Linguistic Foundations of Subethnic, Ethnic and Ethnopolitical Identity

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to determine the relationship between the concepts of “ethnos” and “language” in the peripheral zone of ethnic self-determination where some part of the society considers itself a separate ethnic group, but this belief is not supported by its linguistic separateness. The material is the data on the ethnic situation in a number of countries around the world which is obtained either from social surveys or based on ethnographic descriptions of the relationship between linguistic and ethnic self-identification in different countries. The study applies the method of correlation analysis to establish the relationship between linguistic and ethnic self-determination. The work also uses the method of sociolinguistic interpretation and the method of sociolinguistic reinterpretation which is based on the analysis of secondary material, that has already entered in scientific circulation, for sociolinguistic purposes. The basis for identification processes is the linguistic identification of an ethnic nation, on the basis of which ethnographic, ethnic and ethnopolitical national unity is formed. As a result the study highlighted four situations which are based on the correction of ethnic identification according to language identity. Firstly, a situation of ethnic transition, when a person, who defines himself as belonging to a nation “by blood”, according to his linguistic identity moves to another national group. Secondly, a situation of subethnic transition, when an ethnic subgroup designates itself as part of a nation, that uses the regional dialect or dialect of a given nation. Thirdly, the situation of ethno-political identity, when the nationality is determined by the political factor such as citizenship while preserving the language of the ethnic nation living in another, base state. Finally, multiethnic political identification, which is a type of ethnopolitical identity, when several ethnic nations, which are speakers of different languages, are united into one political nation. This interpretation of the “ethnos – language” relationship allows us to adjust the parameters of sociolinguistic and social stratification of society.

Keywords

• language identification
• ethnos
• subethnos
• dialect
• regiolect
• ethnonym
• politonym
• socionym