The Policy of Preserving Linguistic Diversity in Russia: Declared Goals and Real Practice in the Republics of Southern Siberia

Abstract

The UN General Assembly proclaimed the period between 2022 and 2032 as the International Decade of Indigenous Languages to draw global attention to the challenges of preserving indigenous languages. This article highlights the alignment of Russia’s language policy goals with those outlined in the UN resolution. However, it also demonstrates that the practice of Russian language policy, particularly at the regional level, does not fully align with these declared goals.
The article compares the language laws adopted in three republics of Southern Siberia: the Republics of Altai, Tuva, and Khakassia. The analysis focuses on administrative practices, such as the use of Russian and national languages during local government meetings and in documents. It also examines the practices and extent of teaching national languages in schools and pre-schools. A comparative analysis is conducted on the proficiency and use of national languages by the titular nationalities and Russians living in these republics. The research concludes that there are dominant inertial processes in the demographic and linguistic spheres of the Southern Siberian republics. With the continued decline in the number of some ethnic groups (for example, in the Republic of Khakassia), local authorities are reducing efforts to preserve ethnic languages which increases their vulnerability. Administrative practices aimed at expanding the use of ethnic languages are only evident in republics where demographic trends are favorable for ethnic groups, such as the Republic of Tuva.
The authors conclude that the state’s explicit goals of preserving Russia’s linguistic diversity require adjustments in the implementation of language policy. They present their ideas on possible directions for these changes.