FUNCTIONS OF THE CHUVASH LANGUAGE IN MOSCOW REGION DIASPORA GROUPS

This article deals with the functions of the Chuvash language in diaspora groups: it is a titu-lar language in the Chuvash Republic of the Russian Federation, yet mainly spread in diaspora groups, in the case of this study it is a diaspora group, inhabiting Moscow and Moscow region. The survey is based on the study of around 100 Moscow diaspora members, who claim to be ethnic Chuvash. The paper states and covers a number of functions of the Chuvash language in diaspora: symbolic, phatic, empathetic, com-municative, quasi-communicative, conspiratorial functions, as well as makes an attempt at determining a language or languages which help respondents to express their emotions or dreams. As a result, a dis-tribution of the functions of the Chuvash language has been established depending on the first or the second generation, a number of regularities and patterns have been brought to light, that mainly deal with the use of the language under certain circumstances in diaspora groups.