Yanukisms (Ukrainian: янукізми, romanized: yanukizmy) is a Ukrainian colloquial term for various linguistic errors and mistakes made by former President Viktor Yanukovych, who was widely noted for frequent malapropisms and misspellings, which contrasted with the formal and educated image he projected in public.[1]
One of the best-known examples of a Yanukism is the misspelling "proffesor", which Yanukovych wrote on his registration form during the 2004 presidential election. He made 12 other mistakes while filling out the form, most notably misspelling the names of his wife and his hometown.[2] The term 'proffesor" became an internet meme and a nickname for Yanukovych. In light of these errors, members of the Ukrainian public and media began to question his doctorate in economics.[3] The frequency of Yanukovych's mistakes has also led to suspicions that his best-selling books may have been ghostwritten.[4]
Yanukisms may also involve factual mistakes rather than linguistic errors. Among other statements, Yanukovych has claimed that the Greek Mount Athos is located in Palestine, referred to the 2022 Winter Olympics as 'a World Championship' and stated that Israel is a European country.[5][6]
Examples
[edit]| Yanukism | Explanation | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| проффесор (proffesor) | extra ф (f) | [2] |
| Welcome in Ukraine! | wrong preposition (to instead of in); Yanukovych said this while on a state visit to Japan in 2011 | [7] |
| Isaak Bebel | Yanukovych mixed up the Ukrainian author Isaac Babel and the German politician August Bebel. | [5] |
| йолка (yolka) | meaning 'Christmas tree'. The Ukrainian term is ялинка (yalynka). | [7] |
| прємьєр-міністр (premyer-ministr) | misspelling of прем'єр-міністр, meaning 'Prime Minister' The incorrect spelling is derived from the Russian "Премьер-министр", substituting е and и with the Ukrainian letters є and і (which carry the same pronunciation in Ukrainian as е and и do in Russian — although е and и exist in the Ukrainian alphabet as well, they are pronounced differently). |
[2] |
| курасани (kurasany) | correct spelling: круасани (kruasany), meaning 'croissants' | [8] |
| Secretary General Clinton | while meeting Hillary Clinton, Yanukovych mistitled her as 'Secretary General' instead of 'Secretary of State' | [5] |
| People from Lviv are "the country's best genocide" | Yanukovych mixed up the words for gene pool (генофонд, henofond) and genocide (геноцид, henotsyd) | [9] |
| Anna Akhmetova | misspelling of Akhmatova | [5] |
| "when you see with your own hands (– –) you touch it with your own eyes" | Yanukovych describes reports from regional governors | [10] |
| "revival and development of Pridnestrovie and all of Ukraine" | Yanukovych confused the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk (Ukrainian: Дніпропетровська область, romanized: Dnipropetrovska oblast) with the unrecognized state of Transnistria (Ukrainian: Придністров'я, romanized: Prydnistrovia), which is a part of Moldova. | [11] |
| "low-enriched Iran" | Yanukovych was meant to tell Barack Obama that a new research center in Kharkiv will focus on researching low-enriched uranium; he mixed up the words for "Iran" (Ukrainian: Іран, romanized: Iran) and "uranium" (Ukrainian: уран, romanized: uran). | [12] |
| Astanavites! (Астанавітєсь!; Stop!) | Russicism; the proper Ukrainian term is Зупиніться! (Zupynit'sia!), another internet-meme associated with Yanukovich.[13] Said in an address to the new Ukrainian government after the removal of Yanukovych from power in 2014. | [14] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Янукізми" [Yanukisms]. The Ukrainian Week (in Ukrainian). 2010-09-03. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ a b c Viktorovich, Yana (21 September 2004). "Тому що "проффесор"" [Because "proffesor"]. Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ Motyl, Alexander J. (2010-09-30). "The proFFesor's latest flub: Yanukovych without a clue". Kyiv Post. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ Solonyna, Yevhen; Sindelar, Daisy (2012-04-19). "Ukrainian President's Millions In Book Fees Raise Eyebrows". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ a b c d "35 курйозів, що сталися в житті екс-гаранта України Віктора Януковича". Погляд – новини Чернівці та Чернівецької області. Archived from the original on 2021-08-10. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ "Черговий конфуз Януковича. Тепер спортивний". Ukrainska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 8 July 2011. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ a b "Янукович помилився, вимовляючи класичну англійську фразу". Корреспондент.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ ""Самсунг" вам й "курасани" з маком: найкумедніші ляпи Януковича за рік". Gazeta.ua (in Ukrainian). 2012-12-28. Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ "Янукович назвав львів'ян "кращим геноцидом країни"". tsn.ua (in Ukrainian). 2010-03-11. Archived from the original on 2010-03-11.
- ^ "В Луганске Янукович рассказал об украинской традиции "увидеть руками, глазами потрогать"". Сегодня (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-03-04.
- ^ "Янукович пополнил свою коллекцию оговорок". Комментарии (in Ukrainian). 2012-02-24. Archived from the original on 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ "Янукович винайшов "низькозбагачений Іран"". Українська правда (in Ukrainian). 2012-09-28. Retrieved 2024-03-25.
- ^ Інтернет заполонив новий мем з Януковичем (ФОТОЖАБИ)
- ^ "Астанавітєсь — Янукович (Full HD)". YouTube. 30 March 2023.