Selkup, Ket, and Evenki speakers’ ideas of the language and languages (based on fieldwork experience)

Olga KazakevichOlga Kazakevichkazakevich.olga@gmail.com http://www.lcl.srcc.msu.ru

Folk Linguistics, SPb, 20.11.2012Folk Linguistics, SPb, 20.11.2012

The paper presents some outcomes The paper presents some outcomes of the fieldwork done in 43 of the fieldwork done in 43 settlements with autochthonous settlements with autochthonous popuations of Western and Central popuations of Western and Central Siberia in 2001-2012.Siberia in 2001-2012.

The fieldwork was a part of language The fieldwork was a part of language documentation projects being realized documentation projects being realized at the Laboratory for Computational at the Laboratory for Computational Lexicography, Research Computer Lexicography, Research Computer Centre, Lomonosov Moscow State Centre, Lomonosov Moscow State University (University (http://www.lcl.srcc.msu.ru) ) and supported by Russian Foundation and supported by Russian Foundation for Basic Researches, Russian for Basic Researches, Russian Foundation for the Humanities and Foundation for the Humanities and Yamalo-Nenets Centre for Arctic Yamalo-Nenets Centre for Arctic Researches. Researches.

Regions of our fieldworkRegions of our fieldwork

Krasnoselkup and Pur districtsKrasnoselkup and Pur districts of Yamalo-of Yamalo-Nenets autonomous area;Nenets autonomous area;Turukhansk and Yeniseisk districts, Turukhansk and Yeniseisk districts, Evenki and Taimyr municipal districts of Evenki and Taimyr municipal districts of Krasnoyarsk territory;Krasnoyarsk territory;Ket and Kargasok districts of Tomsk Ket and Kargasok districts of Tomsk regionregion

Linguistic situation in the surveyed local communities

In all the settlements, including those In all the settlements, including those where the autochthonous population where the autochthonous population represent the overwhelming majority represent the overwhelming majority and where people still keep traditional and where people still keep traditional way of life, the main means of way of life, the main means of communication both at home and in the communication both at home and in the community life is Russian.community life is Russian.

Children able to speak their ethnic Children able to speak their ethnic language are scares.language are scares.

Though the ancestral language is regarded as desirable for children by the majority of parents, it is Russian that is considered absolutely obligatory

The situation of language shift is today quite common for autochthonous communities of Siberia. Meanwhile, each surveyed each surveyed settlement gives a new fragment and settlement gives a new fragment and quite often a new dimension of the quite often a new dimension of the linguistic situation in the arealinguistic situation in the area..

Selkup, Ket and Evenki speakers’ ideas of

1)local varieties of their ethnic languages, 2)comparative complexity and aesthetic hierarchy of the vernaculars used in each particular local community,3)multilingualism, 4)code-switching and code-mixing, 5)the relation of language and ethnic identity, 6)language functions, 7)mother tongue classes at local schools.

Local varieties of languages

Practically all speakers of Selkup, Ket and Evenki are aware of local differentiation of their ethnic language.

Quite often people regard the local variety of their own as pure and correct and other varieties as spoilt. Sometimes the ‘incorrectness’ of the speech of neighbouring communities is explained as a result of linguistic contacts.

Comparative complexity and aesthetic hierarchy of the vernaculars spoken in the community

Complexity: Ket > Selkup > Evenki

Aesthetics: Selkup > Ket

Multilingualism

Multilingualism is respected:

“Those who speak two languages are bright, they have a better understanding of life (their ears are clear)”.

At the same time, the prejudice that to learn the language of the majority, which gives access to education, professional career and prosperity, is only possible abandoning the ancestral language is still wide-spread both inside and outside ethnic minority groups, it is wide-spread in different social strata including educational authorities.

Code-switching

Code-switching is widely spread. There is practically no conversation in autochthonous languages without Russian intrusions. People check it themselves.:“Now we speak a sort of a mixed language: we say something in our language and then something in Russian, we chose what is more comfortable for us.

Language and ethnic identity

“I am Selkup | Ket | Evenki, so my mother toungue is Selkup | Ket | Evenki though I cannot speak it”

“I speak only Russian, so I am Russian, what else can I be”.

Language functionsLanguage functions

Keeping secrets: ethnic language is valued by their speakers as a means of secret communication.

Preserving people’s history: ““Let my word go farther to my great Let my word go farther to my great grandchildren, may it remain after I am grandchildren, may it remain after I am gone to the ancestors” gone to the ancestors”

Mother tongue classes at local schools

The majority of our respondents want their ethnic language to be taught to the children at school , but practically no one is pleased with the way it is being done now. They don’t like the language variety of the textbooks (“the language of the text books is deadt”.) People would prefer their local variety to be taught.”

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