Language Choice and Identity of Karelian and Belarusian Youth (according to Polls of Ethnic Leaders)

Abstract

A new perspective on the analysis of the linguistic and ethnocultural situation in the Republic of Karelia and the Republic of Belarus is offered in the study. The novelty of the study is seen in the fact that, taking into account various initial parameters — geographic distance, form of government, language status — it is proposed to compare the situation in two regions, in which a general tendency is found due to the dominant position of the Russian language. The main attention is paid to clarifying the ethnic well-being of people, to varying degrees, involved in the processes of preserving language and culture. An interpretation and comparison of the reasons for the preference of the Russian language in the network space and in real life is proposed. The article is based on the results of a survey of the translators of the Vkontakte social network interface, materials from biographical interviews with ethnic leaders, and observation data on ethnically oriented events in the regions under consideration. The difference in linguistic attitudes and real practices of using the Karelian and Belarusian languages by activists was revealed. The linguistic reasons (the level of linguistic competence) and the psychological aspect of the ethno-linguistic component in the choice of the dominant language in Karelia and Belarus have been determined.

Keywords

• ethnic identity
• ethnic well-being
• karelian language
• belarusian language