Implementation of Language Policy in USSR in 1930s (Buryat-Mongolian Language)

Abstract

The study focuses on analyzing the development of the Buryat-Mongolian language and writing system amidst socio-cultural transformations during the Soviet period. Textbooks, methodological guides, as well as ethnographic and sociolinguistic reports from the 1930s, serve as the research materials. Educational materials on teaching methods for the Buryat-Mongolian language and writing in general education institutions are of research interest for analyzing approaches to practical implementation of the educational process and material content. This historical period is marked by the transformation of societal structures resulting from extensive sociopolitical processes not only in our country but also in the Mongolian People’s Republic and the People’s Republic of China. The Soviet leadership reasonably paid special attention to eradicating illiteracy and implementing language policy in the country. It was revealed that education in the Buryat-Mongolian ASSR faced linguistic, methodological, and staffing contradictions. The process of studying the native language underwent systematic reforms within a relatively short historical period. The traditional Old Mongolian script was replaced by Latin in 1931 and then by Cyrillic in 1939, leading to a decline in educational quality. Such transitions were accompanied by restructuring educational and methodological aspects of the educational process.