Dynamics of sociolinguistic processes in Southern Siberia mirrored in bilingualism (Russian-Shor and Russian-Tatar language interaction)

The paper represents one of the aspects of a large research project aimed at revealing the regularities of historical development and the current state of languages and cultures of South Siberia in the aspect of their interaction. The paper presents the results of a sociolinguistic investigation of the dynamics of bilingual linguistic situations existing in two regions: Russian-Tatar bilingualism in Tomsk and neighbouring villages, and Russian-Shor bilingualism in the towns of Sheregesh and Tashtagol (Kemerovo region) and neighbouring villages. The paper is aimed at the disclosing of personal projections of modern dynamics of linguistic situations in the region, correlation of objective parameters of two linguistic situations and its refraction in subjective self-assessments of the functional distribution of languages by bilinguals. The data were taken from the population census report, the official websites of the administrative entities under study, public organisations, the questionnaire survey conducted by project participants using two related questionnaires, the sociolinguistic questionnaire developed by O. Kazakevich, and the linguistic questionnaire by V. Marian, K. Blumenfeld and М. Kaushanskaya. The paper presents the analysis of the results of Russian-Tatar bilinguals' questionnaires (1532 responses to 71 questions of the sociolinguistic questionnaire and 548 responses to 21 questions of the linguistic questionnaire); Russian-Shor bilinguals' questionnaires (1633 responses to questions of the sociolinguistic questionnaire and 483 responses to the questions of the linguistic questionnaire). The analysis of the linguistic situation makes it possible to distinguish between 3 age groups of bilinguals: the first group comprises the bilinguals at the age of 20-35, the second from 35 to 65, the third older than 65. The paper presents the data of descriptional statistics characterising the level of mastering a language (Russian and Tatar, Russian and Shor in the two groups under study correspondingly), distribution of languages in different spheres of communication, the degree and way of their dominance and functioning in various periods of the respondents' lives and at the present moment. The analysis of questionnaires and communication with the respondents indicate a different level and character of language proficiency in the three age groups, its abrupt decrease from the older generation to the middle age and youth, the difference in specific areas of communication served by correlated languages in communicative bilingual practices. The factors that enhance the impact of the Russian language and extrusion of ancestral languages into the sphere of everyday communication and aesthetic communication, the influence of which increases in the third group compared to the first one, are the language policy of the Russian Federation, which legislatively determines the role of the Russian language as a state language used in all areas of institutional communication, which is the language of education at all stages, social and local mobility of the inhabitants of the region. The most important factors to support the current activity of the Shor and Tatar languages in all the bilingual age groups including the first one are the residence density in native places of the original population, the revival of national identity, supported institutionally in the areas under study; the less important factors are traditional family upbringing and the trend towards mono-ethnic marriages. The revealed tendencies are common and at the same time variably manifested in the language situations of Russian-Shor and Russian-Tatar bilingualism.

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