Language as a Means of Communication and Identity Representation among the Ethnoprofessional Group of Udmurt Philologists

10.33876/2311-0546/2024-4/236-253

Authors

Keywords:

Udmurt language, bilingualism, language environment, ethnoprofessional community, language education, ethnic identity

Abstract

The article analyzes the Russian-Udmurt linguistic environment and its professional aspects. It examines the existence of both Russian and Udmurt languages, identifies the extent of bilingualism among speakers, and assesses the relationship between language use and ethnic identity. The article presents an interdisciplinary study that combines ethnological and linguistic approaches to address these issues. It employs data from a survey based on the questionnaire of the University of Texas, which includes questions about bilingual language profiles and additional blocks on ethnic and social matters. Additionally, interviews with representatives of the language community were conducted to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. The study focused on an ethnographic community of Udmurt philologists, which allowed us to examine the use of the Udmurt language in a context characterized by increased interest in Udmurt studies. The data for this research were collected during an expedition to the Republic of Udmurtia in December 2023. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in the investigation. Qualitative techniques included the analysis of collected interviews, while quantitative methods entailed the analysis and graphical representation of the information gathered. The findings revealed a situation of balanced bilingualism within the studied group. The survey and analysis of the data showed that within this community, the Udmurt language serves as a means of self-identification, representation of ethnic identity, and as a primary means of communication.

Author Biographies

  • Herman Ustyantsev, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Ustyantsev, Herman Yu. –– Ph.D. in History, Assistant of the Department of Ethnology, History Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: ustyan-93@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0655-3127

  • Galina Glukhova, Udmurt State University

    Glukhova, Galina A. –– Ph.D. in Philology, Associate Professor, Department of Udmurt Literature and Literature of the Peoples of Russia, Director of the Institute of Udmurt Philology, Finno-Ugric Studies and Journalism, Udmurt State University (Izhevsk, Russian Federation). E-mail: galant@udm.ru

  • Artem Ananev, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Ananev, Artem A. –– Student, Department of Ethnology, History Faculty, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: An.artem02@mail.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6923-3784

  • Julia Sinitsyna, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Sinitsyna, Julia V. –– Lecturer, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: jv.sinitsyna@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2408-6270

  • Irina Khomchenkova, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Khomchenkova, Irina A. –– Lecturer, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University; Research Fellow, Department of Corpus Linguistics and Linguistic Poetics, Vinogradov Russian Language Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: irina.khomchenkova@yandex.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1653-0201

  • Olga Fedorova, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Fedorova, Olga V. –– Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). E-mail: olga.fedorova@msu.ru ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5034-3859

  • Regina Nasyrova, M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University

    Nasyrova, Regina R. –– Student, Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, Lomonosov Moscow State University (Moscow, Russian Federation). regina.nasyrova55@gmail.com ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6280-0667

    For citation: Ustyantsev, H. Yu., G. A. Glukhova, A. A. Ananev, J. V. Sinitsyna, I. A. Khomchenkova, O. V. Fedorova, and R. R. Nasyrova. 2024. Language as a Means of Communication and Identity Representation among the Ethnoprofessional Group of Udmurt Philologists. Herald of Anthropology (Vestnik Antropologii) 4: 236–253.

    Funding: The research was conducted as part of a grant-funded study on scientific and educational institutions, titled "From the Volga Region to the Caucasus: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity of the Central and Southern Regions of Russia," which was jointly organized by the Department of Ethnology at the Faculty of History at Lomonosov Moscow State University and the Department of Theoretical and Applied Linguistics at the Faculty of Philology at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

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Published

22.12.2024

Issue

No. 4 (2024): Herald of Anthropology

Section

Finno-Ugric Studies