Научная статья на тему 'The "Russophone" movement within the framework of linguistic imperialism'

The "Russophone" movement within the framework of linguistic imperialism Текст научной статьи по специальности «Языкознание и литературоведение»

CC BY
219
32
i Надоели баннеры? Вы всегда можете отключить рекламу.
Ключевые слова
ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКОЕ ИЗМЕРЕНИЕ МИРОВОЙ ПОЛИТИКИ / РУСОФОНИЯ / РУССКИЙ ЯЗЫК / РОССИЙСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ / РУССКИЙ МИР / НАЦИОНАЛЬНАЯ ПОЛИТИКА / ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКИЙ ИМПЕРИАЛИЗМ / ДИАСПОРА / УКАЗЫ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА РФ / СНГ / LINGUISTIC DIMENSION OF GLOBAL POLITICS / THE RUSSOPHONE MOVEMENT / RUSSIAN LANGUAGE / RUSSIAN FEDERATION / RUSSIAN WORLD / NATIONAL POLICY / LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM / DIASPORA / DECREES OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION / CIS

Аннотация научной статьи по языкознанию и литературоведению, автор научной работы — Sokolova Ekaterina Olegovna

He relevance of the subject of our work is defined by the increasing influence of a linguistic factor in worldwide policy. Different events on the world scene, in the relationships of the states, in the activity of the international government and non-governmental organizations, in a mutually interlacing of diverse worldpolitical actors, in the relationship between the countries, the regional conflicts and their resolution or, on the contrary, the aggravation, are substantially caused by the character of the interlingual relations, the processes of the consolidation of the countries and the people who speak the same language and use it in the building of mechanisms of the language policy as in global, regional, and interstate scale. The events in the world occasionally are connected with the ideas of a monoculturalism, multilingualism, monolinguism, lingvogenocide, lingvonatsionalism, lingvochauvinism, lingvoseparatism, linguistic imperialism, with the national interests of the state in the field of language and its place in the world and also with the availability or lack of linguapolitical tension in the countries with language variety. The subject of the article is the Russophone movement within the framework of linguistic imperialism. The general purpose of this article consists of defining the role and the place of Russian language and also the position of the Russian-speaking population in the former Baltic States. The applied general scientific methods of the research are: analysis, synthesis. The novelty of this work is that the Russian-speaking population of some former CIS countries is affected in the civil rights, there are difficulties when they use their native language. The article is devoted to the modern influence of Russian language on the formation of foreign policy of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes the relevant policy of Russia concerning the compatriots living abroad. The conclusion is that the policy of the Baltic States towards the Russian-speaking population will depend in many respects on the political situation in the world.

i Надоели баннеры? Вы всегда можете отключить рекламу.
iНе можете найти то, что вам нужно? Попробуйте сервис подбора литературы.
i Надоели баннеры? Вы всегда можете отключить рекламу.

РУСОФОНИЯ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ПОНЯТИЯ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКОГО ИМПЕРИАЛИЗМА

Актуальность темы нашей работы определяется возрастающим влиянием лингвистического фактора в мировой политике. Различные события на мировой арене, во взаимоотношениях государств, в деятельности международных правительственных и неправительственных организаций, во взаимопереплетении многообразных мирополитических акторов, во взаимоотношениях между странами, региональных конфликтах и их разрешении или, наоборот, обострении, в значительной степени обусловлены характером межъязыковых отношений, процессами объединения стран и народов, которые говорят на одном и том же языке и используют его в выстраивании механизмов языковой политики как в глобальном, региональном, так и внутригосударственном масштабе. Происходящие события в мире порой связаны с идеями монокультурализма, мультилингвизма, монолингвизма, лингвогеноцида, лингвонационализма, лингвошовенизма, лингвосепаратизма, лингвистического империализма, с национальными интересами государства в области языка и его места в мире, а также с наличием или отсутствием лингвополитической напряженности в странах с языковым разнообразием. Предмет статьи Русофония в контексте понятия лингвистического империализма. Общая цель данной статьи состоит в том, чтобы определить роль и место русского языка, а также положение русскоязычного населения в бывших странах Балтии. Применёнными общенаучными методами исследования являются: анализ, синтез. Новизна данной работы заключается в том, что русскоязычное население некоторых бывших стран СНГ ущемляется в гражданских правах, возникают трудности при использовании ими их родного языка. Статья посвящена современному влиянию русского языка на формирование внешней политики Российской Федерации. Автором анализируются актуальный политический курс России в отношении соотечественников, живущих за рубежом. Сформулирован вывод о том, что политика стран Балтии по отношению к русскоязычному населению во многом будет зависеть от политической ситуации в мире.

Текст научной работы на тему «The "Russophone" movement within the framework of linguistic imperialism»

политические науки

Соколова Екатерина Олеговна РУСОФОНИЯ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ...

