Issue 1, 2025

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The article examines the indigenous vocabulary of the northwestern Pamir languages, the genetic commonality of which has been established on the basis of comparison at all language levels. The paper presents data on the development of vocabulary in these languages, taking into account their history and mutual interaction, as well as the influence of other languages, primarily Tajik.

Interesting lexical and semantic facts are revealed, offering a new perspective on the relationship between etymologies of words originating from a single Indo-European root on the one hand, and modern vocabulary items on the other.

The article examines word-formation processes and identifies certain words that are formed from the same Proto-Iranian roots common to the Yazghulami language and the Shughnani-Rushani group. These lexical items are constructed with the help of various formants, such as the feminine suffix *-ā and the suffix *-(a)ka, which was productive in the Shughnani-Rushani group.

In addition, based on various mental associations demonstrated by speakers of Shughnani and Yazghulami, lexical items are identified that derive from various Proto-Iranian roots denoting movement and state, such as those signifying “to go, to walk” and “to become, to get started, turn out to be”; these evolved through the long-term polarization of the expression of active and passive state by verbs denoting movement.

The hypothesis is proposed that word-formation processes in these languages were active up to and throughout the 19th century.

The paper emphasizes that in the current era of globalization, with the prevailing inf luence of mainstream literary languages, the lexical system of minority languages needs to be studied and documented with extra rigor.

Keywords: Indo-European languages, Indo-Iranian languages, East Iranian languages, Northwestern Pamir languages, genetic relationship, vocabulary, semantics, verbs of motion, areal linguistics

For citation: Edelman J. I. Ref lections on the historical lexicology of the Iranian languages of the Western Pamirs. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 5–15.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-5-15

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The Phonogram Archive at the Pushkin House in St. Petersburg houses an important collection of historical sound recordings. They are related to investigations in the field of ethnomusicology and ethnolinguistics. The archive is involved in the recording, restoration, description and study of the audio materials on folklore, language and ethnography, as well as their publication in the form of academic collections and audio anthologies. The materials in the Phonogram Archive form the basis for a multifaceted study of Russian folklore, interethnic relations in Russia and other aspects of culture in the country. Many of these recordings have been used in joint projects with the Pushkin House in which the authors have participated since 1995. In this article, following a description of the history of the Phonogram Archive, some of these projects will be considered. The resulting digital data have enriched the collections at the Pushkin House and will likely play an important role in the study, teaching and safeguarding of endangered languages and musical cultures in Russia.

Keywords: sound archives, endangered languages, Yiddish, German in Russia, digitalization

For citation: Graaf T. de, Svetozarova N. D. History of the Phonogram Archive in St. Petersburg and the use of its audio materials for the study of endangered cultures in Russia. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 16–40.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-16-40

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Despite the increased academic interest in bottom-up language policy and language shift reversal in particular, most of the studies pertaining to the subject tend to describe instances of language activism as standalone cases. As of now, there have not been many attempts to study language activism through comparison and analysis of its different instances with a view to ascertaining their common properties and tendencies.

The premises of our work suggest that a better understanding of the phenomenon of language activism may be achieved by comparing its different manifestations using a set of defined parameters. It is logical to assume that, on the one hand, a number of similar socioeconomic, political, cultural, and sociolinguistic conditions shared by different linguistic communities will influence the language policies implemented in those communities, thereby leading them in more or less similar directions. On the other hand, the differences found in such policies are likely to be explained by the extra-linguistic factors that differ.

This work is an attempt to illustrate how juxtaposition of similar practices in different communities may shed light on some of the properties that are characteristic of language shift reversal in general, as well as some of the extra-linguistic variables that play an important role in shaping language shift reversal practices in terms of the means and measures preferred by activists locally.

The specific focus of this research is on the language shift reversal practices among several languages historically spoken in the Republic of Karelia, Khabarovsk Kray, and Primorsky Kray in the Russian Federation.

The results of the project “Language, literature and culture in historical and social perspective”, carried out within the framework of the Basic Research Program at HSE University in 2025, are presented in this work.

Keywords: language activism, language shift, language shift reversal, Russia, Karelian, Veps, Nanai, Nivkh, Oroch, Udege

For citation: Shaymukhametov R. Practices of language shift reversal in Russia: A comparative case study of three regions. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 41–71.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-41-71

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The present article examines the inf luence of the boarding school in Tarko-Sale on language shift among students who are mother-tongue speakers of Forest Nenets. The study focuses on the interplay between official language policy in the district and its local implementation. In the past, the use of Forest Nenets in daily school life, combined with the absence of strict prohibitions on its use, contributed to the language’s preservation among boarding school students. For the older generation of students, the isolation of their life at boarding school from the surrounding Russian-speaking environment, together with the school’s strict daily schedule, created the necessary conditions for the accidental formation of a language nest where Forest Nenets was the primary language for communication. Based on the collected field data, it appears that language shift among Forest Nenets speakers began with the development of Tarko-Sale in the 1980s. The shift was likely driven by the expansion of urban infrastructure and the development of new career strategies for students after graduation. This policy destabilized the use of Forest Nenets among younger generations of students and weakened its status. Before the economic transformation began, the boarding school had held a central role in the students’ lives. The environment of old Tarko-Sale offered very few activities and limited students’ interaction to only the Forest Nenets-speaking community.

