Languages of Russia

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Languages of Template:Culture of Russia Of all the languages of Russia, Russian, the most widely spoken language, is the only official language at the national level. There are 25 other official languages, which are used in different regions of Russia. These languages include; Ossetic, Ukrainian, Buryat, Kalmyk, Chechen, Ingush, Abaza, Adyghe, Cherkess, Kabardian, Altai, Bashkir, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Karachay-Balkar, Khakas, Nogai, Tatar, Tuvan, Yakut, Erzya, Komi, Hill Mari, Meadow Mari, Moksha, and Udmurt.[1] There are over 100 minority languages spoken in Russia today.[2]

History

Russian lost its status in many of the new republics that arose following the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union. In Russia, however, the dominating status of the Russian language continued. Today, 97% of the public school students of Russia receive their education only or mostly in Russian, even though Russia is made up of approximately 80% ethnic Russians.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Russification

On 19 June 2018, the Russian State Duma adopted a bill that made education in all languages but Russian optional, overruling previous laws by ethnic autonomies.[3]Template:Dubious source[4]Template:Verification failed[5]Template:Verification failed

When the bill was still being considered, advocates for the minorities warned that the bill could endanger their languages and traditional cultures.[5][6] The law came after a lawsuit in the summer of 2017, where a Russian mother claimed that her son had been "materially harmed" by learning the Tatar language, while in a speech Vladimir Putin argued that it was wrong to force someone to learn a language that is not their own.[5] The later "language crackdown" in which autonomous units were forced to stop mandatory hours of native languages was also seenTemplate:By whom as a move by Putin to "build identity in Russian society".[5]

Protests and petitions against the bill by either civic society, groups of public intellectuals or regional governments came from Tatarstan (with attempts for demonstrations suppressed),[7] Chuvashia,[5] Mari El,[5] North Ossetia,[7][8] Kabardino-Balkaria,[7][9] the Karachays,[7] the Kumyks,[7][10] the Avars,[7][11] Chechnya,[3][12] and Ingushetia.[13][3] Although the "hand-picked" Duma representatives from the Caucasus did not oppose the bill,[3] it prompted a large outcry in the North Caucasus[7] with representatives from the region being accused of cowardice.[3] The law was also seen as possibly destabilizing, threatening ethnic relations and revitalizing the various North Caucasian nationalist movements.[3][5][7] The International Circassian Organization called for the law to be rescinded before it came into effect.[14] Twelve of Russia's ethnic autonomies, including five in the Caucasus called for the legislation to be blocked.[3][15]

On 10 September 2019, Udmurt activist Albert Razin self-immolated in front of the regional government building in Izhevsk as it was considering passing the controversial bill to reduce the status of the Udmurt language.[16] Between 2002 and 2010 the number of Udmurt speakers dwindled from 463,000 to 324,000.[17] Other languages in the Volga region recorded similar declines in the number of speakers; between the 2002 and 2010 censuses the number of Mari speakers declined from 254,000 to 204,000[6] while Chuvash recorded only 1,042,989 speakers in 2010, a 21.6% drop from 2002.[18] This is attributedTemplate:By whom to a gradual phasing out of indigenous language teaching both in the cities and rural areas while regional media and governments shift exclusively to Russian.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In the North Caucasus, the law came after a decade in which educational opportunities in the indigenous languages was reduced by more than 50%, due to budget reductions and federal effortsScript error: No such module "Unsubst". to decrease the role of languages other than Russian.[3]Template:Dubious source[7] During this period, numerous indigenous languages in the North Caucasus showed significant decreases in their numbers of speakers even though the numbers of the corresponding nationalities increased, leading to fears of language replacement.[7][19] The numbers of Ossetian, Kumyk and Avar speakers dropped by 43,000, 63,000 and 80,000 respectively.[7] As of 2018, it has been reported that the North Caucasus is nearly devoid of schools that teach in mainly their native languages, with the exception of one school in North Ossetia, and a few in rural regions of Dagestan; this is true even in largely monoethnic Chechnya and Ingushetia.[7] Chechen and Ingush are still used as languages of everyday communication to a greater degree than their North Caucasian neighbours, but sociolinguistics argue that the current situation will lead to their degradation relative to Russian as well.[7]

In 2020, a set of amendments to the Russian constitution was approved by the State Duma[20] and later the Federation Council.[21] One of the amendments is to enshrine Russian as the “language of the state-forming nationality” and the Russian people as the ethnic group that created the nation.[22] The amendment has been met with criticism from Russia's minorities[23][24] who argue that it goes against the principle that Russia is a multinational state and will only marginalize them further.[25]

Official languages

Although Russian is the only federally official language of Russia, there are several other officially recognized languages within Russia's various constituencies – article 68 of the Constitution of Russia only allows the various republics of Russia to establish official languages other than Russian. This is a list of the languages that are recognized as official in constitutions of the republics of Russia, as well as the number of native speakers according mostly to the 2010 Census or more recent ones:[26]

