2022-02-22 11:10:00
7 key facts about Ukrainian for the International Mother Language Day!
Ukrainian takes 26th place in the world for the number of speakers. According to different sources, from 40 to 50 million people all over the globe speak Ukrainian.
Modern Ukrainian language has around 256,000 words, as the dictionary of the National Academy of Sciences states. Ukrainian is included in the list of languages that are successfully developing.
The first words recorded in Ukrainian were ‘мед’ (honey) and ‘страва’ (dish). Thanks to Priscus of Panium, an Eastern Roman diplomat, historian and writer, we have this evidence from 448 AC.
The most translated literary work in Ukrainian is ‘Testament’ (‘Заповіт’) by Taras Shevchenko. You can actually read it in 147 (!) languages.
Apart from Ukraine, where Ukrainian is obviously official, it has a semi-official status in the Cook Country (Illinois, US) and official status in Prudentopolis (The State of Parana, Brazil).
Ukrainian belongs to the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic group of the Indo-European language family. In terms of vocabulary, the closest to Ukrainian is the Belarusian language (84% of the general vocabulary), then Polish (70%), Serbian (68%), and Slovak (66%).
Ukrainian words have many synonyms. The ‘Brief Dictionary of Synonyms of the Ukrainian Language’ analyzes 4,279 synonymous series. For example, the word ‘горизонт’ (horizon) has 12 synonyms, while ‘бити’ (to beat) is a record holder with 45 synonyms!
P.S. The letter Ї in the picture has become an important symbol of the Ukrainian language over the centuries. After the times when Ukrainian lands lacked independence, and the Ukrainian language was limited or even banned, now it reminds of the importance to preserve and develop it. You can, for example, find Ї in the word Україна. That’s how we spell Ukraine in Ukrainian.
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