Russian Language Studies in the FSU

In the majority of former Soviet-republics, Russian is studied as a second or third foreign language. This means that before studying Russian, secondary or post-secondary students study one or two foreign languages. Typically, the first language is English while in some Turkic-speaking republics it is Turkish.

The status of Russian as a foreign language in the Baltic countries is by far the most difficult. Say, In Latvia, Russian as a second or third foreign language is studied by 23.6 percent of Latvian students (as compared to 72.6 percent for English and 20.6 percent for German). In Lithuania, the situation is somewhat better, with 75.8 percent students of Russian as a second foreign language of the total number of students who can choose Russian along with other foreign languages. Between two and three hours a week are allotted for Russian (as compared to three to four hours for English as a first foreign language). It has to be said that Russian as a second foreign language is mainly taught to Lithuanian secondary students while in Russian schools it is studied mainly as a second foreign language, beginning with grade six or nine, with two to three hours a week. The study of Russian in Estonia is also hindered by the fact that Russian television programs are not broadcast in the republic and they can only be watched on cable or satellite TV networks. In none of the Baltic republics is Russian a state language or even an official language of interethnic communication (since the late 1980s). In 1988 and 1989, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian, respectively, were declared state languages.

Russian is a state language – on a par with the language of the “title” nation ― in Belarus and Kirgizia, where the status of Russian is the most stable and favorable. In Kirgizia, most subjects are taught in Russian. Nonetheless, even in these republics, there are some problems: In Kirgizia, Russian is virtually never used as a language of Instruction at the so-called Kirgiz-Turkish schools while in Belarus teachers often complain that the standards for written Belarusian are deliberately set too low, thus purportedly encouraging students to study Belarusian at the expense of Russian, The status of Russian in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan is more or less reassuring. A few years ago, President Islam Karimov of Uzbekistan issued a decree authorizing official use of Russian in places where there are high concentrations of ethnic Russian population. There are also Russian schools there.

There are conflicting reports about the status of Russian in Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Thus, in Azerbaijan, simultaneously with the Latin alphabet introduced in 1992, an attempt was made to make Turkish, a language related to Azeri, a principal language in the republic. Nonetheless, when Geidar Allyev returned to power, those “excesses” stopped. David Gotsilidze, a well regarded Russian language expert from Georgia, believes that the situation in these post-Soviet republics typically goes through the following stages:

1. The teaching of Russian is scaled down and a rash transition is made to the study of other foreign languages.

2. The impossibility of reorienting a given country toward European or Turkic languages soon becomes apparent.

3. “Rival” languages are crowded out from the sphere of interethnic communication in favor of Russian.

Дата добавления: 2015-08-20