11 October 2026
(Orysia Demska. PHOTO: Intent)
Excessive nitpicking over language mistakes can turn people away from Ukrainian, and language policy should balance state requirements with individuals’ voluntary choices. At the same time, Ukraine’s core value is the individual who cares about the state itself, not just the language they speak.
This was stated by linguist and chair of the National Commission on State Language Standards, Orisa Demska, in an interview with Intent.
According to her, she supports the study of Ukrainian and efforts to improve speech, but cautions against an excessive focus on literacy. Demska called people who are overly nitpicky about language mistakes“grammar Nazis” and emphasized that such behavior can turn people away from the language.
“The more beautiful the language, the more beautiful the person who speaks it,” said the linguist.
Demska also commented on methods of Ukrainization. In her opinion, the most effective approach is to combine different methods: in certain situations, government mandates are necessary, while in others, a gentler approach to Ukrainization is needed. She cited the example of the state language proficiency exam for people applying for government positions. According to her, from July 2021 to February 1, 2022, approximately 100,000 exams were administered and the same number of certificates were issued.
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Separately, the linguist commented on situations where people who support Ukraine switch to Russian due to negative experiences communicating with advocates of strict Ukrainization. Demska called this reaction “reactive behavior” and urged people to evaluate individuals rather than entire groups. At the same time, she emphasized that the language issue should also be viewed through the lens of security.
“If Ukraine is a value to a person, then that person is a value to me,” she noted, responding to a question about whether patriotism should be judged by the language one speaks.
Speaking about language inspectors, Demska stated that she opposes excessive control. In her view, it is important to understand the reasons behind the emergence of such institutions and the resistance to them, as well as to prevent such control from creating new threats.
The linguist also explained that Ukrainian should develop simultaneously as an official language with established standards and as a living language that encompasses various styles and forms of speech. She believes that the official language should not inherit the bureaucratic structures of the Russian Empire and the Soviet period.
Other topics covered in the interview included the use of Russian-language academic sources, Odessa’s linguistic identity, and changes in Ukrainian speech influenced by the war. Demska emphasized that Odesa can preserve its own cultural authenticity while remembering that it is a Ukrainian city.
In her view, the greatest threat to the Ukrainian language is indifference. She also identified a heightened sense of agency—the ability to speak openly about one’s own feelings, fears, desires, and decisions—as one of the war’s significant consequences for language use.
Андрій Колісніченко