THE PROBLEM OF LANGUAGE MIXING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE QUALITY OF COMMUNICATION IN MODERN UKRAINIAN SOCIETY

Abstract

The article examines the issue of the transformation of the linguistic situation in Ukraine, in particular the problem of mixing of the Ukrainian language, in accordance with historical changes caused by the colonial past, the full-scale war, and civilizational transformations. The traditional negative attitude of linguists towards surzhyk is demonstrated; however, it is noted that today it may be a transitional phenomenon that tends to disappear in the future. The peculiarities of language mixing are traced through the example of Ukrainian-Russian and Ukrainian- English surzhyk in the modern linguistic space of Ukraine, as manifestations of colonial and civilizational influences. The reasons for the spread of Ukrainian-Russian surzhyk are identified, namely the persistent influence of the Russian language in the media space, the significant use of this language in everyday life, and the lack of responsible consumption of Ukrainian-language content by young people, etc. The tendency of the penetration of Anglicisms into the Ukrainian language is described, which is a consequence of contemporary globalization processes and, due to the low level of English proficiency among the population, serves as an instrument of social mimicry, which is not always functionally justified. The empirical basis of the study is a questionnaire survey of youth in the Zhytomyr region aged 16–18. It has been found that the majority use surzhyk in everyday speech, although they would prefer to reduce its presence in their lives. It has also been revealed that young people still feel comfortable consuming Russian-language entertainment content. At the same time, Anglicisms are perceived by respondents as a natural part of their lives, and they do not consider their use to be a threatening tendency. Based on the obtained results, it is concluded that despite the war and the positive dynamics in the functioning of the Ukrainian language as the state language, the issue of promoting the language among young people remains relevant.