Restoring the functional domains of a formerly "oppressed" language: the pitfalls of promoting Ukrainian for Ukrainians

This article focuses on the sociolinguistic landscape in Ukraine, where official monolingual legislation has been in conflict with the deeply rooted bilingualism and dominance of Russian in eastern and southern Ukraine. This paper provides an overview of the constraints which impede the desired language shift. A question has emerged as to whether affirmative legislation and the moral appeals of the nationally conscious intelligentsia are irrevocably constructive and adequate for the restoration of the polyfunctional potential of the language and the revival of the social domains of its use.