Aims: This study investigates language attitudes and practices among first-generation Ukrainian migrants in Naples (Italy) after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It examines how war-related experiences reshape the symbolic and affective values of Russian and Ukrainian within speakers’ repertoires. Methods: The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining sociolinguistic questionnaires and the language portrait technique. Data from Ukrainian-speaking migrants in Naples were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively, focusing on metalinguistic commentary and visual representations of linguistic repertoires. Results: The findings show a process of sociolinguistic realignment. Despite high proficiency, Russian is often associated with trauma, stigma, and political aggression, and positioned as a language to be rejected. Ukrainian, by contrast, gains affective and symbolic value as a marker of identity and resistance. The study highlights how geopolitical events reshape language practices and contribute to the renegotiation of individual and collective identities in the diaspora.
Salvo et al. (2026) studied this question.