrainian language in modern Ukraine

Language is the soul of a nation and its most valuable treasure. However, people do not often think about the importance of language for each nation. They don't care about the language, they distort it and litter it. The word is not always treated with attention and respect, it is not valued and not protected.

Now Ukraine is going through the most difficult stage in its modern history - the war with Russia. Ukrainians fight for their freedom every day on different fronts. Language is no exception, because language is a weapon, it is the identifier of a nation, and now no one disputes this.

After many centuries under the ban, the Ukrainian language is flourishing again. Since the beginning of the full-scale aggression, there has been a wave of transition to the Ukrainian language. By February 2022, about 40% of the adult urban population of Ukraine used nightingale in everyday life. Now this indicator is approaching 60%. We talked about how Ukrainian became a trend earlier.

By communicating in Ukrainian, you protect your own information space, because by consuming Ukrainian content, you not only support Ukrainian business, artists and performers, but also protect yourself from the penetration of unfriendly propaganda, because Russia spends millions of dollars every year to finance its propaganda channels. Also, the content we consume has a direct impact on our worldview. Statistics of Ukrainians' rejection of Russian content are here.

The vast majority of Ukrainians remain bilingual, fluent in both Ukrainian and Russian. After the end of the war, most of the refugees who are currently living abroad will return to us, and then Ukraine will speak many languages, like a real European state.

Russia, denying the existence of Ukraine in every possible way, the artificiality of our culture and language, caused active development of national consciousness among Ukrainians. Ukrainians began to respect their own language and history more, research them and tell the world.

A nation lives as long as its language lives, so let's cherish and respect our treasure - the nightingale Ukrainian language - every day.

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