Editing Ukrainian language (section)

==Literature and literary language==
{{further|Ukrainian literature}}

The literary Ukrainian language, which was preceded by Old East Slavic literature, may be subdivided into two stages: during the 12th to 18th centuries what in Ukraine is referred to as "Old Ukrainian", but elsewhere, and in contemporary sources, is known as the Ruthenian language, and from the end of the 18th century to the present what in Ukraine is known as "Modern Ukrainian", but elsewhere is known as just Ukrainian.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Influential literary figures in the development of modern Ukrainian literature include the philosopher [[Hryhorii Skovoroda]], [[Ivan Kotlyarevsky]], [[Mykola Kostomarov]], [[Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky]], Shevchenko, [[Ivan Franko]], and [[Lesia Ukrainka]]. The earliest literary work in the Ukrainian language was recorded in 1798 when Kotlyarevsky, a playwright from [[Poltava]] in southeastern Ukraine, published his [[epic poem]], ''Eneyida'', a [[Burlesque (literature)|burlesque]] in Ukrainian, based on [[Virgil]]'s ''[[Aeneid]]''. His book was published in vernacular Ukrainian in a satirical way to avoid being censored, and is the earliest known Ukrainian published book to survive through Imperial and, later, Soviet policies on the Ukrainian language.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

Kotlyarevsky's work and that of another early writer using the Ukrainian vernacular language, {{ill|Petro Artemovsky|uk|Гулак-Артемовський Петро Петрович}}, used [[Middle Dnieprian dialect|the southeastern dialect spoken in the Poltava, Kharkiv and southern Kyiv regions of the Russian Empire]]. This dialect would serve as the basis of the Ukrainian literary language when it was developed by Shevchenko and Kulish in the mid 19th century. In order to raise its status from that of a dialect to that of a language, various elements from folklore and traditional styles were added to it.<ref name="Shevelov1981">{{cite book |last1=Shevelov |first1=George |chapter=Evolution of the Ukrainian Literary Language |editor1-last=Rudnytsky|editor1-first=Ivan L. |editor2-last= Himka |editor2-first=John-Paul |title=Rethinking Ukrainian History  |date=1981 |publisher= [[Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies]] (CIUS) Press (University of Alberta) |location= Edmonton, Alberta  |isbn=978-0920862124 |pages=221–225 |editor1-link=Ivan L. Rudnytsky }}</ref>

The Ukrainian literary language developed further when the Russian state banned the use of the Ukrainian language, prompting many of its writers to move to the western Ukrainian region of Galicia which was under more liberal Austrian rule; after the 1860s the majority of Ukrainian literary works were published in Austrian Galicia.  During this period Galician influences were adopted in the Ukrainian literary language, particularly with respect to vocabulary involving law, government, technology, science, and administration.<ref name="Shevelov1981"/>