Записки з українського мовознавства (Jun 2017)
LINGUISTIC SITUATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF UKRAINE (BASED ON SOCIOLINGUISTIC RESEARCH)
Abstract
The paper summarizes the sociolinguistic research results of the linguistic environment in the secondary schools of Ukraine – mass survey conducted in February 2017 with the support of Volkswagen Foundation within the Project “Bi- and multilingualism: between intensification and conflict resolution. Ethno-linguistic conflict, language policy and contact situation in post-Soviet Ukraine and Russia”, pilot survey of high school students (2013) and experts (Ukrainian Language teachers) (2017) in accordance with the target topics of the Sociolinguistics Department at the Institute of Ukrainian Language, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine: “Linguistic Life of Modern Ukrainian City”. The questionnaires analysis gives reason to make o conclusion on the bilingualism of linguistic environment in the secondary schools of Ukraine: in total, the number of those who hear another, in addition to Ukrainian, or does not hear Ukrainian at all, in schools is 48.5%. These results are consistent with the estimates of the linguistic environment in schools made by students and teachers, although there is no complete identity in quantitative terms. For example, 40% of senior students and 60% of teachers consider the linguistic environment in Kyiv schools as mostly bilingual; Zhytomyr – 44% of students and 12% of teachers; Bila Tserkva – the number of teachers and students, who evaluate the linguistic environment in schools as bilingual, is almost the same – 19% and 18%, respectively; Poltava – 64% of senior students and 17% of teachers. At that, the distinctiveness of Ukrainian language situation is such that the quality of the linguistic environment does not meet the declared status of schools; in addition, it is not perceived as the optimal by the experts who mostly consider it superfluous, such that increases the linguistic environment diffuzziness, common speakers also give it an ambiguous assessment: 36% of the population wants their children to be bilingual, 32% – bilingual education. Mass survey made it possible to track changes in the assessment of the linguistic environment in schools within a decade (from 2006 to 2017). The percentage of those, who consider the linguistic environment in the secondary schools as most Ukrainian speaking, increased significantly in the regions, namely Western – from 84.7% to 96%; Central – from 48% to 82%; Northern – from 15% to 75%. These results provide grounds for recommendations development to improve legal support of languages use in the education system of Ukraine, providing clear mechanisms for expanding the use of the Ukrainian state language within the educational space.
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