How the war changed everyday Ukrainian language

Our conversations are now filled with words we rarely used before the Russian invasion

When triggered, the nervous system reacts and sends signals from our brains to our mouths. We open them and scream, cry, laugh and squeeze many other sounds from our lungs. Language, when triggered, does a similar thing – it makes us say things, old and new exclamations. But when a trigger is as complex and long-lasting as war, the language doesn’t just react – it changes and cements new words, phrases and names into our daily vocabulary.

Something like that happened with us – Ukrainians. The way we speak didn’t change – fundamentally – but the war introduced some important words that help us explain what’s happening around to each other and ourselves.

And, when I look at the chronology of when these words populated our conversations, I can almost tell you the history of this war.

Viyna and its offspring

drawing by me

This history starts with the word viyna (war), which is an antonym of myr (peace). It commemorates a fundamental change of times. When myrnyy chas (peaceful time) ends voyennyy chas (wartime) begins. For many Ukrainians – mostly those who lived in the east – such a transition happened in 2014. When Russia…