Language Language family Federal subject(s) Speakers in Russia[26] Source
Abaza Northwest Caucasian Template:Country data Karachay-Cherkessia 37,831 (2010 Census-2014)[27][28] [29]
Adyghe Northwest Caucasian Template:Country data Adygea 128,000 (2015)[30] [31]
Avar Northeast Caucasian Template:Country data Dagestan 800,000 (2010 Census)[32] [33]
Altai Turkic Template:Country data Altai Republic 55,720 (2010 Census) [34][35]
Bashkir Turkic Template:Country data Bashkortostan 1,152,404 (2010 Census)[36] [37] see also regional law
Buryat Mongolic Template:Country data Buryatia 265,000 (2010 Census)[38] [39]
Chechen Northeast Caucasian Template:Country data Chechnya
Template:Country data Dagestan 		1,354,705 (2010 Census) [40]
Chuvash Turkic Template:Country data Chuvashia 1,042,989 (2010 Census) [41]
Crimean Tatar Turkic Template:Country data Republic of CrimeaTemplate:Efn 308,000 (2010 Census)

228,000 (2019)Template:Efn[42]

[43]
Erzya Uralic Template:Country data Mordovia 36,726 (2010 Census) [44]
Ingush Northeast Caucasian Template:Country data Ingushetia 305,868 (2010 Census) [45]
Kabardian Northwest Caucasian Template:Country data Kabardino-Balkaria
Template:Country data Karachay-Cherkessia 		590,000 (2010 Census) [29][46]
Kalmyk Mongolic Template:Country data Kalmykia 80,546 (2010 Census) [47]
Karachay-Balkar Turkic Template:Country data Kabardino-Balkaria
Template:Country data Karachay-Cherkessia 		305,364 (2010 Census) [29][46]
Karelian Uralic Template:Country data Karelia around 14,000 (2020–2021 census)[48] [49]
Khakas Turkic Template:Country data Khakassia 43,000 (2010 Census) [50]
Komi-Zyrian Uralic Template:Country data Komi Republic 160,000 (2010 Census) [51]
Hill Mari, Meadow Mari Uralic Template:Country data Mari El 470,000 (2012)[52] [53]
Moksha Uralic Template:Country data Mordovia 130,000 (2010 Census) [44]
Nogai Turkic Template:Country data Karachay-Cherkessia
Template:Country data Dagestan 		87,119 (2010 Census) [29]
Ossetian Indo-European (Iranian) Template:Country data North Ossetia–Alania 451,431 (2010 Census) [54]
Tatar Turkic Template:Country data Tatarstan 4,280,718 (2010 Census) [55]
Tuvan Turkic Template:Country data Tuva 280,000 (2010) [56]
Udmurt Uralic Template:Country data Udmurtia 324,338 (2010 Census) [57]
Ukrainian Indo-European (Slavic) Template:Country data Republic of CrimeaTemplate:Efn 1,129,838 (2010 Census) [43]
Yakut Turkic Template:Country data Sakha 450,140 (2010 Census) [58]

Template:Notelist

The Constitution of Dagestan defines "Russian and the languages of the peoples of Dagestan" as the state languages,[59] though no comprehensive list of the languages was given.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".Script error: No such module "Unsubst". 14 of these languages (including Russian) are literary written languages; therefore they are commonly considered to be the official languages of Dagestan. These are, besides Russian, the following: Aghul, Avar, Azerbaijani, Chechen, Dargwa, Kumyk, Lak, Lezgian, Nogai, Rutul, Tabasaran, Tat and Tsakhur. All of these, except Russian, Chechen and Nogai, are official only in Dagestan and in no other Russian republic. In the project of the "Law on the languages of the Republic of Dagestan" 32 languages are listed; however, this law project never came to life.[60]

Karelia is the only republic of Russia with Russian as the only official language.[61] However, there exists the special law about state support and protection of the Karelian, Vepsian and Finnish languages in the republic, see next section.[62]

Other recognized languages

The Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan adopted the Law on the Languages of Nations, which is one of the regional laws aimed at protecting and preserving minority languages.[63][64][65] The main provisions of the law include General Provisions, Language names of geographic regions. objects and inscriptions, road and other signs, liability for violations of Bashkortostan in the languages of Bashkortostan. In the Republic of Bashkortostan, equality of languages is recognized. Equality of languages is a combination of the rights of peoples and people to preserve and fully develop their native language, freedom of choice and use of the language of communication. The writing of names of geographical objects and the inscription, road and other signs along with the state language of the Republic of Bashkortostan can be done in the languages of Bashkortostan in the territories where they are concentrated. Similar laws were adopted in Mari El, Tatarstan, Udmurtia, Khakassia and the Chukotka Autonomous Okrug.

