Language Biographies Research Articles

Із спостережень над сучасними тенденціями у функціюванні української мови в місті Ізмаїл

It is the special role of Izmail among other settlements of the Budzhak region that necessitates paying attention to the functioning of the Ukrainian language in Izmail, to changes in the linguistic behavior of the city’s residents in connection with social and political transformations in the country, in connection with Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The relevance of this issue is reinforced by the fact that the success of the Ukrainian language in Izmail will largely determine the state of the Ukrainian language in the region as a whole and national security in it. The purpose of the article is to highlight the main trends in the functioning of the state language in Izmail, Odesa region, caused by changes in the literary standard, in the language and educational legislation of Ukraine, in particular the adoption of the Laws of Ukraine “On Education” 2017, “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” 2019, “Ukrainian Spelling” 2019, social and political transformations, and Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine. The author uses descriptive method of investigation, method of language biography, observation and etc. Results. The author notes significant positive changes in the functioning of the Ukrainian language in Izmail after the start of military aggression against Ukraine: Ukrainian language is becoming more widely spoken, it is increasingly heard in the city in various spheres of communication; Ukrainian speech is becoming more literate, speakers are trying to ensure the purity and correctness of their Ukrainian speech; attitudes towards Ukrainian as a native language are changing (even representatives of other ethnic groups, such as Moldovans, Gagauz’s, Bulgarians, etc. are beginning to consider it as such), as a prestigious, positive language, and its aesthetic values are changing. Originality. The peculiarities of the very dynamic functioning of the Ukrainian language in the city of Izmail in this time, in the context of changes in language and educational legislation, and Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine have not yet been scientifically described. Conclusion. Positive changes in the functioning of the Ukrainian language in Izmail are not yet stable, but rather trends that need to be consolidated by continuing the process of Ukrainization. This will contribute to the full-fledged consolidation of the Ukrainian language in Izmail, and to the expansion of its use as a means of interethnic communication in the region’s multilingual environment.

Translating Ukrainian Poetry into Estonian: Acts of Identity

The reaction of Ukrainian poets to the full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022 has been remarkable and was noticed all over the world. Understandably, interest towards Ukraine increased, and translation of Ukrainian poetry is one of the ways to learn and to share Ukrainian culture. Estonian is a small language, not at all related to Ukrainian, and until recently, the general public knew little about Ukrainian literature; nevertheless, the reaction of Estonian translators was immediate. Given the shared experience of the Russian/Soviet domination, this is not surprising. The study seeks to explore translators’ motives and their history of discovering Ukrainian poetry and language. The theoretical framework employed in the article is that of Translator Studies, that is, the focus is on the translator’s trajectories (why and how they turn to a particular literature/author, why and how they learn the necessary language, their beliefs, ethos, personal development, etc.). A connection between Translator Studies and sociolinguistic disciplines such as language biographies, multilingualism and (personal) language policy is discussed. The data comes from interviews with three translators of Ukrainian poetry into Estonian, Igor Kotjuh, Maarja Kangro and Irena Peterson-Pavljuk who are poets themselves. Their ethnolinguistic background, language biographies and paths of becoming translators from Ukrainian into Estonian differ, but all three emphasise their dedication to Ukrainian poets.

ETHNOCULTURAL AND LINGUISTIC FEATURES OF PAMIR-SPEAKING COMMUNITIES AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF MIGRATION PROCESSES

The article determines the place of mother tongues in the life of Pamir-speaking communities, their transformation and functioning at different stages of the migration process. It outlines features that enhance our understanding of the phenomenon of Pamir diaspora. The linguistic and cultural priorities of diasporic Pamir communities are identified in light of their linguistic ideology, and ethno-religious and cultural perspectives. To study the dynamics of language life in different contexts, data on language biographies are presented, together with an analysis of the work of grassroots activists, who, by their lingua-cultural creativity, are involved in promoting their cultural and linguistic heritage, thus demonstrating their sociolinguistic rights. Analysis of the mother tongue – an important marker of the community’s socio-cultural life – reveals that Pamir languages lie at the core of the community’s cultural heritage, its spiritual and material traditions. These languages fulfil reproductive, creative and existential-ethical functions, acting as a reference point for socio-cultural practices that stimulate the revival of local culture and support the preservation of traditional cultural values. The prospects for the functioning, development and preservation of Pamir languages in the diaspora are considered.

