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https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-it-kyiv-or-kiev-and-why-the-pronunciation-changed-11647715295
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Many Americans grew up pronouncing
Ukraine’s capital city “key-yev.” Now they’re hearing broadcasters and government officials say it differently. What’s going on?
The answer reflects Ukraine’s history and fight for autonomy. After Ukraine gained independence in 1991 amid the breakup of the Soviet Union, the Ukrainian government began changing geographic signs to spellings and sounds that align with the Ukrainian language, rather than Russian. The languages are closely related, similar to Spanish and Italian, but are distinct.
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This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.