How to study multilingualism of the past: Investigating traditional contact situations in Daghestan

Reconstructing contact situations for an unwritten language is a challenging task, as the sociolinguistic past of such speech communities is very rarely documented. The paper describes research in which a method of retrospective family interviews is applied, where respondents’ recollections about re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of sociolinguistics Vol. 17; no. 3; pp. 376 - 393
Main Author Dobrushina, Nina
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2013
Wiley
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Summary:Reconstructing contact situations for an unwritten language is a challenging task, as the sociolinguistic past of such speech communities is very rarely documented. The paper describes research in which a method of retrospective family interviews is applied, where respondents’ recollections about recent multilingual past and, in particular, about the language repertoires of their elder relatives, are converted into quantitative data. It is a case study of three neighboring villages in the mountains of Daghestan, each of which has its own first language. It is shown that the multilingual pattern in the cluster is now shifting from the knowledge of neighbor languages towards Russian – an external lingua franca which is not native to any of the communicants. Peкoнcтpyкция cитyaций языкoвoгo кoнтaктa для бecпиcьмeнныx языкoв – нeлeгкaя зaдaчa, пocкoлькy coциoлингвиcтичecкoe пpoшлoe этиx языкoв кpaйнe peдкo бывaeт xopoшo дoкyмeнтиpoвaнo. Cтaтья пpeдcтaвляeт иccлeдoвaниe, в кoтopoм для peшeния этoй зaдaчи пpимeнeн мeтoд peтpocпeктивныx ceмeйныx интepвью, пoзвoляющий пoлyчить кoличecтвeнныe дaнныe нa ocнoвaнии вocпoминaний pecпoндeнтoв o языкoвoм peпepтyape иx cтapшиx poдcтвeнникoв. Ocнoвныe пoлyчeнныe peзyльтaты кacaютcя кaнaлoв ycвoeния втopoгo языкa, paзличия мeждy влaдeниeм coceдcкими и дaльними языкaми, гeндepныx мoдeлeй мнoгoязычия, cиммeтpичныx и acиммeтpичныx языкoвыx кoнтaктoв и измeнeний в cтpyктype мнoгoязычия. [Russian]
Bibliography:The study was implemented in the framework of the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) in 2013. I am especially grateful to Michael Daniel, Johanna Nichols, David Connolly, and three anonymous referees for valuable comments on earlier drafts of this article.
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ArticleID:JOSL12041
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ISSN:1360-6441
1467-9841
DOI:10.1111/josl.12041