Online language use and identity of Ukrainian diaspora in Germany

Abstract

This article studies the language use and identity of Ukrainian communities in Germany on the websites and in online social media. Since 2014, the conflict in the East of Ukraine has led to a remarkably large and intense flow of Ukrainian migrants to Western Europe and Germany in particular giving rise to longstanding issues of identity formation and language use both within Ukraine and inside Ukrainian diaspora communities around the globe. This article will examine Ukrainian diaspora in Germany on the subject of language ideologies, practices and identity shaping by analyzing its linguistic online activity. To do so, our analysis will draw on a range of interdisciplinary methodologies, including studies of descriptive reporting of diaspora’s online discussions, its language practices and attitudes, and studies of discursive constructions of nationhood, which explore language indexing in relation to national identity negotiation.