Ukrainian girl started learning Belarusian in 2022, and now runs a Belarusian-language blog

Viktoria runs the TikTok account "Ukrainian in Belarusian". Photo from the heroine's archive

Viktoria started learning the Belarusian language in 2022. To the question of why specifically then — because when the war began, many Ukrainians had a negative attitude towards Belarusians — the girl answers:

— I only started learning Belarusian for the first time in 2022. During this period, Belarusian-language videos started appearing in my TikTok feed. And the time I started learning is not at all dependent on the war. I have never had a negative attitude towards Belarusians with an adequate position, and the Belarusian language has nothing to do with what is happening.

Viktoria rarely encounters hatred from her compatriots because of her interest. She says that any criticism is more an exception to the rule, as Ukrainians generally have a good attitude towards the Belarusian language.

Most Belarusians support her and write pleasant words and thanks in the comments. But from time to time, haters appear — Russian-speakers, of course.

Viktoria didn't sit with textbooks — she simply consumed content in Belarusian: watched videos on TikTok, on YouTube, listened to music. Her favorite Belarusian musicians are the bands "Niamiha", Adarvirog, Sumarok, and Relikt.

In one of the first videos on the TikTok channel "Ukrainian in Belarusian", Viktoria shares what surprised her when she started learning Belarusian.

— What surprised me was that I understood almost everything. Of course, many words differ from the Ukrainian language. But, when I learned basic words like "many", "specifically", and so on, 90% of spoken language became understandable.

And the second point is the lack of interlocutors.

— Now there are many Belarusian-speaking people even here, on TikTok. But when I started in 2022, I was looking for interlocutors in programs like "Tandem" for language exchange. Unfortunately, there were many situations where it turned out that even people who indicated Belarusian as their native language didn't know it.

The girl was also a bit confused by the different spelling variants — Narkamauka and Tarashkievitsa.

— At first, I couldn't understand what, how, and why. But later, everything became clear. Now I want to switch to the classical orthography. But for now, I mostly use Narkamauka.

The existence of several alphabets also came as a surprise. Viktoria was very surprised when she saw comments on social networks.

— I can still understand Latin script. But Arabic script?!

At first, Viktoria tried to translate words or even entire sentences from Ukrainian to Belarusian. But she notes: a few years ago, Google Translate worked so horribly that she had to dig into her memory for knowledge of the Russian language.

After half a year of regular conversations in Belarusian (if not every day, then every other day for sure), Viktoria started speaking almost fluently.

@viktoriia_nn When he doesn't understand that I only speak Lukrainian and Belarusian. r #ukrainiantiktok#belarusiantiktok#belarustiktok#ukrainebelarus#belarusianlanguage ♬ growth - Gede Yudis

She didn't take any notes, didn't write anything down. The girl assures: if you translate a word 10 times, on the eleventh time you'll remember it yourself.

Sometimes people come to the comments asking why a Ukrainian needs the Belarusian language — especially since she doesn't have Belarusian roots. Such a question surprises Viktoria.

— I believe that the Belarusian language is worthy of being known and spoken. I don't understand why people are surprised that I'm learning Belarusian. Don't you have any hobbies, anything you like? So why do you do it? Do I think Belarusian is unnecessary for me? No, because I met wonderful people and learned a lot of interesting things.

At the same time, Viktoria admits that she doesn't speak Russian fluently — so people who demand she speak Russian in the comments stump her.

— Why do some people think that the world revolves around the Russian language? I grew up in a completely Ukrainian-speaking environment, never studied Russian. Because in my city, it hasn't been studied in schools for at least 20 years. I don't even know how to speak it adequately. Maybe if I practice, I'll get it. But why? For me, it's a foreign language that I know a little because there were many films and series in it during my childhood. Now it holds no benefit for me. But somehow some people can't comprehend that not everyone needs the Russian language.

Павялічыць

Viktoria runs the TikTok account "Ukrainian in Belarusian". Photo from the heroine's archive

Now Viktoria is subscribed to many Belarusian-speaking people on TikTok, various educational pages.

— Sometimes I can watch something on "Kinakanapa", sometimes I read Belarusian literature — but usually there isn't enough time for reading.

At the end of the conversation, Viktoria adds:

— For me, the Belarusian language is one of the most beautiful in the world, and I would like to support Belarusians and the Belarusian language in this difficult time for you and for us. Because if some people don't understand why people need Belarusian, others do everything they can for its development. And I would like to be part of this great cause.

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