Becoming “Global” in Higher Education: Positioning and Agency in Young People’s Language Biographies

ABSTRACT This article focuses on the discursive construction of a “global persona” made by undergraduates ending an internationalised degree. By means of two case studies, we analyse their positioning regarding the university’s diverse definitions of “globality” and “global personae” as they emerge in institutional webpages. We look into how students’ (mis)alignments with those definitions are shaped by academic expectations and choices, and the material conditions they enjoy. Multilingualism plays an important role in these definitions, along with features assigned to neoliberal subjectivities. Results indicate that there are many ways of “being global.” While one of the participants orientates herself towards a “global persona” as internationally mobile, the other aspires to remain locally while being able to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. Results may prove useful in informing internationalised universities and degrees in Europe in terms of images projected to prospective students and how internationalisation is experienced by undergraduates.

Attitudes towards the languages ​​of Ukrainians of various ethnic origins during the full-scale war

The article reveals the peculiarities of attitudes towards the Ukrainian and Russian languages by Ukrainians of different ethnic origins based on their language biographies. It has been shown that attitudes towards language are dynamic. They have been forming and changing throughout a person’s life, primarily under the influence of such factors as social and historical events, language environment, education, close people, and psychological aspects. The language biography of an Azerbaijanian male illustrated the effect of the language environment and close people on his attitude towards the Ukrainian language. The language biographies of female respondents of Russian origin, as well as a female respondent of Armenian-Ukrainian origin with Russian as her mother tongue, demonstrated the influence of education, psychological and socio-political factors (The Revolution of Dignity 2013—2014, the Russian war against Ukraine (since 2014), and the full-scale invasion in 2022). Attitudes toward languages are linked to the socio-political circumstances in which a person lives. The environment or events affect a person’s emotions, which in turn influence attitudes toward languages. Representatives of the Russian ethnic group are experiencing a difficult time during the Russian aggression in Ukraine. They have an internal conflict; on the one hand, they are beginning to use the Ukrainian language more, but on the other hand, Russian continues to be part of their ethnic identity and the dominant language of communication. At the same time, we see different levels of rejection of everything related to the Russian aggressor: condemnation of the aggressor’s actions, refusal of Russian literature, and language shift from Russian to Ukrainian. Keywords: language attitudes, sociolinguistics, bilingualism, Ukrainian, Russian, Russian war against Ukraine.

Modern approach to studying the language situation: slavic experience and Ukrainian realities

The article analyzes the use of the phrase language situation (linguistic situation) in diffe rent national scientific traditions and approaches to describing the language situation in Slavic countries. It was found that, despite the similarity of the general definitions of this concept, in specific studies the attention is mainly focused on one of three possible aspects — the relationship between the functioning of various idioms within society, the situation with the use of a certain idiom in a certain territory or in a certain community or on the intra- language proper situation, that is, the internal differentiation of language to meet the va- rious needs of society. The choice of research direction is determined primarily by the con- figuration of the language situation itself, i.e., whether it is endo- or exogenous, whether the state language has an established literary tradition and traditions of stylistic differentia- tion, a powerful dialect base, how widespread it is outside the range of the main distribu- tion of the language, etc. Ukrainian society is characterized as being in the process of transformation from an exogenous (characterized by mass bilingualism) to a predominantly endogenous (predomi- nance of the Ukrainian language) language situation. In this regard, there is a great need for research related to the analysis of language behavior of persons who are on the path of changing language preferences. Against the background of active migration processes pro- voked by the war, the problem of language adaptation of previously Russian-speaking citi- zens in a new language environment for them and the functioning of the Ukrainian lan- guage outside of Ukraine (as a diaspora and foreign language) becomes especially important. Given the limited possibility of making statistically reliable quantitative measurements of the language situation, the importance of studying individual language biographies of persons who have changed or are changing their language behavior is increasing. Keywords: language situation, language behavior, language policy, Slavic countries, language functioning, language corpus planning, majority language, minority language, Ukrainian lan- guage abroad.

