Phonetics, Cognates, and Culture

A Holistic Approach to the First Ukrainian Lesson

Abstract

This article presents a language-specific concept for the first Ukrainian lesson that centres on the use of cognates between Ukrainian and German to support beginner learners – especially in multilingual and heritage language contexts. Cognates such as 'mama' – 'Mama', 'telefon' – 'Telefon', and 'universytet' – 'Universität' serve as linguistic anchors that foster a sense of familiarity, reduce anxiety, and encourage early lexical acquisition. Learners are invited to identify similarities, build word associations, and gain confidence by realizing how much they already “know.”

The lesson design integrates guided pronunciation exercises for key Ukrainian phonemes (e.g., [ɦ], palatalised consonants) to establish a foundation in sound awareness. Visual and auditory tools are used to reinforce accuracy and boost learner motivation. Culturally, the lesson introduces contemporary and regional elements of Ukrainian life while deliberately avoiding stereotypical representations. Music, media clips, and images illustrate the linguistic and cultural diversity of Ukraine, making the language personally relevant from the very beginning.

By linking familiar vocabulary with sound and culture, this holistic approach offers a low-threshold entry into Ukrainian that supports both cognitive and emotional engagement. The model is adaptable to diverse educational settings and learner backgrounds, and it demonstrates how targeted use of Ukrainian-German cognates can become a powerful tool in inclusive language pedagogy.