On 14 February, Lviv Polytechnic IT College initiated a conference dedicated to our native language and literature. The event was held in the reading room of the college library.
The conference was aimed at exploring the role of the Ukrainian language in the formation of national identity and its influence on contemporary Ukrainian literature in the context of globalisation. About 50 participants discussed key scientific issues. Speakers representing different colleges and fields shared their research, focusing on the importance of the language.
The conference was special because it was bilingual: the topics were presented in both Ukrainian and English. In such a way the communication was vivid and quite symbolical. In Ukraine, especially during wartime, language is a key means of influence. It shapes the relevant war narratives in society and is capable of censoring events around it. In other words, language shapes the perception of war among its speakers. A lecturer of the Department of Foreign Languages spoke on this topic in English, comparing the versions of the war narratives spread by English and Ukrainian-speaking societies.
Many of the topics touched on the present and how it affects changes in the Ukrainian language and reveals its new possibilities. In particular, it was about artificial intelligence and how it opens up new horizons for the language development.
The conference addressed the issue of the Ukrainian language very broadly. It covered not only the essence but also the analysis of Ukrainian poetry, in particular, the motifs of Ukrainian Maidan poetry and the war in the poetry of Serhiy Zhadan.
