Odesa. A story told by the Steppe and the Sea

What language does Odesa speak? Greeks and Scythians, Turks and Crimean Tatars, Germans and Jews, French and Italians, and most importantly, Ukrainians. For centuries, very different people lived between the steppe and the sea, each of whom spoke their own language. The “traditional” Russian-speaking nature of the city on the northern shore of the Black Sea is a kind of imperial myth that has been nurtured for years, rewriting historical sources and erasing names.
A new book by linguist Orysia Demska tells the linguistic history of Odessa and its inhabitants. The author helps us look into the cafe of the Greek Simon Asporidis — the very heart of the city, where the townspeople gathered for a cup of coffee, and hear the echoes of many languages ​​that shape the fate of the city.