No 3(122) (2025)
THEMED ISSUE EDITOR’S COLUMN
LANGUAGE DIVERSITY IN RUSSIA AND ADJACENT TERRITORIES: STUDY AND PRESERVATION



LANGUAGE POLICY AND SOCIOLINGUISTICS
On Issue of Mesopolicy of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity in Russian Context
Abstract
The management of cultural and linguistic diversity is considered in the article as a multi-level system formed in the form of interaction of conceptual foundations and practical activities of national, regional and local scale. The proposed concept of mesopolitics implies not only spatial (territorial or political and administrative units of analysis) measurement, but also diversification of actors who begin to play an increasingly significant role in language relations and language functioning. Particular attention is paid to the conceptual goal-setting and normative consolidation of provisions on bi- and multilingualism in legal policy acts, as well as the possibilities of reproducing linguistic diversity arising in the modern space of information and communication technologies in the prospects of online language policy. The application of analysis methods on meso-projections of diversity management, according to the authors, will receive a new update in connection with the upcoming update of the regulatory environment of poli tical and linguistic relations in anticipation of the adoption of new legislative acts and decisions in the field of legal policy.



Language Policy in Regions of Volga Federal District: Factors of Public Demand
Abstract
Based on a qualitative comparative analysis of empirical data collected within the project "Language Regimes in Contemporary Russia: Effects of Language Preferential Policy in Multiethnic Regions" (No. 18011-00763 A), the study discusses which set of factors determines the presence of ethnic activists and the practice of their involvement in initiating and making decisions related to language and, more broadly, ethnic issues in the regions of the Volga Federal District. The empirical data cover the period from 2017 to 2021. Language policy is considered (1) as the state’s political course in the field of ethno-linguistic relations, and (2) as a struggle for its preservation or contestation. The first perspective allows analyzing the extent to which activists have institutional and resource capacity to influence it, while the second focuses on how much they are included in the decision-making process regarding the governance of ethno-linguistic diversity. QCA method revealed a combination of different factors. The most interesting findings are so-called "parsimonious solutions." The first solution (the share of the ethnic group in the region’s population) confirmed the significance of this condition both for positive and comprehensive language policy and for the institutional and resource strength of ethnic activists. The second solution involves the institutional affiliation of the consultative-advisory body representing ethnic activists with the regional head and a low level of urbanization. This combination can be explained by the fact that in conditions of agrarian culture and rural lifestyle, strong social ties based on personal trust and clientelism are more important. Representation in structures connected to the regional head is a resource that allows activists to build their social capital within dense ethnic social networks and a high level of intragroup solidarity characteristic of rural communities.



Areas of Functioning of Dagestan Languages in Modern Era: Distribution and Development Trends
Abstract
The article analyzes the linguistic status in the Republic of Dagestan in the 21st century; examines the communication activity in the functioning of Dagestan languages as one of the important drivers of their vitality in the modern era. Since the early 2000s, Dagestan's written languages have gradually given way to Russian as languages of instruction, regional communication, culture, etc. However, native languages remain a school (including for speakers of unwritten languages and distant dialects) languages of folklore, and partially the languages of social, political and other areas of life. The basic area of functioning of non-written languages remains colloquial, everyday use. Monitoring conducted in this multiethnic region allowed to determine the share of functioning of Russian and native languages, identify potential vulnerabilities of Dagestan languages and trends in their development. It was determined that the narrowing functioning of Dagestan languages compromises their vitality and signals the need for increased attention to languages that are under threat of gradual extinction.



Ethnic and Linguistic Policy and Sociolinguistic Variability of Language Shift (Example of Republic of Khakassia)
Abstract
Binary nature of ethnic and linguistic policy in the Republic of Khakassia aims to ensure full communication in Russian as the national language of the Russian Federation and partially satisfy the need for an ethnic and linguistic identity for the titular Khakassia ethnic group. The ethnic and linguistic identity of the Khakas people remains high. There is a significant share of those who recognize Khakas as their native language. Use of the language on the Internet is also relatively active. Institutional support has helped to increase the prestige and symbolic significance of the Khakas language. The language shift, visible in its statistical dynamics, calls for urgent tasks associated with the need for conceptual and practical adjustments to efforts to stop the shift, based on the diversity of native speakers and inadequate presence of Khakas in the social area of the region. The study points out an obvious need to involve more language policy entities in the discussion of the prospects of vitality of the Khakas language and adjust the state program for the preservation and development of the language in 2022-2029.