УДК 327:372.881.1

РУСОФОНИЯ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ПОНЯТИЯ ЛИНГВИСТИЧЕСКОГО

ИМПЕРИАЛИЗМА

© 2018

Соколова Екатерина Олеговна, аспирант

Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет (191060, Россия, Санкт-Петербург, улица Смольного 1/3, подъезд № 8, e-mail: katuschone@gmail.com)

Аннотация. Актуальность темы нашей работы определяется возрастающим влиянием лингвистического фактора в мировой политике. Различные события на мировой арене, во взаимоотношениях государств, в деятельности международных правительственных и неправительственных организаций, во взаимопереплетении многообразных мирополитических акторов, во взаимоотношениях между странами, региональных конфликтах и их разрешении или, наоборот, обострении, в значительной степени обусловлены характером межъязыковых отношений, процессами объединения стран и народов, которые говорят на одном и том же языке и используют его в выстраивании механизмов языковой политики как в глобальном, региональном, так и внутригосударственном масштабе. Происходящие события в мире порой связаны с идеями монокультурализма, мультилингвизма, монолингвизма, лингвогеноцида, лингвонационализма, лингвошовенизма, лингвосепаратизма, лингвистического империализма, с национальными интересами государства в области языка и его места в мире, а также с наличием или отсутствием лингвополитической напряженности в странах с языковым разнообразием. Предмет статьи - Русофония в контексте понятия лингвистического империализма. Общая цель данной статьи состоит в том, чтобы определить роль и место русского языка, а также положение русскоязычного населения в бывших странах Балтии. Применёнными общенаучными методами исследования являются: анализ, синтез. Новизна данной работы заключается в том, что русскоязычное население некоторых бывших стран СНГ ущемляется в гражданских правах, возникают трудности при использовании ими их родного языка. Статья посвящена современному влиянию русского языка на формирование внешней политики Российской Федерации. Автором анализируются актуальный политический курс России в отношении соотечественников, живущих за рубежом. Сформулирован вывод о том, что политика стран Балтии по отношению к русскоязычному населению во многом будет зависеть от политической ситуации в мире.

Ключевые слова: Лингвистическое измерение мировой политики, Русофония, русский язык, Российская Федерация, Русский мир, национальная политика, лингвистический империализм, диаспора, указы президента РФ, СНГ.

THE «RUSSOPHONE» MOVEMENT WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF LINGUISTIC IMPERIALISM

© 2018

Sokolova Ekaterina Olegovna, podt-graduate student

Saint-Petersburg State University (191060, Russia, Saint-Petersburg, Smolnogo Street 1/3, entrance № 8, e-mail: katuschone@gmail.com)

Abstract. The relevance of the subject of our work is defined by the increasing influence of a linguistic factor in worldwide policy. Different events on the world scene, in the relationships of the states, in the activity of the international government and non-governmental organizations, in a mutually interlacing of diverse worldpolitical actors, in the relationship between the countries, the regional conflicts and their resolution or, on the contrary, the aggravation, are substantially caused by the character of the interlingual relations, the processes of the consolidation of the countries and the people who speak the same language and use it in the building of mechanisms of the language policy as in global, regional, and interstate scale. The events in the world occasionally are connected with the ideas of a monoculturalism, multilingualism, monolinguism, lingvogenocide, lingvonatsionalism, lingvochauvinism, lingvoseparatism, linguistic imperialism, with the national interests of the state in the field of language and its place in the world and also with the availability or lack of linguapolitical tension in the countries with language variety. The subject of the article is the Russophone movement within the framework of linguistic imperialism. The general purpose of this article consists of defining the role and the place of Russian language and also the position of the Russian-speaking population in the former Baltic States. The applied general scientific methods of the research are: analysis, synthesis. The novelty of this work is that the Russian-speaking population of some former CIS countries is affected in the civil rights, there are difficulties when they use their native language. The article is devoted to the modern influence of Russian language on the formation of foreign policy of the Russian Federation. The author analyzes the relevant policy of Russia concerning the compatriots living abroad. The conclusion is that the policy of the Baltic States towards the Russian-speaking population will depend in many respects on the political situation in the world.

Keywords: Linguistic dimension of global politics, The Russophone movement, the Russian language, the Russian Federation, Russian World, national policy, linguistic imperialism, diaspora, the decrees of the president of the Russian Federation, CIS.

What is Russia? After the dissolution of the Soviet Union millions of people who spoke Russian and considered themselves Russians appeared to be citizens of different states. They were divided by political borders. For the first time for all history they became citizens of several neighboring countries, and some persons had no citizenship at all. And all this occurred not according to their will. In this regard various approaches to «the Russian question» appeared in Post-Soviet Russia. One of the approaches is characterized by apathetic policy in relation to compatriots, that is the moderate concept of the Russian world. The second approach which has recently become the most relevant is a problem of «the divided people».

