Сибирские татары перед выбором – сохранить или потерять родной язык

Abstract

The article deals with the problems of preservation of their native language by the Siberian Tatars at the present stage of historical development. The brief overview presents the stages of studying the Siberian Tatar language from the beginning of the 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Based on commonly known sources and literature, it is shown that the ethnonym Tatars, which refers to ethnic communities of different origins in the Volga region, the Urals and Western Siberia, is a pseudo-ethnonym. It was introduced as the self-name of the Volga Turks by the Kazan Muslim educator Sh. Mardzhani, and in Soviet times it became a fulcrum for the creation of a new literary language and its inclusion in the educational programs of all “Tatar” schools of the Soviet Union. At the same time, it was not taken into account that Siberian Tatars are an independent ethnic group, with their own unique language and culture. The main conclusion of the article is that today Siberian Tatars face a difficult choice – to keep or to lose their native language. Preserving the language at the family level is clearly not enough. Therefore, it is necessary to teach it in schools, propagate it in the media, and publish fiction in it. The first methodological developments in the form of grammar, phonetics, graphics, dictionaries, as well as literary works are already available. It is possible to introduce the study of the Siberian Tatar language as an option in national schools and in special courses at the city Centers of Siberian Tatar culture. At present, the work to preserve the Siberian Tatar language and culture is carried out only by enthusiasts. It does not receive support at the administration level. Relying on the old, time-tested programs and methodological developments in the Tatar language and literature, the heads of education authorities do not see the need for studying the Siberian Tatar language and developing Siberian Tatar literature. In our opinion, further ignoring of the existing problem will entail increased marginalization of the Siberian Tatars of the Tyumen region and their gradual loss of self-identification.

For Citation: Kvashnin, Y.N. and G.T. Bakieva. 2021. Siberian Tatars Face a Choice – Save or Lose Their Native Language. Herald of Anthropology  (Vestnik Antropologii) 1 (53): 133–148.

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