# All Slavic languages: Ukrajna-Украйна



## Linnets

Hi everyone,
I'm forced to write in English since my knowledge of Slavic languages is very bad. Tha question is that: in Italian we used to call (the) Ukraine /u'kraina/ and not /u'kra'(j)ina/. Then someone said it was "wrong" and the "correct" pronunciation /ukra'(j)ina/ became more popular. There are a lot of theories among languages enthusiasts in Italy:



Украйна /u'kraina/ is Russian, Украина /ukra'(j)ina/ is Ukrainian; 
Украйна /u'kraina/ is Ukrainian, Украина /ukra'(j)ina/ is Russian; 
Украйна /u'kraina/ is a regional pronunciation of some Ukrainian/Russian zone; 
Украйна /u'kraina/ is an old pronunciation (this could be confirmed by the name of this Polish region); 
 Украйна /u'kraina/ does not exist in any Slavic language but Bulgarian. 

Could you help me (and other Italians interested in languages)?
 Best regards and thanks in advance.


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## Azori

A Slovak pronunciation of Ukrajina (Ukraine).


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## VelikiMag

I can't see how the pronunciation in one language can affect pronunciation in another. Anyway, in Ukrainian it is _Україна_, and in Russian it is _Украина_. As you can hear, in Ukrainian /j/ sound is a bit more stressed. _Украйна_ is only in Bulgarian. In Serbian it is _Украјина_, but the stress is on the first syllable and /i/ sound is often left out.


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## jazyk

> Украйна /u'kraina/ is Russian, Украина /ukra'(j)ina/ is Ukrainian;
> Украйна /u'kraina/ is Ukrainian, Украина /ukra'(j)ina/ is Russian;


Украина /ukra'ina/ is Russian and Україна /ukra'jina/ is Ukrainian.


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## Selyd

Украи'на /ukrai'na/ is Russian and Украї'на /ukraji'na/ is Ukrainian.


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## jazyk

I guess you and I wrote the same thing, but with different systems. I placed the ' before the stressed syllable and you placed it after it, but we both agree that the stressed syllable is i/ji.


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## marco_2

In poetry and folk songs you can find the version *Украйно *, сf. _Де ж ти, Украйно, де ж твої пісні, що гріють і турбують душу...?_


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## Kartof

marco_2 said:


> In poetry and folk songs you can find the version *Украйно *, сf. _Де ж ти, Украйно, де ж твої пісні, що гріють і турбують душу...?_



Isn't that just the vocative case?


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## jazyk

It is, but with a diphthong instead of the standard hiatus.


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## marco_2

Exactly. In another song you can see: _Моя *Україно, *ти матінко мила, неси ж людям щастя..., _so this way you can regulate the quantity of syllables in the verse (by the way, you can also do it with using *у *or *в /Україна : Вкраїна/*).


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