The switching of youth to Ukrainian: reasons, difficulties, purpose

Background. After the Revolution of Dignity and the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2014, 2022) linguists began to record the facts of the mass rejection of Russian and switching to Ukrainian. However, there are still no special studies in Ukrainian sociolinguistics that would help to understand the mechanisms and motives of such a switching.Contribution to the research field. These findings may help us to understand the factors that influence young people’s attitude toward a language and determine the change in their language behaviour.Purpose. The purpose of the paper is to find out what motivates young people to switch to Ukrainian in all communicative situations, and to identify the difficulties with which they face.Methods. The method of language biography was used. 65 excerpts from young people’s language biographies, presented over the past 4 years on the Facebook page «Switch to Ukrainian» and 5 language interviews lasting more than 1 hour were processed.Results. It was found out that the strongest incentive to switch to Ukrainian was Russian aggression against Ukraine. The strengthening of the connection between communication in Ukrainian and national self-identification, as well as a change in the attitude of Russian speakers towards those who switched to Ukrainian, was recorded. There are different motives for switching to Ukrainian among young people who changed their language behaviour before the Revolution of Dignity and the war and after it. If earlier the main reason for the switching was self awareness as a Ukrainian due to the study of history, self-development, travels, change of residence, or family changes, then later the switching to Ukrainian is often a conscious political choice.Discussion. The revealed trends indicate the need for new quantitative research on changes in the language behaviour of young people because it is necessary to understand the ways of young people’s adaptation to the new Ukrainian-speaking environment and the possibility of integration into it to avoid potential language conflicts.

Designing a digital portfolio as an instrument to address literary texts in the EFL classroom

This study discusses the use of a digital portfolio as a means of incorporating literary texts as didactic resources in the EFL classroom. It is structured as follows: (i) introduction, (ii) advantages of using literary texts in the EFL classrooms; (iii) an analysis of portfolios in general, and digital portfolios in particular; (iv) a description of the current proposal for teaching and learning, involving an e-portfolio which focuses on the book Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley; and (v) conclusion. In using such a digital resource, students not only read the book itself, but need to complete the three components of the portfolio – a language diary, a language biography, and a section about literary landscapes – all at the different stages in the learning process. The benefits to students were expected to include a positive effect on their overall acquisition of the foreign language, along with the development of other skills and competences, particularly self-assessment and digital competence, while also gaining knowledge about the literary text in question.

The sociolinguistics of Luxembourgish football language: A case study of contact-induced lexical variation in a complex multilingual society

Abstract Luxembourgish is a Germanic language in Western Europe situated on the Germanic-Romance language border. The centuries-long multilingualism, that has included German and French as main contact languages, has led to much variation on all linguistic levels, yielding lexical doublets – contact-induced synonym pairs. The study presents the results from the online Lëtzebuerger Futtballsprooch ‘Luxembourgish football language’ survey (n = 1189 participants), set up to analyze the distribution of the variants of lexical doublets in the special language of football in order to exemplify the mechanisms of contact-induced lexical variation in Luxembourgish as a whole. The variation is correlated with sociodemographic and language biographical factors (quantitative analysis, beta regression). The study also introduces linguistic orientation as an overarching factor for the individual language biography that is useful to model the positioning of individuals in relation to the contact languages involved in a complex multilingual society. The results reveal a societal trend towards Germanic variants linked to the linguistic orientation of the participants towards German, mirroring sociolinguistic dynamics and changes.

Constructing the perception of ‘annoying’ words and phrases in interaction: An analysis of delegitimisation strategies used in interviews and online discussions in Finnish

AbstractThis study examines the linguistic metadiscourse on expressions perceived as ‘annoying’ and the strategies used to justify this perception. Two different types of data are examined in which verbal hygiene is practised in interaction: language biography interviews and anonymous online discussions. In the examined datasets, the discussion begins with an explicit question regarding annoying words and phrases. The themes discussed and the delegitimisation strategies adopted by a participant are affected by other participants. In interviews, minor reformulations of the question can be leading, and in online discussions, other writers regulate the debate with counter-arguments, which leads to a wider variety of delegitimisation strategies. The analysis also shows a counter-discourse to verbal hygiene.

