Language as a marker of ethnic identity for Altai youth

The article aims to study the features of the ethno-linguistic identity of Altai youth, its influence on ethnic self-consciousness, and the issues of preserving the Altai language in the modern world. The author sets out to determine the extent to which the level of proficiency in the Altai language, language attitudes, and external social factors influence the nature of the youth's linguistic identity. A secondary analysis of studies on the linguistic and ethnic identity of the Altai people was conducted. The analysis of the results from these studies showed that for Altai youth, language is an important element of ethnic identity. The empirical material for the study was collected in 2021-2022 as part of the project "Monitoring the Language Situation in the Republic of Altai," which is being implemented under the instruction of President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin. This article interprets the responses of rural youth from the Shebalinsky, Ongudaysky, Ulagansky, and Kosh-Agach districts of the Republic of Altai. A questionnaire method was used for data collection. Since ethno-identity primarily involves a conscious self-identification of a person with representatives of a particular nation, the questionnaire method is sufficiently adequate, valid, and reliable for our purposes. During the project, 963 respondents were surveyed, of which 420 comprised youth aged 16-35 years. The survey results showed that 88.5% of rural youth are proficient in the Altai language, and 94.5% consider it their native language. The analysis indicated a high level of language competence among youth: 70.6% of respondents speak, read, and write fluently in the Altai language. In rural areas, the Altai language is used more frequently in family and everyday contexts, while the Russian language predominates in public spheres. It is important to note that all respondents (100%) are proficient in the Russian language. In urban areas, people communicate more often in Russian, whereas in rural areas, especially in district centers, residents actively use both Russian and Altai languages depending on the communication context. Altai people typically learn both languages from childhood and use them interchangeably in daily life, choosing one or the other based on the context. Despite the current ethno-linguistic processes occurring within the context of multi-ethnicity and multilingualism in modern society, which often lead to language disappearance, the results of this study show a positive trend in the preservation and development of the Altai language among youth. However, it should be noted that the survey was conducted in rural areas and does not reflect the entire picture for the republic. Nevertheless, rural youth demonstrate a strong commitment to their ethnic language, a genuine concern for its future, and a consistent recognition of it as their native language. The author declares no conflicts of interests.

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