DESCRIPTION AND DOCUMENTATION OF LANGUAGES
Numerals of Second Ten in Languages of Siberia
Abstract
The article discusses models of formation of second ten numerals (11 to 19) in the languages of Siberia. The "simple" model, where numerals are formed by adding the number of units to "ten" ("ten one", "ten two", etc.), is characteristic of the languages of southern Siberia, and also penetrates to the north, east of the Yenisei and east of Yakutia. The second model, which includes a word like "surplus", is widespread in the northern part of Siberia, from its western to eastern borders. The remaining models are represented by few languages each: these are locative ("at ten one"), ablative ("from ten one"), comitative ("with ten one") and their combinations with the word "surplus", as well as constructions such as "second ten one" and "to twenty one". The latter model corresponds with the language of the ancient Orkhon-Yenisei monuments.



Image of Fisherman in Khanty Narrative: Colloquial Means in Structure of Fictional Text
Abstract
The article is devoted to one of the aspects of the cognitive part of reconstruction of the human image in the Khanty language. The key task was to identify a mental image of a Khanty person and an adequate description of this person in a text. This task required studying the linguistic means in two aspects: paradigmatic (or static) and syntagmatic (or dynamic). After defining the key concept (Khanty = fisherman), the author conducted a search for keywords defining a person rooted in the native land. Based on the dialectological dictionaries of the Khanty language, the author compiled a list of these definitions, including six lexical units, as well as a list of lexical-semantic variants for defining and evaluating a person. The study concluded that the structural and semantic features of these units, embedded in the dictionary as potential, are fully manifested in a text, contributing to the complete realization (verbalization) of the concept. The textual analysis is based on the story of the founder of Khanty literature, Grigory Lazarev, "Sorneng tov" ("The Golden Horse"). The story describes life in a small fishermen’s village; the main characters are three generations of one family: an old fisherman, his son and grandson. Careful reading allows identification of means employed by the author to develop the characters as fully as possible. It is clear that the author, Lazarev, strives to describe the characters extremely accurately. He succeeds, especially with the direct speech of the characters. The words and phrases that describe and evaluate a person are also found in the story’s narrative and descriptive fragments. There are also commonplace phrases and expressions that are not typical of the Khanty language. This is explained by the imperfection of the Khanty language in its written form (insufficient development of the Khanty literary language).



Comparative Analysis of Kadar and Mehweb: Similarities and Differences in Dargin Branch of Nakh-Dagestani Languages
Abstract
The article is devoted to the identification of common linguistic features and differences that exist between the Kadar dialect of the Northern Dargin language and the Mehweb language. The article studies various aspects of the sound system and the morphological structure of the compared idioms. Despite their considerably distant distribution and the lack of direct contacts, there are many common phenomena. Often, such phenomena are not found in other Dargin languages and dialects, including those close to Kadarian — Mekegi and Gubden. The study revealed that the Kadar idiom is the most related to the Mehweb language. Earlier, the works of Dargin language researchers suggested its relation to the Mugi, Urakhi, Dibgashi or MuregoGubden dialects. The analysis of materials makes it possible to reveal the reasons behind linguistic similarities of the compared idioms. It is assumed that centuries ago, the ancestors of the Kadars and Mehwebs lived compactly, near the Darginspeaking center, and spoke the same dialect close to Mekegi. As a result of numerous foreign invasions, they had to migrate: the Mehwebs moved westward, the Kadars moved northward. The Kadar dialect has many unique features, nevertheless, it remains more or less understandable to other Dargins. The Mehweb idiom, which has been evolving in a nonDargin linguistic environment for an extended period of time, possesses a significant number of specific features inherent only in this speech, therefore it can be distinguished as an independent language.



