Ukraine: a country with two peoples

The current situation in Ukraine has raised a doubt: do you say "a Ukrainian military" or "a Ukrainian military"?

We will answer now, to quickly satisfy those who are looking for the simple answer: the two options are considered valid.

Let's go now with the complex answer.

The first mention of that name in a Spanish dictionary appears in the one edited by the Madrid press Gaspar y Roig in 1855. In the pages of that work, “Ukrainian” and “Ukrainian” coexist, but not “Ukrainian”.

Three years later, the chapter of demonyms of the dictionary of the General Directorate of Telegraphs (1858) will also reflect "Ukrainian";

the same as the first academic edition that takes charge of the matter, that of 1925.

As the genius of the Spanish language is usually shown to be very analogical, "Ukrainian" was aligned with pre-existing demonyms - already collected in the dictionaries of the 18th century - for toponyms ending in

if Armenia is created Armenian, and if Macedonian is born Macedonian, from Ukraine should be formed Ukrainian.

Likewise, out of Babylon came the Babylonian;

from Estonia we have Estonian;

from Amazonia, Amazonian;

of Lacedaemonia, Lacedaemon (country of ancient Greece);

from Caledonia, Caledonian (former region of Great Britain);

from Ausonia, ausonio (region of ancient Italy).

However, we also find ancient traces of the other alternative;

for example, in the dictionary of Elías Zerolo, Miguel de Toro and Emiliano Isaza (1895) “Ukrainian” appears.

And the Ngram tool, which drinks from the Google Books archive, shows a solitary use of “Ukrainian” since 1848, but “Ukrainian” appears around 1856 (then with more presence of the spelling “Ukrainian”).

“Ukrainian” stands out from 1887;

it ties with “Ukrainian” in 1963, and it slips away again from 1970, but with a last line of decline as we reach the year 2000, while “Ukrainian” rebounds.

The RAE Enclave service (of the Royal Spanish Academy) offers a broadly similar evolution.

In the Spanish media, “Ukrainian” began to spread around 1960, as seen in the academic data bank;

while in River Plate Spanish the initial option remained.

I remember, for example, the recording, in the seventies, of

from Les Luthiers, a song sung by “the choir of the Vólgota boatmen”

whose authorship was attributed to an “anonymous Ukrainian poet”, perhaps a distant cousin of Johann Sebastian Mastropiero.

The Spanish Academy added the alternative "Ukrainian" to its dictionary in 1984, although it continued to recommend "Ukrainian".

And in 1992 he retraced his steps to change his criteria and prefer "Ukrainian", but always considering both options valid.

EL PAÍS has been using “Ukrainian” since the years when only that option existed in the

and it has remained.

The Academy's databases show the current validity of "Ukrainian" in Spain, Mexico, Argentina and Uruguay;

but they collect many cases from newspapers, and distorting factors come into play there (for example, an agency news item written in Madrid with "Ukrainian" can appear in many newspapers in countries where "Ukrainian" is preferred; and vice versa).

In short, the choice is left to the free will of each one.

Some will prefer “Ukrainian” for its analogies and its history, and also for its brevity;

others will invoke the widespread present usage of "Ukrainian."

Once all this has been explained, now all that remains is to discuss to the point of delirium, confusion and anger about which of the two forms is the best.

We can passion.

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