Dialetto e lingua mista ucraino-russa (“Suržyk”): criteri distintivi e linee di demarcazione

Abstract

The primary aim of this article consists in drawing an approximate dividing line between traditional dialects and the Ukrainian Russian Mixed Speech (URMS), generically known as “suržyk”, and defined in Italian with the acronym LMUR (i.e., lingua mista ucraino russa). In the field of studies devoted to the URMS, except for a few recent contributions, the attempt at separating rural dialects from the mixed speech is still lacking. However, before detailing formerly advanced distinguishing criteria based on empirical data, it is necessary to reexamine some terminological issues related to the mixed speech of Ukraine. Recent conference papers, in fact, have demonstrated that despite almost two decades of debates on what should be meant under “suržyk”, some sociolinguists, especially Ukrainian, continue to use this pseudo term in a rather generic way thus leading not only to terminological confusion but also to the variability of the research object. The ensuing analysis of a number of selected dialectal features does not intend to be ‘comprehensive’ but only to show an approach on how to approximately distinguish the two varieties. At the same time, it aims to confirm the close relationship which exists between the dialectal base and the formation of the mixed language.