Seto Idioms in Russia
Abstract
The article presents some of the results of the completed scientific project "Comprehensive Sociolinguistic and Grammatical Study of the Russian Setos’ Idiom". The author of the project made a number of expeditions to the Pechora district of the Pskov region, to the indigenous Seto territory, and to the Krasnoyarsk Territory, where the Seto people moved at the turn of the 20th century. The project aimed to obtain a complete synchronous grammatical description of essentially two idioms: Pechora and Krasnoyarsk Seto, and collect comprehensive information about the modern functioning of the two idioms. For the first time, the idioms of the Krasnoyarsk Seto were the subject of both linguistic description and sociolinguistic study.The article deals with the ethnic identity and ethnonyms of the Seto people, the preservation of their cultural traditions and customs; it provides certain sociolinguistic information obtained in a field sociolinguistic survey. Some features of the Seto language that differ from closely related languages are included in the article, as well as the linguistic differences between the two idioms.



Development of Writing in 21st Century for Unwritten Language of Sakhalin Ulta People: Historical Issues and Modern Solution
Abstract
The article discusses the stages of the creation of writing, as well as the history of the sociolinguistic situation. Uilta population (according to the Censuses of the Russian Federation) does not exceed four hundred people, mostly living in the Sakhalin region. At the turn of the 1930s, the USSR started the creation of writing in native languages of "the most numerous ethnic minorities of the North." Since the Uilta (also referred to as Ulta, Oroch and Oroks in various documents of the Soviet Union) did not meet this criterion, they did not have a written language until the 21st century. Currently, there is an obvious loss of the communicative function of the Uilta language. The function of maintaining the ethnic identity of the Uilta community is now the primary one.



Digitization of Linguistic Research as Means of Preservation of Linguistic Diversity of Siberia (Database of Dialogical Speech of Minority Ethnic Groups of Novosibirsk Region and Adjacent Regions)
Abstract
Representatives of two indigenous ethnic minorities, Baraba Tatars and Chat Tatars, live in the Novosibirsk Region. Their languages and culture are endangered for a number of extralinguistic reasons: disruption of their compact residence; interrupted passing of the language and traditions from generation to generation; labor migration; globalization. Whereas 20–25 years ago children spoke their native idiom, now there are either no young speakers or very few. The language is limited to the domestic use; there is no written tradition. The related Turkic languages, Kumandin and Teleut, are in a similar condition. However, a written form has been developed or is being developed for the two languages. The situation among the Mennonite Germans of Siberia is slightly better, but the general trends in language development are the same as among the indigenous peoples. The project included the development of a database of dialogical speech of Baraba Tatars, Chat Tatars, Kumandins, Teleuts and Mennonite Germans that provides audio records of dialogs of native speakers with different communicative focus (both full-length or separate phrases). In addition to studying the intonation of dialogical speech, the project author is developing spelling rules (all texts are transcribed in the original language and translated into Russian). Individual phrases have phonemic marks, which allow performing intonation analysis semi-automatically. Modern technologies enable researchers to introduce into scientific circulation and provide access to the recorded
speech of ethnic minorities, which surely contributes to the preservation of endangered idioms.



FUNCTIONING OF LANGUAGES IN MULTILINGUAL ENVIRONMENT
On Methods of Studying Linguistic Attrition in Bilingual Text (Example of Russian-Udmurt Bilingualism)
Abstract
The article is devoted to the study of bilingual texts from the point of view of establishing signs of linguistic attrition, which is understood as the process of destruction of the native language under the influence of extra- and intralinguistic factors. Based on the empirical material collected in the field work, as well as on the analysis of the texts of modern Udmurt fiction, the study reveals the key functions of code switch — the first sign of linguistic attrition. The paper also offers examples of calculating the proportion of linguistic attrition in texts with lexical units adapted and not adapted to the matrix language. The quantitative results are ranked according to the following criteria: level 0 (intact text) — the proportion of linguistic attrition is 0-5%; level 1 (mostly intact text) — 5-15%; level 2 (moderately impaired text) — 15-30%; level 3 (strongly impaired text) — 31-50%; level 4 (very strongly impaired text) — 51-75%; level 5 (the language is at the stage of losing its lexical and grammatical features) — 76-99%. The presence of universal units for determining the linguistic attrition in a bilingual text will ensure comparability of results in different language groups, which is essential for a deep understanding of the processes of linguistic adaptation and assimilation of a linguistic identity.