Virtuous Outlaws: Affective Claims to Value in Professional Speechwriters’ Discourse

Abstract In this paper I investigate the unique ‘production format’ (Goffman 1981) of professional speechwriting; while the behind-the-scenes nature of this high-end language work (Thurlow 2020a) demands a marked erasure of authorship (see Mapes 2023, in press), this can simultaneously be used as a resource for claiming professional virtue and ingroup status. To demonstrate the largely reflexive (e.g. Giddens 1991) and affective (e.g. Weatherell 2013) underpinnings of this sort of discursive negotiation, I draw on my ethnographic fieldwork in the US American speechwriting community, including a 3-day professional speechwriting course; ‘language biography’ interviews (cf. Preston 2004); and a video-recorded virtual meeting. Following important scholarship in professional/workplace discourse, these data not only document the interesting ways in which speechwriters exercise their agency (e.g. White 2018), but also complicated entanglements with the ‘semiotic ideologies’ (Keane 2018) of contemporary life. Ultimately, certain kinds of words and work have value in the (linguistic) marketplace—and according to speechwriters, theirs certainly do.

“Restoration of Historical Justice”: on the Book “Petain. The Last Great Frenchman” by A.N. Burlakov*

The article is a review on the book of the historian Alexander Burlakov “Petain. The Last Great Frenchman” that is not only the fi rst Russian language biography of Petain, but also an innovative historical research. The book is based on the deep knowledge of facts and documents and is free from ideological dogmata and stereotypes and thus describes the total course of life of the prominent military and state leader. This book is also the fi rst in Russian historiography that objectively describes and characterizes the Regime of Vichy (The French State).

Semiotically Adaptive Computer-Mediated Speech Therapy with Patients in Aphasia in the Light of Ecolinguistics

The article describes the theory behind the design of a computer application for speech therapy of patients in aphasia. The project novelty consists in its data: to build up the training tasks, the authors used speech patterns that were semiotically relevant for the patients and visual supports obtained in experimental work. The research featured target-groups of healthy people whose gender, age, and social profile corresponded with those of patients undergoing neurorehabilitationat the Federal Siberian Research and Clinical Center of the Federal Medical and Biological Agency of Russia. The material included statistical data on the sociological characteristics of patients of the neurorehabilitation center in 2014-2018, as well as 18 questionnaires filled in by relatives of patients who were in rehabilitation from February to March 2019. It also involved scripts of interviews with 40 neurologically healthy native speakers of the Russian language of two gender-socio-professional groups that coincided in the language biography and collective speech profile with the most frequent groups of patients with complex motor aphasia. The data were processed using Sketch Engine corpus manager tools. The main methods of analysis included linguistic experiment, questioning, description, modeling, and design. The article introduces a methodological linguistic basis and a design project for a novel computer application that organizes speech therapy for patients with aphasia at home. The research was based on the ecolinguistic principle of relevance, which demonstrated good practical application prospects.

Языковая биография индивида как инструмент моделирования ментального лексикона (на материале экспериментальной работы с пациентами с афазией)

The article considers the relationship between the language biography of a patient with aphasia and the process of her speech rehabilitation. The research project focuses on the problem of predicting the structure of mental lexicon in patients with aphasia via modeling it in native speakers from the same socio-professional groups without speech disorders. The process is largely based on knowledge about common characteristics of their language biography. The aim of the article is to feature the methodology used in such a type of predictive modeling, its theoretical foundations and main advantages for speech rehabilitation work. The research data include: statistics about sociological characteristics of patients collected at the local Neurorehabilitation Center from 2014 to 2018; 18 questionnaires filled in by the relatives of the patients in question; interviews with healthy Russian native speakers, whose socio-professional characteristics are similar to characteristics of one of the target groups of the patients; 12 hours of audio recordings of interviews with healthy native speakers of the Russian language, whose language biography, gender and age characteristics are similar to those of the target groups of the patients; a corpus of interview scripts processed with the Sketch Engine corpus manager; 14 patients’ speech assessment sheets completed in accordance with the Wasserman scale (it is designed to determine speech disorders of patients with a local cerebrovascular accident). By using an interdisciplinary complex of methods we obtained the following results: completed a sociolinguistic portrait of people at risk of aphasia with similar language biographies; listed the most frequent words, collocations and automated verbal series (phrases and sayings) specific to people at risk of aphasia; identified the language biography features that affect mental lexicon; elaborated a complex of exercises for speech rehabilitation of patients with aphasia regarding the specificity of their language biography; validated and assessed the exercises’ effectiveness in clinical practice. Our main conclusion is that the proposed method can help to design for patients with aphasia a more personalized complex of speech recovery exercises that will be adapted to their language biography

