North Caucasus
‘A quiet, creeping Russification’: the displacement of indigenous languages across Russia
According to the 2020 census, almost all national languages lost speakers despite the demographic growth of the corresponding ethnic groups.
Languages
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Armenia
Decision to reduce Russian classes in schools leads to debate in Armenia
A July decision by the Armenian Government to reduce mandatory Russian classes in schools has led to debate in the country, after a report by Sputnik Armenia suggested Armenia may intend to phase out compulsory Russian from schools entirely. On Friday, the Russian state-owned news agency published a report about the decision citing anonymous teachers and education specialists. The report was misinterpreted by some online who thought the government was completely removing Russian language fro
Abkhazia
Abkhaz, Avar, Chechen, and Ossetian hit Google Translate
Four previously unavailable languages of the Caucasus — Abkhaz, Avar, Chechen, and Ossetian — have been made available on Google’s translation service. Friday’s addition of 110 new languages was the first time new languages of the Caucasus have been included in Google Translate since May 2010, when Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian were added. It is also the first time the four new languages have been made available through any machine translation service. The addition is the latest step i
Analysis
Analysis | Lost in the census: Mingrelian and Svan languages face extinction in Georgia
Georgia is home to 11 languages on the brink of extinction — including Mingrelian and Svan. Despite survey data suggesting there are hundreds of thousands of native speakers of these languages, fears of nationalism are holding back efforts to save them. On 21 February, Georgia celebrates International Mother Tongue Day, a day established by UNESCO to promote ‘linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism’. Georgia is home to at least 11 languages on the brink of extinction, according
Adygea
School director sues Circassian-language teacher in Kabardino-Balkaria
A school director in the Russian Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria is suing one of her former employees after she spoke out against the lack of Circassian language lessons in the school. On 18 March, Nalchik City Court again heard testimony regarding a suit brought by the director of the city’s Gymnasium No 14, Rimma Zhamborova, against former Circassian language teacher Maryan Bagova and Kabardino-Balkaria’s Human Rights Centre. Zhamborova filed a lawsuit against Bagova and the Human Rights
North Caucasus
How Russian state pressure on regional languages is sparking civic activism in the North Caucasus
New legislation that makes studying minority languages voluntary in Russian schools comes as signs of decreasing usage emerge.
Azerbaijan
Two States, One Nation: the mixed blessings of Turkish influence in Azerbaijan
For better or worse, Turkish culture exerts a considerable influence on modern Azerbaijani youth culture. While for many films, television, music, and literature from Turkey offer a window into the wider world, some worry it is supplanting Azerbaijan’s own culture. ‘Abi, give me a beer’, leaning on his elbow, a young man addresses the bartender in a Turkish manner: ‘abi’ means ‘elder brother’ or ‘friend’. He has a carefully trimmed beard, and on his wrists are bracelets of wood and leather