The Ethnic and Linguistic Identity of the Descendants of Alaskan Creoles in Our Days
Abstract
Russian has been spoken on the North American continent since the middle of the 18th century, when Russia began active trade and fishing, gradually moving eastward along the islands of the Aleutian Ridge to the Alaska peninsula. At first, Russian voyages for marine and fur-bearing animals were irregular, the main idea of industrialists was to gain profit from the resources of New Land. They treated the indigenous people rather harsh, exploiting their hunting and fishing skills. Decades passed before the most ideologically thinking and visionary Russians came up with the idea that they could be hosts here, not guests. Together, they crea ted the Russian-American Company (RAK) in 1799, which solely ruled Alaska until it was ceded to the United States of America. Having left its only overseas colony in 1867, Russia left behind one important thing: the Russian language, which, resulting from contacts with the languages of indigenous peoples, formed a special Russian variety that has survived to date, as well as the Russian Orthodox tradition, followed by many residents of many Alaskan territories. The research is devoted to the preservation of the ethnic and linguistic identity of the descendants of the Russian colonists. It is based on a corpus of sociolinguistic and ethnographic interviews (1980s — 2020s) with residents of areas with a strong Russian presence, supported by archival records. Adhering to the approaches of linguistic and historical anthropology, the author uses both universal scientific methods and special methods of historical research determined by the unique nature of the problem: chronological problem method, comparative analysis method, systematic method, and content analysis.



Russian Old-Timers in Mongolia: Identity, Language, Culture
Abstract
Russian old-timers in Mongolia are a diasporic group of Russians that resulted from three waves of migration to Mongolia in the mid-19th and early 20th centuries. This determined the heterogeneous social and ethnic structure of the diaspora. Considering that Mongolia was included in the Chinese civilization space for more than two centuries (until 1911), the Russians who moved there in mid-19th and early 20th centuries communicated with Mongols, as well as Chinese, engaging in trade, agriculture and handicrafts. The ethnogenesis and linguistic image of the Russian old-timers in Mongolia includes the Chinese aspect in addition to the Mongolian, which is reflected in their linguistic and ethnic and cultural characteristics. A comprehensive study of these aspects reveals the diasporic adaptation strategies in a non-ethnic environment; hence, the author is able to present a new theoretical approach to the study of diasporas, changes in their ethnic and cultural and ethnic and linguistic attitudes. The relevance of the research is determined primarily by the low availability of materials on the culture and language of the Russian old-timers in Mongolia. The article examines the linguistic image of the Russian old-timers in Mongolia in close connection with the subjects of their historical memory, analyzes the factors of vitality of the Russian diaspora in Mongolia, and focuses on specific features of the ethnic group's memory policy. Russian old-timers in Mongolia have a peculiar historical memory which reflects the stages of development of the diaspora, its ethnic and cultural context and self-identification. This is especially visible in the narratives of modern Russian old-timers in Mongolia. The article presents the material of a field study of the Russian old-timers in Mongolia conducted in 2023 and 2024 in Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan and Dzun-Khar in Mongolia. Russian old-timers in Mongolia construct the image of the diaspora as a community that by force insurmountable circumstances was torn away from its homeland, Russia, but remained faithful to it at all times, despite rejection and discrimination. The pronounced "Russianness"in the identity of the Russian old-timers in Mongolia determines their vitality, homogeneity and internal connections within the ethnic group, which allows to preserve and pass family and community traditions.


