Ukrainian Language Day, 9 November 2014

A good Ukrainian Language and Writing Day to everyone.

Something I have observed this year and want to record without commentary: a number of people I work with, who spoke russian at home and at work all the time I have known them, have moved to Ukrainian in daily use.

Several have told me it is harder than they expected — that a language you understand perfectly is not the same as a language you compose in fluently, and that the first months are genuinely tiring.

Why individuals make that choice is theirs to explain, not mine. What I can say is that switching your working language as an adult is a substantial piece of effort, undertaken voluntarily, and I have watched a number of people do it well.

To the teachers helping them: today is yours.