The concept «Russian world» includes the set of people, the communities which are outside the Russian Federation, but in one way or another connected with the Russian culture and the Russian language environment. And this concept

has a broader interpretation, than the term «compatriots». The protection of compatriots relies on the laws and legal regulations, and the Russian world is something from the area of consciousness. Nowadays such concepts as «the Russian world» and «compatriots» practically merged together in the nationalist rhetoric about the revival of Russia and its revenge on the post-soviet space. In the address of the president V.V. Putin on March 18, 2014 it was stated: «The Russian people became one of the biggest or maybe the biggest divided people in the world». [1]

The concept of compatriots, the term «Russian world» and «the divided people» were too narrow for the positioning of Russia as a great power on the world scene, though it was important. In 2008 the Russian political power for the first time after the collapse of the USSR started talking in terms of the big supranational project. The world outlook fundamentals of foreign policy were even more often

Sokolova Ekaterina Olegovna psychological

THE «RUSSOPHONE» MOVEMENT ... science

formulated in categories of civilizational accessory of the country. The concept of civilization ideologically appeared to be very close for the Russian authorities. In the modern world Huntington S. analyzed this subject. «Russia is not just a country, but a civilization», - said Dugin A. long ago.[2] Most part of the political and intellectual opposition (for example, Zyuganov G., Solzhenitsyn A.) considered the fact that national (ethnic) borders do not coincide with the new frontiers, historical defeat and threat to security for the Russian Federation. The official position represented the state construction within Post-Soviet borders of Russia and the forming of civil aviation. [3] But why is Russia applying such measures only now? The answer can be found in the area of relationship of the West and Russia. Abstractly understood «West» began to be perceived as a force seeking to extend its values, culture and images to the Russian world, attempting thereby upon the changing of the unique Russian national identity. The instruments of expansion of the West consist of not only the expansion of NATO, but also the policy of the European Union, the USA, some Post-Soviet states. Due to these facts the new foreign policy doctrine began to be created in Russia. Its base is in the ideas about a unique Russian civilization, culture, the Russian world. It is also linked with the protection of interests and the rights of compatriots abroad. However, what is considered to be the restoration of the historical justice and protection of the Russian world in one society is perceived as the capture of the territory of a weaker neighbor by a big state in another society. [4] So the second point of view partly relies on such concept as an imperialism. In the context of our research it is necessary to analyze the definition of a concept of linguistic imperialism.

Linguistic imperialism is the expressive term in publicistic literature, used for the expression of negative attitude to the language policy in the multinational state, directed to the reduction of functions of various languages. [5]

Language imperialism is a key concept of the theory, drawing attention of many researchers since the beginning of the 1990th years, especially after the publication of the book of the British linguist Robert Fillipson «Linguistic Imperialism». The language imperialism is often considered in the context of a cultural imperialism.

Fillipson considers a language imperialism, basing on the example of English. The linguist defines a language imperialism of English in such way: «the domination caused by the establishment and permanent support of structural and cultural inequality between English and other languages».

Fillipson's theory contains powerful criticism of historical distribution of English as international language and also the continuing domination of this language in a post-colonial context (India, Pakistan, Uganda, etc.) and in a «neocolonial» context — as, for example, in Europe. His theory in many respects is based on the social theory of Antoniio Gramshi, especially on the concept of cultural hegemony. [6]

How many people speak Russian now? How will the situation change in future? What is its role on the international scene? These questions are very relevant; it is a political and economic problem of the modern world and the future. The philologist Evgeny Zaretsky in his article «The Promotion of English in the World as One of Forms of the American Messianism» refers to the researcher Robert Fillipson. [7] Fillipson claims that after World War II there was a certain secret joint plan of Americans and British to popularize English for the achievement of political goals in the book «Linguistic Imperialism». [8]

And what will be the result of «the war of languages in Europe» throughout one generation? The European laboratory of political forecasts considering a number of observed trends predicts the formation of a new linguistic order in Europe by 2025. In 2020 the partnership Russia - the European Union will lead to the entry of the Russian language into the European linguistic «purgatory» as widespread, though unofficial language of the Slavic countries. "" 394

The promotion of the Russian language was territorially connected mostly with the activity of the Russian empire, and then the USSR. But it is not suitable for everyone in the former Soviet Union. It is impossible to deny the fact that it is difficult to forbid language, especially if a great number of people think and communicate using it. Such attempts of the ban took place in Belarus, but ended with nothing. Today about 300 million people know Russian worldwide (that puts it on the 5th place on prevalence), 160 million of which consider it native (the 7th place in the world). [10]

