Authors

Discussion

This paper investigates language ideology within Ukraine’s “linguistic landscape” (LL) during Russia’s full-scale war, focusing on how public language use reflects shifting identities and resistance (Landry & Bourhis, 1997). Across Ukraine’s territories, a strong ideological shift underscores the rejection of the aggressor state, with Ukrainian increasingly viewed as essential to civic identity and cultural solidarity (Azhniuk, 2024).

Data for this study is sourced from various channels, including Telegram, governmental and NGO sites, and media outlets, yielding approximately 150 tokens, to examine the LL’s visual and textual markers, exploring the role of LL as a contested space where language operates as both a social and political artefact amid wartime.

The findings demonstrate that an essentialist language ideology is shaping public space: the now-iconic slogan “Russian ship, go fck yourself,” originally voiced by a Ukrainian border guard, has become a symbol of defiance, appearing widely on billboards, clothing, and even ATM screens. Other phrases like “fck off” and “to Russia, fck off” have also emerged in Ukraine’s LL, especially on road signs, where they initially served to mislead Russian troops (Barsukova, 2022), reflecting both resilience and the cultural significance of these symbols. Through this ideological transformation, language serves as a powerful tool, signifying Ukrainian identity under threat.

In Ukraine’s occupied territories, the LL reflects a clash between top-down and grassroots forces. Russian authorities project dominance with Soviet symbols, “Z” and “V” signs, and Russian flags, as well as renaming streets after Soviet figures to communicate permanence. In contrast, Ukrainian resistance movements, such as the Yellow Ribbon, use symbols like blue and yellow ribbons, Ukrainian flags, and leaflets to assert territorial integrity, identity, and self-determination, promoting resilience among citizens against the occupation. Together, the findings demonstrate language’s critical role as an emblem of collective identity under threat.

References:

Azhniuk, B. (2024). Semiotychne konstruiuvannia publichnoho prostoru: vijna i mova [Semiotic Construction of Public Space: War and Language]. (88–123). In: Bohdan Azhniuk (Ed.). Mova i vijna: dynamika movnoi systemy i movna polityka. Kyiv: Vydavnychyi dim Dmytra Buraho.

Barsukova, O. (2022). Do Rosii nakh*j': lehendarnyi dorozhnii znak vystavyly na auktsion. Ukrainska Pravda, May 24, 2022. https://life.pravda.com.ua/society/2022/05/24/248787/.

Landry, R. and Bourhis, R.Y. (1997). Linguistic landscape and ethnolinguistic vitality: An empirical study. Journal of Language and Social Psychology 16.1, 23-49.