The word unites: the Faculty of Philology of UzhNU joined Radiodictation

Every year, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language and holds the National Unity Radio Dictation. This is not just a date on the calendar, but a reminder of the unbreakable power of the word, the greatness of our culture, and the importance of the native language in shaping and preserving national unity.

This year, the author of the text “We Must Live!” was Ukrainian writer Євгенія Кузнєцова, and it was dictated by the People’s Artist of Ukraine Наталія Сумська.

Students and lecturers of the Faculty of Philology of Uzhhorod National University also joined the dictation. For our university, this is more than just a test of knowledge. It is a manifestation of respect for the native word that strengthens our cultural heritage.

Photo by Ksenija

Marta Demchyk, Deputy Dean for Educational Work, shared her impressions of this year’s dictation:

– The biggest difficulty was keeping up with the writing and finishing the sentences, and then figuring out that the sentence had already been written and starting the next one correctly. For example: “to buy a dress with sequins,” and then suddenly they were talking about mushrooms again, so it was unclear whether it was a repetition from the previous sentence or whether I was actually supposed to go mushroom picking in that dress with sequins. Ms. Nataliia was obviously very nervous; she skipped several words in sentences or even whole phrases. The endings of the sentences were unclear – whether it was an ellipsis, an exclamation mark, or a full stop.

Students also experienced many emotions while writing the dictation.

Marianna Chaibynets, a fourth-year student of the “International Journalism” program:

– Today I wrote the radio dictation together with other Ukrainians for the first time, and I am very happy that I finally felt this atmosphere. It was somewhat nerve-racking, but this year’s hosts eased the tension with their jokes. I especially liked how they acknowledged their own mistakes in the text and spoke about them with self-irony, which also created the right atmosphere. I was satisfied with myself and the emotions I experienced. The National Unity Radio Dictation is a wonderful initiative for bringing Ukrainians together.

Photo by Ksenija

Daryna Baran, a first-year student of the “Ukrainian Language and Literature” program:

– At the beginning, it was a real shock; everything was very fast, but interesting. The most difficult thing was probably the reading speed. I think I handled the punctuation and spelling quite well. It was my first time participating in such an event, and I gained very positive impressions.

Alina Hlukhanych, a second-year Journalism student:

– To be honest, I did not really like this year’s dictation. The announcer did not read the text very professionally and, in my opinion, made pauses that were too short, so it was difficult to understand which punctuation mark to use. I liked the text itself, but in some places it was not very clear. Overall, it was not my first time writing the Radio Dictation; I used to do it at school, but now, being more or less an adult, it feels different. The very moment of writing unites Ukrainians all over the world. For me, the Radio Dictation is a reminder that we should unite around what is native to us and cherish it every day, because if we do not do it, who will?

Photo by Ksenija

At the end of the event, Marta Demchyk thanked everyone present for participating in the National Unity Radio Dictation. Of course, anyone interested can submit their dictation for review or check it independently on October 29, when the text will be published on the websites of Ukrainian Radio and Suspilne Culture.

Ksenia Riaboi, student of the Department of Journalism, “International Journalism” program