| A single trip to Ukraine hardly qualifies one as an expert on the Ukrainian or Russian languages.Yet, this is exactly what some reviewers pretend to be. Linda Hodges' travel guide on Ukraine, while it has some shortcomings, is definitely full of valuable facts, and comes from the heart of the author, which is more than can be said about the reviewer's attack on the Ukrainian language and therefore its culture. To call the Ukrainian language "pointless" is quite an outrageous thing to say. While it is true that little Ukrainian was heard in the Eastern part of Ukraine ten years ago, the situation is quite different today, where one hears Ukrainian everywhere - in the streets, in schools, in government offices, even though Russian is still considered far more dominant in many areas. The use of the Ukrainian language is growing every year. One can't help but be somewhat surprised to see the obvious hostility towards Ukrainians. Why travel to the fascinating land of Ukraine with this kind of attitude? Perhaps one should confine his interests to travel in Russia, an equally fascinating country, where the Ukrainian language would not be such a threat. |
Language and Travel Guide to Ukraine Books In Print, Audio Books.