An alternative interpretation of Suržyk: Dialectal and Diachronic aspects

This article intends to demonstrate that in the formation of Suržyk, or more precisely, basic or prototype Suržyk intervene other co-factors, until recently, often underestimated.The traditional interpretation of this phenomenon attributes Suržyk as the direct and exclusive result of Russian influence on Ukrainian, which caused the making of this so called hybrid or language mix. Some language elements, as well as specific constructions, need in fact to be searched for in the historic development of the Ukrainian language, and in the regional, dialectal differentiation. We are furthermore convinced that a synchronic approach to the interpretation of Suržyk will not be able to render the full complexity of this mainly oral language. The dialectal fragmentation, acting as a sort of interface between the diachronic and synchronic aspects, needs likewise to be considered. The alternative interpretation consists in underlying the importance of the dialectal and archaic elements, so far labelled or perceived as Russianisms, or stigmatized as Suržykisms, but originally part of older varieties of Ukrainian, and to some extent, still present today on the Ukrainian dialectal territory.