Is it "Ukraine" or "the Ukraine"? Is the name of the capital city of Ukraine spelled "Kyiv" or "Kiev," and how is it pronounced?

While these linguistic distinctions might seem trivial in light of the recent events in Ukraine, they reflect key differences between how Russians view Ukraine and how Ukrainians see themselves.

— Ukraine or "the Ukraine?

The insertion of "the" before "Ukraine" implies that Ukraine is not an independent political entity but rather an undefined area or region.

Just as Americans use "the" before the names of general geographic areas ("the Midwest") but not before distinct sovereign entities (not "the California"), Russians insert "na" before the names of unbounded areas ("na Caucasus") and insert "v" before the names of bounded nations or states ("v Germany").

Thus, when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, most Russians referred to it as "na Ukraine." But when Ukraine achieved independence in 1991, it asked the Russian government to refer to "v Ukraine" instead of "na Ukraine." Nevertheless, many Russians, including Vladimir Putin, retain the "na," implying that Ukraine isn't a legitimate nation.

— Kyiv or Kiev

The spelling of the name for Ukraine's capital "Kiev" derives from Russian, so ever since Ukrainians declared independence, they've campaigned for the use of the Ukrainian spelling "Kyiv." After Russia invaded Crimea and other parts of eastern Ukraine in 2014, most Western news outlets, including The New York Times, Reuters and CNN, switched to "Kyiv."

Ukrainians also prefer Ukrainian spellings for other cities, including Kharkiv (Kharkov), Odesa (Odessa) and Lviv (Lvov), and most major news organizations have adopted these spellings.

— KEEV or Kee-EV?

The traditional English pronunciation "Kee-EV" is derived from the Russian spelling "Kiev," so Ukrainians prefer a pronunciation based on "Kyiv." In the Cyrillic alphabet, the second letter of "Kyiv," which is represented in English as "y," is actually pronounced "KRIH," so Ukrainians render "Kyiv" as "KRIH-eev." But because English speakers have difficulty pronouncing the somewhat guttural first syllable, the approximation "KEEV" has become the preferred version in English.

As Ukraine expert Nina Jankowicz writes, "How we describe Ukraine and Ukrainians and their cities is paramount to how the world perceives Ukraine. And part of that perception is about describing Ukraine as its own distinct entity."

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Connecticut, invites your language sightings. His new book, "Mark My Words," is available for $9.99 on Amazon.com. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via email to WordGuy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.

Photo credit: Leonhard_Niederwimmer at Pixabay