But the question «on what language will the Russian citizen soon have to communicate with his compatriots, for example in the Baltics, is relevant and concerns not only the Latvians, Estonians and Lithuanians, speaking Russian. It is the problem of all Russian diaspora. For the national policy of Russia the important fact is the Russian diaspora in the Baltic States. The experience of its emergence and functioning shows with what enormous and unjustified difficulties our compatriots abroad face. Nowadays there is no so effective real help and support from the official representatives of the historical homeland. The attempts of studying this problem show how difficult and complicated it is, but at the same time has to be resolved immediately. For example, the political discrimination of Russians takes place in Latvia. The Russian language has the status of a foreign language there. The Latvian government pursues the policy of a tough segregation and discrimination of the Russian population of Latvia. The political discrimination of the population of the Russian nationality also takes place in Estonia. Regarding the formal equality of nationalities in Estonia, the representatives of allochtonous nations are restrained in the rights. The situation is aggravated with the indifference of the most part of the Russian-speaking population to the maintenance of the national identity. As for the position of Russians in Lithuania, here the discrimination has a more gentle format. After the secession of Lithuania from the USSR all those who lived on the territory of the Lithuanian SSR were given the citizenship of the Republic of Lithuania. The vast majority of Russians are the citizens of Lithuania now. The link in this matter is the development of commercial ties between Moscow and Vilnius.

It is difficultto say how will the situation of the Russians in the Baltic States change in the nearest future. However in many respects it will depend on the political situation in the world. Due to the recent events in Ukraine, three Baltic states - the members of NATO and the EU, (only they in the former Soviet Union), took the most critical position on the actions of Russia in Ukraine. In spite of the fact that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are closely connected with the big neighbor by trade relations and cooperation in the energy area they insist on more tough sanctions against Moscow. [11]

As far as the policy of Russia in the Baltic States is concerned, it is more directed to cooperation. Quite recently the President of Russia Vladimir Putin established lifelong material security to the veterans of war living in the Baltics. The Decree on the measures for the improvement of financial status of the veterans living in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia demonstrates this fact. [12]

It is possible to see the plan designed to reduce the value of the Russian language and the Russian culture which are today the major idea uniting the people inhabiting open spaces of Russia and the republics of the former USSR in the above described situation.

The Russian language does not belong only to Russia any more. It became the general exclusive means of communication often necessary and only available in many countries of the former USSR and even Eastern Europe, or of the communication between those who lived there earlier. In certain cases only the knowledge of Russian gives access to scientific or technical texts of the high level. The Russian language is the means of communication in the CIS countries. Its global character justifies interest which is shown to Russian in different countries where the Russian

Azimuth of Scientific Research: Economics and Administration. 2018. X 7. № 4(25)

политические науки

Соколова Екатерина Олеговна

РУСОФОНИЯ В КОНТЕКСТЕ ...

language is learned not only by specialists. REFERENCES:

1. Zevelev Igor' «Granitsi russkogo mira», April 27, 2014. Address date: 15.10.2018. http://www.globalaffairs.ru/number/Granitcy-russkogo-mira--16582

2. Slovar' sociolingvisticheskih terminov. — M.: Rossiyskaya akademiya nauk. Institut yazikoznaniya. Rossiyskaya akademiya lingvisticheskih nauk. Otvetstvenniy redaktor: doktor filologicheskih nauk V.U. Mihal'chenko. 2006.

3. Robert Phillipson, Linguistic Imperialism, 1992, Oxford University Press.

4. Zaretskiy Evgeniy «Rasprostranenie angliyskogo yazika v mire kak odna iz form amerikanskogo messianizma». Address date: 15.10.2018. http://www.relga.ru/Environ/WebObjects/tgu-www.woa/wa/Main?textid=2 110&level1=main&level2=articles

5. Oleg Nikolaevich Nikiforov. «Russkaya maternaya leksika prevrashaetsya v dubinku v rukahprotivnikovRossii». 16.07.2010.

6. Russkiy yazik na rubezhe XX-XXI vekov. - M.: Tsentr social'nogo prognozirovaniya i marketinga, 2012.

7. Pressa Britanii: v Baltii s NATO spokoynee. Russkaya sluzhba BBC. 10 aprelya 2014 goda. Address date: 15.10.2018. http://www.bbc. co.uk/russian/uk/2014/04/140410_brit_press.shtml

8. Vladimir Putin ustanovil pozhiznennie viplati veteranam iz Pribaltiki. Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 8.05.2014. Address date: 15.10.2018. http://www.rg.ru/2014/05/08/pensiya-anons.html

Статья поступила в редакцию 29.10.2018 Статья принята к публикации 27.11.2018

i Надоели баннеры? Вы всегда можете отключить рекламу.