Language biography of a teacher in the study of the dynamics of the language situation in school education in Ukraine

The article outlines trends that indicate the dynamics of the language situation in Ukraine in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and their manifestation in school education. It is noted that the most significant impact on the field of school education is exerted by the following dynamic processes in language interaction: Communicative strengthening of the Ukrainian language in unofficial and semi-official domains, a widespread transition to Ukrainian in daily communication, and civil society’s involvement in language usage regulatory measures. Changes in the status of languages, the factual transformation of the Ukrainian language into a language of interethnic communication in Ukraine, the decline in the prestige of the Russian language, a reassessment of the roles of languages in the educational ideals of Ukrainians who no longer want their children to learn the Russian language, strengthening of civic initiatives aimed at creating a Ukrainian-language educational environment. Involvement of civil society in choosing language policy instruments in the field of education. Expansion of active language interaction in new linguogeographic areas. The effectiveness of the method of language biographies is substantiated by investigating socially determined relationships between components of the language situation in the educational sector of a linguistically heterogeneous post-totalitarian society. The language biographies of teachers are analyzed in the context of post-colonial deformations of the language situation in school education, which represents an attempt to apply this research method within the macrosociolinguistic paradigm. The conclusion is drawn regarding the prospects of studying the state and conditions of language functioning in the field of education based on language biographies, to develop effective mechanisms for strengthening the communicative position of the state Ukrainian language in the sphere of school education and providing recommendations for enhancing the language competence of educational professionals as a fundamental condition for the sustainable development of the education system in Ukraine. Keywords: language biography, language situation, language policy, language personality, language behavior.

МОВНЕ ПОРТФОЛІО ЯК РЕАЛЬНИЙ ПРОГНОЗОВАНИЙ РЕЗУЛЬТАТ КЕРОВАНОГО ОСВІТНЬОГО ПРОЦЕСУ

In institutions of higher education the question of motivation arises while studying any discipline, however, the problem of motivation for professional improvement of English level knowledge plays an important role. This task is especially topical for teachers and students of non-linguistic specialties. The language portfolio provides an opportunity for learners to record and independently review their own achievements and mistakes while learning any language in general and English in particular. The article offers a step-by-step algorithm for familiarizing students with the language portfolio method at meetings of “English in Intercultural Communication” scientific group. The specified mechanism is based on the theoretical and practical works of domestic and foreign teachers. When considering the topic of using the “Language Portfolio” technology in higher education institutions, it is necessary to appeal to its successful implementation in general secondary education establishments. The main attention is focused on the main characteristics of the language portfolio, the structural and functional loading of its sections as well. It has been noted that the teacher faces a difficult task: to teach students to plan a portfolio the ultimate goal to be clear, to outline the amount of information they need to master, and what level they will reach by the end of the semester or the academic year. The language portfolio integrates all components of teaching (training, learning, assessment and self-assessment) and covers all types of speaking activities. It has been assumed that motivating students and ensuring their step-by-step organization of reflective self-assessment and complex control can be done not only in foreign language classes, but also at meetings of the “English in Intercultural Communication” scientific group by surveying, presenting and clarifying the essence of the language portfolio, its key properties, a detailed description of its sections (language passport, language biography and dossier) and a well-directed and carefully thought-out pedagogical approach.

