Public opinion in tatarstan on language developments and bilingualism

Abstract

Based on the materials of a representative sociological survey of 2000 residents of the Republic of Tatarstan, a subunit of the Russian Federation, language attitudes and practices are revealed in a multicultural, predominantly bilingual, territory in conditions of the new stage of the linguistic and ethnocultural policy of the federal center. The data was obtained as part of an international scientific project supported by the Volkswagen Foundation. The Republican policy of reviving the Tatar language (the language of the titular nationality of the region and the national minority of Russia) and promoting parity Tatar-Russian bilingualism is evaluated through the prism of public opinion of the population, including Tatars, Russians and representatives of other ethnic groups. The characteristics of similarities and differences in the positions of representatives of the two main ethnic groups are shown. In contrast to the research based on the data, relating only to the predominantly Russian-speaking city of Kazan with an approximately equal number of Tatars and Russians, the subject of this study includes the attitudes of residents of provincial cities and villages of Tatarstan, along with opinions of Kazan residents. The results obtained complement and clarify expert assessments of the success rate of regional language policy and the potential for ethnocultural conflict in Tatarstan.