The linguistic landscape of Kharkiv during the independence of Ukraine (from August 1991 until now)

Abstract

This article is dedicated to the study of the linguistic landscape of Kharkiv – one of the largest cities in Ukraine in terms of both area and population. The focus is on the post-Soviet period of the city’s toponymic map formation, starting from August 1991, when Ukraine declared its independence and began restoring its statehood, up to the present day. A correlation has been established between the socio-political events that took place in the country during this period and linguistic phenomena, which have undoubtedly influenced the linguistic landscape of Kharkiv. Three periods of transformation in Kharkiv’s toponymic system have been identified, two of which are associated with the adoption of laws on decommunization and decolonization of toponymy. A lexical-semantic analysis of new nominations has been conducted, and the main thematic groups of lexical units have been determined, taking into account their motivational meanings. The article identifies the functions performed by a toponym as an address marker of language, highlighting the primary function along with accompanying ones such as ideological, memorial, cultural-educational and aesthetic functions. It has been established that among the new urbanonyms, anthroponymic names predominate, commemorating outstanding Ukrainians, including statesmen, scientists, educators, cultural and artistic figures, as well as warriors who defended Ukrainian statehood. It has also been revealed that, for the first time, the names of heroes who perished during the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war have appeared on the city’s toponymic map. The study concludes with an analysis of the total number of renamed urban objects during the specified period. It has been determined that the toponymic transformations in the city occurred due to the political will of the country’s leadership, which, at the legislative level, enabled the process of decommunization and decolonization of Ukraine’s toponymic map through the adoption of relevant laws.