Anybody planning to learn some Ukrainian?

banie01

I have accomodation registered with the IRC and in the anticipation of it being used, I have started learning via Duolingo. One of my friends locally is also Ukrainian so he is talking to me constantly in Ukrainian and all I can make out as of yet is yes, no, where and cat 🌻

Badly Drunk Boy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118783418#Comment_118783418

So...what have you done to his cat? (Or what has he done to yours?) 😉

Alun

About 50 years ago I studied Russian at school in the UK to 'O' level, I guess the equivalent of junior cert here. It took quite a while to just get used to the Cyrillic alphabet, both reading and writing, and some pronunciation quirks before we really started learning much in the way of grammar and vocabulary. I've pretty much forgotten most of it by now though. In short, it's not a language you can pick up and learn just like that as you can't really build on any previous language skills in the more usual romance or germanic languages.

Yes the script and grammar will make it difficult to really learn the language.. but if you can get a 'travelling to russia' phrasebook (should be heavily discounted at the moment) where it's transliterated into the roman alphabet it won't be so tough to pick up enough for basic use. Just learn the slight differences in basic phrases between the languages on YouTube, and then who will care if your grammar is awful once you can be understood

iLikeWaffles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118781271#Comment_118781271

It is a good point, it is just pure discrimination for the most part due to the cultural differences - to add to it why our own are/were not treated in a similar way at the peak of the homeless crisis?! Again discrimination and the stigma associated with homelessness. Similarly a high number of Homeless people in Ireland as there is Ukrainians arriving and they are not given the same consideration or offered equal charity. Obviously it is brilliant that so many have offered to house Ukrainian families and I quietly applaud them for it, but if they are looking for thanks they can F'off; as they say charity starts at home.

buried

No? I mean, How would I even know who was Ukrainian if I encountered them down the shop in the first place? I mean, with the distinct Slavic Eastern European accent, they could be from anywhere in Eastern Europe, Poland, Lithuania etc. even Russia for Jayzus sake

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118784136#Comment_118784136

Nothing, yet!

Potential-Monke

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118784340#Comment_118784340

This. All this. End up offending someone and won't be worth the hassle. I want to learn Japanese, tried it, it's hard but not impossible. I gave up because it'll be hard to find someone to converse with for practice. And realistically, it won't be useful to me at all. Haven't a hope of learning a completely new language based on an alphabet of characters I can't make head nor tail of, nor do I want to.

As someone previously said, far better to give the incoming refugees a quick english guide for the most used things. Christ, how long are the Polish coming here, and all I've learned is Prazsky. And that's Czech.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118772627#Comment_118772627

I hope they don't make any of the obvious mistakes when doing that here then :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqYtG9BNhfM

Tried learning Slovak and gave up.

Figured for 2 weeks a year it wasn't worth it. Haven't seen the in-laws in person in 4 years at this stage.

cj maxx

Nah , I'm still going to do a refresher course in Irish.

keeponhurling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118783068#Comment_118783068

In my opinion it's not racism. Generally, people always want to help refugees or good causes, within reason.

The big difference is that when you see the Ukraine crisis, people in Europe generally fear "we could be next, where will this end, we need to show solidarity". Russian expansionism by definition means they may expand further.

Ireland and Irish people are certainly helping, but the countries that are giving the bulk of the support here (Poland, Slovakia etc. basically the ones bordering Ukraine) can really really identify with what Ukraine is going through given their shared history, and it's on their door step. They will have lots of Ukrainian friends, colleagues or even family.

Rightly or wrongly, it also helps that we can see Ukraine's closest neighbors (and our EU partners) are doing all they can but simply need some back-up. Given the massive numbers, Poland simply cannot take them all so it's makes sense to send some to Ireland and other countries to share.

Whenever you hear of trouble in faraway lands like Middle East, Africa and so on, you just don't get that feeling of connection. Especially civil wars, by definition they aren't likely to spread beyond that country. Also people understand them less. We you see refugees from country X in Asia, none of their neighbors help, they travel through 10-20 peaceful countries just to get to the particular European country of choice. They don't seem to be as stuck as the Ukrainians, or perhaps we can just simply identify less.

Pussyhands

Lot of virtue signalling going on, people letting everyone know how kind and generous they are.

Was at the shop yesterday getting some things and at the till. Heard a woman with a trolly tell the cashier that the Ukrainian refugees are coming to the hotel and they have absolutely nothing.