Розглянуто погляди першого українського професійного соціолога Михайла Драгоманова про взаємодію мови і суспільства. Виокремлено аспекти суспільної природи мови, які не втратили свою актуальність і сьогодні: статус мови в суспільстві, престиж мови, освіта рідною мовою, багатомовність і роль аціональних мов, розвиток мов у суспільстві, мовна політика, роль іноземних мов у розвитку суспільства й особистості, соціальна диференціація мови та інші.
Доведено, що пропозиції М. Драгоманова щодо вирішення важливих соціомовних проблем сучасного українського суспільства залишаються актуальними.
The article focuses on Ukrainian scientist Mykhaylo Drahomanov’s concept of the language and society relationship in the context of contemporary sociolinguistics. Actuality of research is caused by language problems in modern Ukrainian bilingual society. Even at the end of the 19th century Drahomanov formulated the basic problems of sociolinguistics and tried to answer some of the questions, given the history of the language problem in Ukrainian society and European experience in this matter. Dragomanov’s scientific heritage was not investigated fully before in this aspect.
It was used the descriptive and comparative methods. Having based on sevensix Mykhaylo Drahomanov’s works it was considered his views on the actual problems of modern sociolinguistics: language status in society, prestige of language, education in native language, multilingualism and the role of national languages, languages development in society, social differentiation of languages and others. In particular, scientist two types of state language policy identified:1) aimed to the development of language (as in some of his contemporary European nations: Italians, Germans, Austrians, French), 2) aimed to the suppressing of language (as it was a long time against the Ukrainian language). Drahomanov pointed to the need for publication of textbooks in native languages, which provide the right of peoples of the Russian Empire, including Ukrainian, to a full education.
The question of prestige language took the largest place in the scientific heritage of Ukrainian scientist. He ways to improve the social status of Ukrainian language among intellectuals and ordinary people tried to find. Drahomanov put a mandatory requirement normalization of the national language in grammar and dictionaries as a precondition for its prestige. The scientist stressed that the prestige of the national language is determined by various factors for intellectuals and ordinary people. Therefore, he stressed that literature should satisfy alive, immediate demands of society, to have an educational character to be competitive among other nations.
It is proved that Drahomanov’s suggestions about solution of important sociolinguistic issues in modern Ukrainian society are continuing to be relevant. In particular the ways to enhance prestige of Ukrainian language proposed by scientist deserve attention. Among them expansion of the functioning of Ukrainian language at the expense of modern popular literature, the widespread use of Ukrainian language in secondary and higher education, formation and expansion of specialized terminology, translations of Ukrainian books into foreign languages and the widespread use of Ukrainian by groups with high social status.
Drahomanov’s concept of language education is also relevant. It provides among perfect knowledge of their native language, learning 2-3 foreign languages.This doctrine is the basis of modern language education in Ukraine.Therefore, the study of Dragomanov’s scientific works may have not only academic but also practical interest.
