ИСТИНА

Granny’s Role in Ethnic Language Transmission to Kids in Urban Space The report presents the results of sociolinguistic surveys conducted in 2014 –2017 and 2019 –2021 in Moscow based Chuvash and Mari language communities. Both surveys focused on the functioning of ethnic languages in internal diaspora [Kutsaeva 2020a], [Kutsaeva 2020b], Kutsaeva 2021a]. The Chuvash and Mari are indigenous peoples of the Middle Volga River, forming titular ethnic groups in respective territorial and administrative entities, their languages enjoy an official status along with Russian in the Chuvash Republic and the Republic of Mari El. Historically, though, almost half of Chuvash (43,3%, which counts for 621122) and Mari population (46,9%, or 256742 Maris) [All-Russian Census 2010] live outside the administrative entities in compact or dispersed groups, making up internal diasporas elsewhere, like in Moscow region, where Chuvash and Mari languages become minoritized [Kutsaeva 2019]. In Moscow region ethnic languages are frequently used by ethnic community members in various functions, apart from properly communicative one [Kutsaeva 2020a: 125–147], [Kutsaeva 2021b]. Inter-generational language transmission is remarkably weak due to the omnipresence of Russian and some language ideologies, inherent to Chuvash and Mari speakers back from the Soviet period. Yet, according to the results, the ethnic language is one of the key markers of ethnic identity and the task of passing the language on to younger generation is likely to be assigned to elderly woman in the family, i.e., Granny living in “authentic” Chuvash or Mari village. The report studies typical language practices and interactions, examine their linguistic output, explore Granny’s role in transmitting ethnic language and traditions as part of intangible cultural heritage to younger generation and focus on language attitudes and underlying ideologues regarding this type of language transmission (from Granny to kids skipping parent generation). References: 1) Kutsaeva M. V. Categorisation of the Chuvash Language in the Chuvash Republic and Beyond. In: Moskvitcheva S., Viaut A. (eds.). Minority languages from Western Europe and Russia. Springer, Cham, Language Policy, vol. 2, 2019. P. 149 – 160. 2) Kutsaeva M. V. Funktsionirovanie etnicheskogo yazyka v chuvashskoi diaspore moskovskogo regiona [Functioning of the ethnic language in the Chuvash diaspora of Moscow region]. Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, 2020a. 3) Kutsaeva M. V. Ob opyte sotsiolingvisticheskogo obsledovaniya v mariiskoi diaspore moskovskogo regiona [On the experience of a sociolinguistic survey in Moscow region Mari diaspora group] // Malye yazyki v bolshoi lingvistike [Small languages in big linguistics]. A collection of papers. Moscow, 2020b. S. 104–111. 4) Kutsaeva М. V. A Sociolinguistic Survey of an Internal Diaspora: Field Research of a Chuvash Diaspora Group in the Moscow Region. In: Agranat T.B., Dodykhudoeva L.R. (eds) Strategies for Knowledge Elicitation. Springer, Cham, 2021a. P. 5–99. 5) Kutsaeva M.V. Funktsii etnicheskogo yazyka v marijskoj diaspore moskovskogo regiona [Functions of the ethnic language in the Mari diaspora of the Moscow region] // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2021b. 4 (34). P. 58–72. 6) Vserossijskaya perepis’ naseleniya 2010 goda [All-Russian 2010 census] //http://gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm