# Azirivka
> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Azirivka
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Azirivka.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azirivka
> Source revision: 1353819186
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
{{Short description|Broken Ukrainian of Mykola Azarov}}
'''Azirivka''' ({{langx|uk|Азірівка}}) or '''Azirovka''' ({{langx|uk|Азіровка|links=no}}) is a derisive name for the broken [Ukrainian](/source/Ukrainian_language) of the former Ukrainian prime minister [Mykola Azarov](/source/Mykola_Azarov). The term is produced by the corruption of his surname in an exaggerated way according to the "rules" of Azirivka.[Laada Bilaniuk, "Purism and Pluralism: Language Use Trends in Popular Culture in Ukraine since Independence", Harvard Ukrainian Studies, Vol. 35, No. 1/4, THE BATTLE FOR UKRAINIAN: A COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE (2017-2018), pp. 293-309, {{jstor|44983545}}] The term was later applied to the speech of other Ukrainian politicians with poor command of Ukrainian.[ It should be distinguished from [surzhyk](/source/surzhyk), which is an arbitrary colloquial mix of several languages, akin to [pidgin](/source/pidgin), most commonly Ukrainian and Russian, widespread in Ukraine.
==Background==
According to the [1989 Law of the Languages](/source/Language_policy_in_Ukraine) Ukrainian was declared the only [official language](/source/official_language) in the country, and state officials were encouraged to speak Ukrainian in public. Many of them were Russian-speaking and struggled with Ukrainian in their speech, and they were often publicly derided. Among them of note are [Viktor Yanukovych](/source/Viktor_Yanukovych) (see [Yanukism](/source/Yanukism)) and Mykola Azarov.
Azarov speaks [Ukrainian](/source/Ukrainian_language) poorly.][{{cite news|date=11 March 2010|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/61476/|title=Newsmaker: Ukraine prime minister nominee is close ally of president|work=[Kyiv Post](/source/Kyiv_Post)|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314055413/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/61476/|archive-date=14 March 2010}}][{{cite news|work=BBC News|date=26 April 2012|access-date=9 June 2012|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102303.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120609073220/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1102303.stm|title=Ukraine country profile|archive-date=9 June 2012|url-status=live}}][{{cite news|work=[Kyiv Post](/source/Kyiv_Post)|date=11 March 2010|url=http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/61440/|title=Azarov of Party of Regions swears speaking Ukrainian if appointed prime minister|access-date=11 March 2010|url-status=live|archive-date=5 June 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605061452/http://www.kyivpost.com/news/politics/detail/61440/}}]
{{YouTube|9zDq9jVj_Ng|Уроки куртульной речи от министра б'Азарова.}} Nevertheless, he assured his constituents in early March 2010 that [his government](/source/First_Azarov_Government) would be speaking Ukrainian.[
== Characteristics==
The main features of Azirivka is liberal replacement of vowels o, e, y, with 'i'{{efn|Azarov's liberal substitution with vowel 'i' comes from two sources. The first one is the phonetic shift o→i in many Ukrainian words (кот→кіт, он мог→вiн мiг) known as {{ill|ikavism|uk|Ікавізм}} The second one is the confusion about the letter [и](/source/%D0%B8), which corresponds to different [phoneme](/source/phoneme)s in Russian and Ukrainian; the Ukrainian distinction of sounds i/и roughly matches the Russian distinction и/[ы](/source/%D1%8B). In the most famous Azirovism ''{{lang|uk|кровососи}}''→''{{lang|uk|кровосiсi}}'' the first 'i' comes from the "[hypercorrection](/source/hypercorrection)" based on the first source, and the second 'i' comes from the second one.}} and "[akanye](/source/akanye)", replacement of the [phoneme](/source/phoneme)s {{IPA|/o/}} with {{IPAblink|a}}, typical of Russian speech.][Юлія Горбань, [https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-polytics/3171044-ne-propustiti-azirova-cinovnikiv-testuvatimut-z-ukrainskoi.html Не пропустити «Азірова»: чиновників тестуватимуть з української]] (The term "Azirivka" was produced by applying the first "rule".) Often this produced a hilarious effect, the most notable "Azirovism" being ''krovosisi'' ({{Lang|uk|кровосісі}}), or ''kravasisi'' ({{Lang|uk|кравасісі}}) with akanye, for "bloodsuckers".[[https://24tv.ua/krovosisi-papyeryedniki-yak-azarov-stvoriv-novu-ostanni-novini_n1565346 "Кровосісі" та "папєрєдніки": як Азаров створив нову мову]] It is a result of Azarov's hapless attempt to "Ukrainize" the Russian word "krovososy". Quote: "{{Lang|uk|…в країні сфармувался целий прашарак кравасісєф бюджетних коштів}}" [A whole layer of budget bloodsuckers has formed in the country]. The comedy effect comes from the word "sisi", which is a [baby talk](/source/baby_talk) for "[tits](/source/breast)" in Russian, i.e., it may be heard as "bloody tits". The correct Ukrainian word is кровососи (krovososy).[[https://slovnyk.ua/index.php?swrd=%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%81 "КРОВОСОС"]]
Azarov's son, [Oleksiy Azarov](/source/Oleksiy_Azarov), also a politician, said that unless the term is used with the purpose of insulting, it should be treated indifferently and even with humor.[{{Cite web |date=2013-07-15 |title=Азаров не уявляє відпочинку без чебуреків та вважає, що з "азірівки" можна посміятися |url=https://tsn.ua/politika/azarov-ne-uyavlyaye-vidpochinku-bez-cheburekiv-ta-vvazhaye-scho-z-azirivki-mozhna-posmiyatisya-302310.html |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=ТСН.ua |language=uk}}] Azarov himself treated this light-heartedly.[{{Cite web |title=Азаров вважає, що “Азіров” - це не він |url=https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2013/05/24/6990678/ |access-date=2025-05-21 |website=Українська правда |language=uk}}]
== In culture==
Deputy of the [Rada](/source/Rada) [Oleh Liashko](/source/Oleh_Liashko) called for the resignation of Azarov by reading a text from a paper written in Azirivka, however his microphone was quickly turned off.[[https://gazeta.ua/articles/politics/_urid-azirova-maye-piti-u-vidstivku-lyashko-vistupiv-u-radi-azarivskoyu-movoyu/493906 "Урід Азірова має піті у відстівку!" - Ляшко виступив у Раді "азарівською" мовою].
*''Quote:'' "Добрий дінь, шанівний Микіла Яновіч! Сігодня Вас міжуть відправіти у відстівку. І Ві маєтє туді піті з усімя кровосісямі. Ваш кібінєт міністрів нєефєктівєн, нідіздаітєн"]
Azirivka has become an element of humor during [Euromaidan](/source/Euromaidan), when the words were coined, such as ''biikit'' for "boycott" or ''bimba'' for "bomb", and there was even an insult directed at Azarov: "{{Lang|uk|Aзiрiв iдi на хiй!}}" ("''Aziriv, idi na khij!''"), which could be compared to: "Aziriv, go to hill!", although the Ukrainian original is much more insulting, comparable to "[Putin khuilo](/source/Putin_khuilo)".[ Many of "azirivisms", real or invented, are funny due to sexual innuendos: {{Lang|uk|вагiн, госпідар, мінет, піздно/папізже/опіздав}}.
An example of a joke capitalizing on Azirovisms: {{Lang|uk|"Альо, міліція? У вагіні бімба!" – "Микола Янович, це ви?" – "Ні, ці анінім"}} ({{Transliteration|uk|"Alio, militsiia? U vahini bimba!" – "Mykola Yanovych, tse vy?" – "Ni, tsi aninim"|italics=no}}). ("Hellio, police? There is a bimb in the vagin!" - Mykola Yanovych, is that you"? - "Ni, it is aninym!")][Zhanna Denysyuk [https://journals.uran.ua/visnyknakkkim/article/view/138621 ІНТЕРНЕТ-МЕМИ ЯК ЗАСІБ ПОСТФОЛЬКЛОРНОЇ КОМУНІКАЦІЇ]]
In the Ukrainian satirical animated series {{ill|Fairytale Rus|uk|Казкова Русь|italic=y}} by [Kvartal 95 Studio](/source/Kvartal_95_Studio) chancellor Azirov at the court of Tsar Viktor II (a hint to [Viktor Yanukovych](/source/Viktor_Yanukovych)) speaks in an "ancient Rusian language" ({{Lang|uk|на "древнеруськом"}}), a humorous mixture of Russian and Ukrainian resembling Azirivka.[[https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/digests/skazochnaya-rus-vysmeivayushchiy-ukrainskih-politikov-multfilm-19112012104500 Казкова Русь. Висміює українських політиків мультфільм від 95 кварталу]][Космеда Тетяна Анатоліївна, [http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?I21DBN=LINK&P21DBN=UJRN&Z21ID=&S21REF=10&S21CNR=20&S21STN=1&S21FMT=ASP_meta&C21COM=S&2_S21P03=FILA=&2_S21STR=znpkhnpu_lingv_2016_43_8 "Вектор формування нових мовних і комунікативних норм в українському дискурсивному просторі"], Лінгвістичні дослідження. - 2016. - Вип. 43. - С. 42-50.]
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*Монахова Т. В., [https://ekmair.ukma.edu.ua/server/api/core/bitstreams/e256022b-ada2-4463-8090-98cc70df3cf2/content Азірівка як соціолінгвістичний феномен], Наукові записки НаУКМА, 2014, vol. 164 : Філологічні науки, pp. 11–15.
Category:Ukrainian language
Category:2000s neologisms
Category:Terms for quotations of notable persons
Category:Speech error
Category:Wordplay
---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Azirivka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azirivka) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azirivka?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.