Adjectival characterisation of Ukraine in the English Web 2021 (enTenTen21) corpus

doi:10.26565/2786-5312-2026-103-02

Liudmyla Hryzhak Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9485-778X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26565/2786-5312-2026-103-02

Keywords: adjective, corpus, image, modification, Ukraine

Abstract

The study explores adjectival characterisation of Ukraine in the English Web 2021 (enTenTen21) corpus. Functioning as noun modifiers, adjectives qualify referents, describing and evaluating them, thus shaping the perspective through which they are viewed and assessed. The aim of this study is to investigate the image of Ukraine created through such modification, and its relevance lies in the fact that the analysed corpus was created before the full-scale Russian assault on Ukraine.

Adjectives collocating with the lemma Ukraine are identified, analysed and organised into several thematic domains based on their semantics and contextual use: territory and climate, eras and timeframes, politics and geopolitics, features and perceptions, economic state, war and conflict, society and identity. The findings show a complex and ambivalent portrayal of the country, with the majority of modifiers characterising Ukraine’s territorial divisions, historical development, current geopolitical status and sovereignty, and evaluatively depicting its positive and negative qualities. Frequent references to the Soviet past, Russia’s occupation and annexation of Crimea, and the ongoing war in the east highlight the challenges faced by Ukraine in establishing itself as a sovereign and unified state on the global stage. Negative portrayals, often amplified by Russian disinformation, depict Ukraine as unstable, controlled, or corrupt, whereas positive descriptors emphasise its modernity, independence, resilience, unity, and aspirations for European integration.

Overall, the adjectival representation of Ukraine in the analysed online discourse constructs a complex and ideologically charged image of the country, marked by polarisation between depictions of its strength and vulnerability, unity and fragmentation, a tumultuous historical past alongside a future-oriented European trajectory. These findings show how language reflects and shapes perceptions of Ukraine in contemporary English-language online discourse.

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