Linguistic means of defining state subjectivity (on the example of Ukraine)

Abstract

Subjectivity sets the limits of a state's powers and its place in the global legal and political order, being a fundamental element of international relations. It encompasses various elements, including the national language, which plays a key role in building identity and emphasising independence. The Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014 demonstrated the role of the Russian language as a geopolitical tool, used by the Kremlin to deny Ukraine's subjectivity and challenge its separate identity. In view of this, the Ukrainian language began to play an important role as in the struggle for the separate identity of the Ukrainian people and state, as well as for its independence. The international community's perception of the state through the prism of subjectivity is influenced by linguistic practices, such as the transliteration of geographical names or the use of specific terminology. In order to strengthen subjectivity and emancipation from the 'Russian world', Ukraine is taking various measures, such as the initiative to change the spelling of the capital's name from 'Kiev' to 'Kyiv' in English. The international perception of the Ukrainian state and its subjectivity are also influenced by linguistic devices and language practices in other languages. An analysis of English-speaking, Russian-speaking and Polish-speaking discourses in the context of Ukraine reveals similarities and differences in the way its subjectivity is defined. Language thus becomes an important element in the struggle for the state's subjectivity and the construction of its identity in the international community.