LANGUAGE AS THE "HOUSE OF BEING" IN VOLODYMYR SAMIILENKO’S ARTISTIC AND RESEARCH CONCEPTIONS

The article analyzes the views of one of the leading Ukrainian authors in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Volodymyr Samiilenko, on the role of the native language for the Ukrainian nation and language as a general phenomenon of human existence. The study deals with interpretations of language and related concepts – "word", "song", "thought", "poetry", "art". The results show that relying on Shevchenko's traditions, the writer considered the Ukrainian language as the existential foundation and the primary tool for expressing the national identity, the source of the historical memory ("Ukrainian Language (In Memory of Taras Shevchenko)", "Hello to Bukovina", "Ukraine"). Being an opponent of violent confrontations, Samiilenko also believed in the power of words as an intellectual weapon and urged his contemporaries to use this powerful tool (the cycle "Iambus"). The author also addressed the nature of verbal creativity, developing the idea of poetry (song) as a divine gift and an instrument of spiritual purification and enlightenment ("Song"), a source of knowledge and a means of self-improvement ("Eagle", "Elegies"). These ideas and motifs reached a pick in the symbolic image of poetry as an irresistible force and indestructible substance that can outlive humanity itself ("Poetry Will Not Die"). In this regard, Samiilenko refers to the communicative function of language and suggests an international language (Esperanto) as a chance for mankind’s survival through understanding, which would stop constant bloody conflicts (the poem "Gaia"). The article also examines Samiilenko’s linguistic views expressed in the articles "Let’s Take Care of the Phonetic Beauty of the Language" and "Foreign Words in the Ukrainian Language," as well as in reviews of literary and scientific texts. These works are written with deep expertise, and the author’s observations on the orthography, lexical, and stylistic norms in the Ukrainian literary language are still relevant. Volodymyr Samiilenko’s critical and scientific works complement the linguistic and philosophical motives in his art and demonstrate the writer’s desire to protect his native language from destructive influences and to promote its development by interacting with the most widespread and impactful European languages.