Language of Conflict by Natalia Knoblock

Author:Natalia Knoblock
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781350098626
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

In the discourse of Ukrainians originating from different regions of Ukraine, othering can be related to geographical position and origin (i.e. directed at people living in a different regions). This is especially prominent in the discussions of war (othering of those in the war zone and othering of Russia). In terms of in-groups, there is more unanimity across speakers, with the majority of speakers referring to Ukraine as a whole as an in-group.

Furthermore, in the discourse related specifically to war, the in-group markers referring to Ukraine as a political and social entity often emerge in discourse, co-occurring with othering of the opposing forces (primarily Russia). Furthermore, it is often implied that Russia as Other is connected to particular groups of associated people (e.g., pro-Russian population in Ukraine, separatists, etc.). In some cases, the out-groups are conflated so that it is not always possible to distinguish the exact referent of othering. In juxtaposition to Russia as Other, Ukraine is often discursively presented as victim (cf. Lana), while Russia, on the other hand, is presented as an active agent, with much agency often assigned to Putin (cf. Lilia for an example representative of a general trend across the interviews). This juxtaposition between Ukraine and Russia is frequent in the discourse of the interviewees living in Ukraine.

In contrast, as shown in Table 7.2, individuals living outside Ukraine may juxtapose themselves to people currently in Ukraine, especially when they point out factors that differentiate them, such as language variety (cf. Fedir), attitudes or involvement in political events (cf. Lilia, Raisa). In some cases, alongside othering, the immigrants discursively highlight their association with Ukrainian diaspora communities (cf. Lana). However, this can also be complex, as sometimes the diaspora communities themselves can be discursively constructed as out-groups if an individual disagrees with the views of the community (cf. Lilia) or is not satisfied by its attitude (cf. Raisa).

Table 7.2 In-groups and out-groups in the discourse of Ukrainians in the diaspora (N refers to the number of in-group or out-group marking pronouns in the excerpts analysed for the present study)

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