Keywords: Forest Nenets language, Neshan language, boarding school, language shift, language policy, Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

For citation: Shachin D. A. The role of the boarding school in Forest Nenets language shift: A case study from the Purovsky District. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 72–98.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-72-98

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This article is based on the findings of several research expeditions to Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, and the Sverdlovsk region of Russia. It provides information on the work of rural libraries serving the Mari populace in places where there is a high percentage of ethnic Maris, as well as on the functioning of the Mari language in media and literature and on content consumption in these domains by the local Mari population. Comprehensive sociolinguistic surveys in long standing Mari diasporas have been conducted since 2024, covering the Mishkino, Sharan, Kaltasy districts of Bashkortostan, the Agryz and Kukmor districts of Tatarstan, and the Achit district of the Sverdlovsk region. The total sample includes 339 respondents aged between 12 and 88, with library staff members also having participated in the survey.

One of the questions in the sociolinguistic questionnaire dealt with Mari literature and periodical reading practices. The research findings make it possible to draw conclusions about the state of Mari reading among long-standing Mari diasporas. Several reasons for difficulties with reading in Mari were identified: the spread of information technologies and a decrease in the general need for reading among the population, the closure of Mari-language schools, a reduction in Mari-language students, and the closure of regional specialized educational institutions for training staff for Mari schools. In some regions, difficulties with reading in Mari are caused by differences between local Mari variants and the literary norm of the Mari language. A common problem area in library services for the Mari populace is the meager replenishment of collections with fiction in Mari, as well as interruptions in subscriptions to Mari periodicals. Despite this, library staff are engaged in preserving and popularizing the Mari language, literature, folklore, traditions, customs, games, and traditional medicine, although Russian is increasingly becoming the language of communication at such events that are held especially for younger schoolchildren.

Keywords: Mari language, ethnic language, sociolinguistic survey, library and information services for the Mari population, old Mari diaspora, Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, Sverdlovsk region

For citation: Kutsaeva M. V. Mari language and culture preservation and popularization: Rural libraries serving long-standing Mari diaspora communities. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 99–126.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-99-126

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The article presents the text of the folk tale «The goat and her kids» in the Shughnani language, which records the speech of a representative of the older generation of the region in the context of communication with a younger family member. This version of the tale was recorded in the Near-Pandzh zone of the Western Pamir region of Tajikistan in 2023 and has not been previously published. In the rhythmic elements similar to classical poetry competitions (munazira), we observe elements of code switching (Shughnani – Tajik languages). In the epilogue, an ethical attitude towards an important virtue in the Pamir society is introduced. At the same time, the connection between generations and the importance of traditional values are implicitly emphasized.

The text was transcribed phonologically from the recording using the international Iranian transcription system. Interlinear glossing and a Russian translation are provided. Specific phonetic features and code-switching to the Tajik language are also noted.

The article highlights the proximity of cultural traditions and folklore within the Western Pamir region on the one hand and also within Tajikistan as a whole on the other. Convergence and divergence in plot devices, the list of characters, and the specific use of rhyme and rhythmic patterns are likewise noted.

This folk tale is a valuable contemporary addition to the corpus of written texts in Shughnani, a low-resource language existing in a multilingual milieu with no official literary status.

Keywords: Pamir languages, Shughnani language, Tajik language, fairy tale, folklore, traditional folk tales, code switching

For citation: Dodykhudoeva L. R. “The goat and her kids”: A Shughnan i folk tale as narrated by Dawlatsulton Shukrulloeva. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 127–157.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-127-157

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Ludian is one of the three macro-variants of the Karelian language, together with Livvi and Karelian proper. Ludians traditionally live in the south-eastern part of the Republic of Karelia in the Olonetsian, Pryazha, Onega and Kondopoga districts. The largest Ludic settlements are the Mikhailovskoye (Olonetsian District), Svyatozero, Pryazha, Vidany (Pryazha District), Spasskaya Guba, Pyalozero, Yurkostrov, Tivdiya, Ershi (Kondopoga District), Namoyevo (Onega District). The Ludian variant includes the Northern Ludian dialect (spoken in Kondopoga), Middle Ludian dialect (Munozero), Southern Ludian dialect (Svyatozero) and Mikhailovskoye dialect. The Ludic dialects are an example of mixed, transitional dialects with heterogeneous linguistic features that are not equally represented in the dialects. The internal linguistic differences between the groups are largely determined by their immediate linguistic environment. The Southern forms are dominated by a Vepsian component, while the Northern ones are influenced primarily by Karelian proper. This publication presents four texts in Northern Ludian (recorded in Tivdiya), Middle Ludian (recorded in Tereki), Southern Ludian (recorded in Svyatozero) and Mikhailovskoye (recorded in Gizhino village), which are available in the Open Corpus of the Veps and Karelian Languages (VepKar).

Keywords: Ludian variant of the Karelian language, dialectal texts, Open Corpus of Veps and Karelian

For citation: Rodionova A. P. Texts in the Ludian variant of the Karelian language in the Open Corpus of Veps and Karelian. Rodnoy yazyk, 2025, 1: 158–184.

DOI: 10.37892/2313-5816-2025-1-158-184