A Study on the Language Situation of the Republic of Dagestan in Russian Federation

Abstract

Republic of Dagestan is the most diverse ethnic republic (subject) in the Russian Federation, with 30 to 40 languages. For the residents of Dagestan, Russian language is another state language and interethnic communicative language. In the region, the number of Russians has been decreasing since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, but the number of Russian speakers has been steadily increasing. This study looked at the overall language situation of the Republic of Dagestan, where languages of republican level and Russian language are the most common. And the proportion of Russians is the lowest in the Russian Federation, and showed the status and usage of Russian language with the function of state language and inter-ethnic communicative language, and the efforts of the Russian central government to expand and preserve the use of Russian language. The population (105,800 people) and ratio (3.6%) of Russians in Dagestan are very low, but the Russian speakers and usage area are increasing. First, it is mandatory to educate Russian, the state language of the Federation, as a federal entity, a territorial administrative unit in the Russian Federation. Second, because it is essential in the communication between 190 ethnic groups as lingua franca of the Russian Federation. Third, the Republic of Dagestan has 14 state languages including Russian, Tat, Azeri, Kukh, Nogai, and Chechen, in addition to the eight languages specific to the Republic, but the number of users is divided and the prestige of Russian, the state language of the Russian Federation and languages of republican level. Fourth, through the revision of the Education Act of 2018, Russian is not only the state language of the Russian Federation, but also the status of the mother tongue and the education of the mother tongue chosen by parents and students. Fifth, because of passive national culture-language revival movement in Dagestan, it is known that Dagestan is in danger of extinction.