The federal law "On the languages of the peoples of the Russian Federation"[66] allows the federal subjects to establish additionally official languages in the areas where minority groups live. The following 15 languages benefit from various degrees of recognition in various regions under this law:

Migrant languages

As a result of mass migration to Russia from the former USSR republics (especially from the Caucasus and Central Asia) many non-indigenous languages are spoken by migrant workers. For example, in 2014 2.4 million Uzbek citizens and 1.2 million Tajik citizens entered Russia.[67]

For comparison, Russian citizens with ethnicities matching these of home countries of migrant workers of are much lower (from 2010 Russian Census, in thousands):

Armenian 830
Azerbaijani 515
Kazakh 472
Uzbek 245
Kyrgyz 247
Tajik 177
Georgian 102
Romanian 90

Endangered languages in Russia

There are many endangered languages in Russia. Some are considered to be near extinction and put on the list of endangered languages in Russia, and some may have gone extinct since data was last reported. On the other hand, some languages may survive even with few speakers.

Some languages have doubtful data, like Serbian whose information in the Ethnologue is based on the 1959 census.

Languages near extinction

Template:Section update Most numbers are according to Michael Krauss, 1995. Given the time that has passed, languages with extremely few speakers might be extinct today. Since 1994, Kerek, Aleut (in Russia), Medny Aleut, Akkala Sami, Oroch and Yugh have become extinct.

Foreign languages

File:Plurlingva afiŝo "Bonvolu fermi la pordon".jpg
Sign at TyumenNIIgiprogas headquarters reflecting the international nature of the oil industry: it is in Russian, Ukrainian, English, German, Polish, French, Hebrew, Georgian, Chinese and Tatar.

According to the various studies made in 2005-2008 by Levada Center[68] 15% of Russians know a foreign language. From those who claim knowledge of at least one language:

"Can speak freely":
English 80%
German 16%
French 4%
Turkish 2%
Others 9%
From 1775 respondents aged 15-29, November 2006
"Know enough to read newspapers":
English 44%
German 15%
Ukrainian, Belarusian and other Slavic languages 19%
Other European languages 10%
All others 29%
From 2100 respondents of every age, January 2005

Knowledge of at least one foreign language is common among younger and middle-aged people. Among those aged 18–24, 38% can read and "translate with a dictionary", 11% can freely read and speak. Among those aged 25–39, these numbers are 26% and 4% respectively.

Knowledge of a foreign language varies among social groups. It is most appreciable (15-18%) in big cities with 100,000 or more inhabitants, while in Moscow it rises up to 35%. People with higher education and high economic and social status are more likely to know a foreign language.

The new study by Levada-Center in April 2014[69] reveals such numbers:

Can speak freely at least one language:
English 11%
German 2%
Spanish 2%
Ukrainian 1%
French <1%
Chinese <1%
Others 2%
Can speak a foreign language but with difficulty 13%
Do not speak a foreign Language at all 70%
From 1602 respondents from 16 and older, April 2014

The age and social profiling are the same: knowledge of a foreign language is predominant among the young or middle-aged population, those with a high level of education and high social status, and those who live in big cities.

In 2015, a survey taken in all federal subjects of Russia showed that 70% of Russians could not speak a foreign language. Almost 30% could speak English, 6% could speak German, 1% could speak French, 1% could speak Spanish, 1% could speak Arabic and 0.5% could speak another language.[70]

Language % of speakers in Russia (2003) % of speakers in Russia (2015) Change (%)
English 16 30 Increase14
German 7 6 Decrease1
French 1 1 Steady

English

[70]

Knowledge Percentage
Can speak English to a degree 30%
Can read and translate using a dictionary 20%
Can understand colloquial language 7%
Can speak very fluently 3%

History

In the 18th and 19th centuries, French was a common language among upper class Russians. The impetus came from Peter the Great's orientation of Russia towards Europe and accelerated after the French Revolution. After the Russians fought France in the Napoleonic Wars, Russia became less inclined towards French.[71]

Languages of education

Every year the Russian Ministry of Education and Science publishes statistics on the languages used in schools. In 2014/2015 the absolute majority[72] (13.1 million or 96%) of 13.7 million Russian students used Russian as a medium of education. Around 1.6 million or 12% students studied their (non-Russian) native language as a subject. The most studied languages are Tatar, Chechen and Chuvash with 347,000, 253,000 and 107,000 students respectively.

The most studied foreign languages in 2013/2014 were as follows:

Language Students (in thousands)
English 11,194.2
German 1,070.5
French 297.8
Spanish 20.1
Chinese 14.9
Arabic 3.4
Italian 2.9
Others 21.7

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Further reading

External links

Template:Sister project

Template:Russia topics Template:Languages of Russia Template:Languages of Europe Template:Asia in topic

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  62. ↑ Закон Республики Карелия «О государственной поддержке карельского, вепсского и финского языков в Республике Карелия»
  63. ↑ Law of the Republic of Bashkortostan "On the languages of the peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan» № 216-W on February 15, 1999 (as amended up until 2010)) and amendments of 2014Template:In lang
  64. ↑ Gabdrafikov I. The law "On the Languages of the peoples of the Republic of Bashkortostan" is adopted // Бюллетень Сети этнологического мониторинга и раннего предупреждения конфликтов, No. 23, 1999
  65. ↑ Десять лет назад принят Закон "О языках народов Республики Башкортостан" ru:Башинформ 2009Template:In lang
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  70. ↑ a b Percentage of Russian who speak English double to 30
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