Individuelle deutsch-polnische zweisprachigkeit in masuren unter ihren soziolinguistischen umständen

The aim of this paper is to present some results of the field research done to Masuria as a cultural and linguistic borderland in 2018 and 2019 within the framework of an international project Beethoven 2 and to analyse the consequences of the influences on the multilingualism in the region that are currently present in the speech of the bilingual persons. The interviews with representants of the generation born until 1945 in Masuria show their experiences in the face of the language policy in Poland and their language biographies as they were children or very young people. These factors have an effect in the individual character of the bilingualism in this region. The paper refers to authentic stories and statements that present also the phenomenon of the language contact and dialectal features of German.

Language adaptation of ethnic Russians in the Western Ukrainian area

The article characterizes the language adaptation of ethnic Russians in the Western Ukrainian area on the example of language biographies of three ethnic Russians living in the same village in the Lviv Region. Changes in language and national identity, lan­guage behavior and the language itself of the informants under the influence of a long stay in the Ukrainian-speaking environment are outlined. The attitude of the informants towards the Ukrainian and Russian languages and the state language policy has been clarified. Their vision of the future language situation in Ukraine is characterized. External and internal factors that influenced the language adaptation of the informants have been identified, among which the language environment and political beliefs of the interviewees become the most important. Language adaptation of each of the interviewees takes place differently, although they live in a Ukrainian-speaking environment for approximately the same period. Du­ring adaptation, respondents did not face discrimination based on language or nationality. All interviewees emphasized the benevolent attitude of the locals towards them and did not witness language conflicts during their stay in the Ukrainian-speaking environment. Language adaptation of the informants takes place simultaneously with their socio­cultural adaptation. All interviewees have adopted local customs and traditions. Some speakers even have changed their political beliefs. Under the influence of the dominant Ukrainian language in this environment, significant changes have been in the language life of only those informants who wanted it themselves. The results of the informant’s language adaptation have influenced the future language and national identification of their children and grandchildren. Keywords: language biography, language adaptation, language behavior, language identity, language environment.

Changes in the attitude towards the state language of the representatives of the national minorities of the Dniester and Danube rivers

The article deals the results of the analysis of language biographies of speakers of the Gagauz and Albanian languages who live in the south of Odesa region, between the Dniester and Danube rivers, as well as observations of the language situation in this region after February 24, 2022. A comparison of the obtained results with the results of previous studies carried out at the end of the 20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries showed that the language and educational policy of Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian aggression in 2014, especially the active phase of the Russian aggression, caused a language shift associated with a change in attitude to the Ukrainian language as a state language, namely, as a language of international communication. The Russian language, losing its positive evaluative qualities in the polylingual South Bessarabian region, as the language of the aggressor, is no longer perceived positively either from an aesthetic point of view or in terms of prestige. Instead, the Ukrainian language acquires a positive evaluation based on these signs that, in addition to the laws aimed at protecting the Ukrainian language as a state language (Article 10 of the Constitution of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine “On Education” of 2017, the Law of Ukraine “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as a State Language” of 2019), causes the emergence of a real need for representatives of national minorities to have a highquality knowledge of the state language in order to use it unhindered as a means of interethnic communication. Keywords: attitude to languages, language behavior, national minority languages, Gagauz language, Albanian language, Ukrainian language, language of international communication.

German and Turkish as minority languages

Language maintenance has been a central point in different linguistic disciplines, responding to an increasing degree to immigrant minority languages (IML) and the micro-level of language policies. However, while frameworks such as ethnolinguistic vitality theory account for general factors of language maintenance and loss, the individual factors of the respective cases are difficult to work out and challenge comparative studies. This article aims to compare situations of language contact, analysing two language biographies in two settings that have never been read in context: Turkish as an IML in Germany and German as an IML in Chile. Our aim is to investigate emerging factors for language maintenance in these settings, focusing on policies and attitudes, and examining their consequences within the families. Through the qualitative analysis, the importance of sociolinguistic factors from the individuals’ perspectives becomes apparent. The data reveal that the role of parental strategies in language exposure, use and policies is crucial but not sufficient in both contexts, indicating that the appreciation of an IML as a medium of instruction constitutes an insuperable condition fostering efficient language maintenance.