Oriental Studies (Apr 2018)
Abusufyan Akaev on the Concept of Development of the Language Situation in Dagestan on the Eve of the October Revolution
Abstract
The article considers the issue associated with the concept of development of the language situation in Dagestan on the eve of the October Revolution on the basis of the analysis of the article “The language problem” written by well- known Kumyk writer-enlightener Abusufyan Akaev. Being a thorough, argumentative scientific work on the language problem which was actively discussed and debated in the Kumyk press in 1917 it has become of great interest to other outstanding literary and public figures of Dagestan as well. The author emphasizes that a solution of language problems in society acquires great significance at the period, when some kind of epochal events as a change of the political system take place. A. Akaev proves extremely productive idea of the impossibility in the modern world by one or the other ethnic group to achieve leading positions both in science and education, without losing the differences between learning language and spoken language. The fact of the publication of the article with similar content demonstrates not only the high level of scientific erudition of its author, but, above all, the sufficient degree of development by that time of the Kumyk literary language itself. Abusufyan Akayev differed from many of his contemporaries not only by proclaiming the idea of raising the status of the native language but by the way of explaining his vision of how to achieve it in simple phrase, accessible to the average reader. Judging by the form of his speech presentation, the focus on a mass audience, the reasoning of judgments, the use of the method of persuasion and others, the author distinguishes the national character of his works, convinces us that he had always been a true people’s enlightener, loved his people passionately, worried about it and wanted to improve its life, devoting himself to his people.
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