Learning Journal Week Four

[Mark Kligman]

Throughout my fourth week of learning Ukrainian, my language partner and I looked into the Ukrainian culture and language and how it has been influenced historically. Ukraine was conquered by Russia and Poland continuously for the past centuries, therefore the pure Ukrainian language became influenced by various cultures and languages that shaped it into the language that we know it as today. However, various elements of the original Ukrainian language are still an integral part of the language and have not been influenced by either the Russian or Polish language. For example, the word “cradle” in Russian actually means “tie” in Ukrainian. My language partner and I also spent time learning the various words in Ukrainian that are identical in meaning in the Russian language, as well as other words for objects that are completely different from Russian. We then incorporated the gained vocabulary knowledge into conversational skills, specifically to discussing a typical room setting and naming all my typical belongings. I also learned how to ask to borrow things such as a pen or phone. The remainder of the week as spent on learning how to describe items in regards to their color, shape, size.