Keywords
Ukrainian orthography
language norm
computer analysis
comparative analysis
online publications
Abstract
Introduction. In May 2024, a five-year transition period for the introduction of new norms of Ukrainian spelling passed. Since journalists are obliged to constantly improve their language skills, it was decided to investigate the extent to which leading Ukrainian media (national and regional) adhere to the new language norms.
Relevance and purpose. The purpose of the article is to analyze the Ukrainian online mass media in terms of compliance with the new language norms of the current edition of spelling with the help of computer analysis and to identify possible violations of these norms. We consider such work to be relevant, since the media’s readers literacy may partly depend on the level of compliance with language norms by popular media; the readers may borrow both correct and incorrect cases of using certain words and expressions. In addition, in the conditions of the full-scale invasion of Russia, the purity of the Ukrainian language and its popularization acquires additional importance.
Methodology. With the help of computer programs (Python language), more than 7 thousand news items from all-Ukrainian and regional media sites for June 2024 were downloaded and processed. Dictionaries were developed to detect compliance or violation of language norms.
The results. The study showed that online mass media have a positive tendency to use the updated language norms (compared to 2019 and 2021), in particular, writing words in a single approved form and using feminine forms, in journalistic texts, while variant spellings of some words remain out of the attention of journalists. The situation is also partly different in the media with different spheres of distribution: all-Ukrainian media are more inclined to introduce language changes in their texts regarding foreign language components and individual words, while local ones are not in such a hurry to do so or avoid certain orthographic norms.
Conclusions. The study helped identify leading trends in the use of the new spelling and confirmed the applicability of computer analysis to such cases. As for further research, we see the need to continue monitoring compliance with language norms, as well as to supplement it with research using other methods for a deeper understanding of the level of literacy of Ukrainian media and journalists.
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