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List of publications on a keyword: «language shift»

  • Language loyalty to the ethnic language among the Hausa community in Khartoum

    Research Article
    Ethnic Culture Volume 7 No 2
    Author:
    Muhammad N. Osman
    Work direction:
    World languages and literature
    Abstract:
    This article presents the results of a comprehensive study of the language loyalty of Hausa speakers in the urban environment of Khartoum. Based on field data collected in 2022–2025 (one hundred in-depth interviews and questionnaires), the key factors influencing the preservation of the ethnic language in the diaspora community are analyzed. Particular attention is paid to the intergenerational dynamics of language preferences, strategies of language socialization, and the role of language attitudes in identification processes. An analysis of language loyalty in the Hausa diaspora environment showed that, in addition to the traditional criterion of recognizing an ethnic language as native, important indicators include practices of preserving cultural heritage. In the Khartoum diaspora, a special role is played by maintaining song traditions and watching foreign films in the Hausa language, and regular meetings of community representatives. For most respondents, the native language performs a predominantly symbolic function, serving as a marker of group identity and a bearer of cultural values. In general, the results demonstrate a complex picture of language shift, where the traditional “home-street-school” triad undergoes significant transformations under the influence of urbanization processes. The study makes a significant contribution to understanding the mechanisms of language stability in the context of Arabic-African language contact.
    Keywords:
    ethnic identity, diaspora, internal diaspora, language shift, language loyalty, Hausa, language ideology, urban sociolinguistics, Sudan
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  • Dynamics of the number of Chuvash speakers on the basis of the 2002–2021 Russian population censuses

    Research Article
    Ethnic Culture Volume 5 No 1
    Author:
    Ektor Alos-i-Font
    Work direction:
    World languages and literature
    Abstract:
    The situation of the Chuvash language in the Russian Federation is presented in the light of the 2020 population census. The aim of the study is to understand whether the tempos of the language shift have changed compared to the previous decade. For the sake of comparison, the process of ethnic assimilation of the Chuvash population is also studied. The differences between the five regions with the highest concentration of Chuvash speakers are analyzed, and the position of Chuvash in Chuvashia is contrasted with the one of the official languages in the other five republics of the Volga Federal District. Research results. The analysis shows a serious deterioration in the quality of the 2020 census data compared to previous ones. This problem is partially solved by weighting them. The results show an average annual decline of about three percent of Chuvash speakers at both the Federation and Chuvashia levels throughout the 2010–2020 decade. This represents a doubling of the rate in comparison to the previous intercensal period. This degree of language shift is similar to that observed for Chuvash in Tatarstan and Bashkortostan, but lower than in the Ulyanovsk and Samara regions. The other official languages of the District have drops in the number of speakers in their respective republics similar to those of Chuvash in Chuvashia, including Tatar in Tatarstan. An apparent exception is Bashkir, but the data also indicate serious issues for the languages of Bashkortostan.
    Keywords:
    Chuvash language, official languages in Russia, Russian 2020 population census, language shift, ethnic assimilation, Volga Federal District
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