Buryat Language in Multi-Ethnic Buryatia: Functional Distribution, Language Competence, Motivations

Abstract

The analysis of some of the results of a sociolinguistic survey conducted in 2020 in the Republic of Buryatia is presented in the article. A feature of this survey is a large sample (1289 respondents of Buryat and Russian nationality) and a wide coverage of the problems of the functioning of the Buryat language. A comparative analysis with the results of previous surveys showed that the level of proficiency in the native language of the Buryats and the degree of its use in various areas of communication continues to decline. A positive and tolerant attitude to the study of the Buryat language on the part of the Russian population was revealed, while at the same time a low assessment of its “necessity” by both Russians and Buryats. A causal relationship has been established between the compulsory teaching of the Buryat language in schools and an increase in the number of people who read and write in Buryat. It was revealed that when choosing a language of study, territorial motivation is the main one for Russians, for Buryats it is the motivation of ethnic identity. At the same time, the ethnoidentification factor has recently lost its significance, which is manifested in a high level of dual (ethno) linguistic identification and a decrease in the number of Buryats who consider the Buryat language to be their native language.