The Russian language away from the Metropolis

Abstract

The opening chapter of this book provides the rationale for studying Russian as a pluricentric language. Besides the forces of globalization that affect most of the languages today and generate new language contact situations, development of contemporary Russian has been influenced by the emergence of independent states on the territory of the former Soviet Union and massive emigration from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Diasporic communities of ex-Soviets have grown exponentially and Russian has come to be used as a lingua franca. While the ideological role of Russian has decreased outside Russia, its value as a commodity has grown and is a significant factor in its maintenance outside the nation. The chapter analyzes changes in the relations between Russia and its diaspora. While most of the Soviet period was marked by alienation and hostility, in the post-Soviet period it is viewed as a tool to bind diasporas to the Fatherland and exert power over dispersed Russian-speaking communities. Various organizations promoting Russian language and culture outside the nation have been created to consolidate the diaspora but are often confronted by ambivalent attitudes on the part of diasporans. The chapter discusses the role of cultural institutions created by diasporans for the co-ethnics, development of transnational ties of the Russian speakers and the complex dialectics of the same and different experienced by members of Russian-speaking communities integrated in a variety of host countries.

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