<論文>ウクライナの言語政策関連文書における「国家語」の定義と運用について

Abstract

In nowadays Ukraine, Article 10 of the Constitution stipulates that Ukrainian is the only “state language (derzhavna mova)”, guaranteeing it a unique legal status at the national level among other languages used in the country, including Russian. The term “state language” is widely used in the former regions of the Soviet Union to indicate the legal status of a language, and the term's actual usage could vary from country to country, depending on the language policy put in place. Our aim is to determine the meanings of “state language” as it is used in Ukrainian language policy documents, especially in the Constitution, constitutional reviews, and language laws. We conclude that the term has three main meanings or usage. Firstly, it acts as a concept unifying and symbolizing the Ukrainian nation, people, or state. Secondly, it represents a language whose functions are defined for use in a wide range of public settings, not limited to government institutions. Lastly, it is seen as a symbol of Ukrainian monolingualism or linguistic ukrainization, aiming for the linguistic derussification of the country.