Language and identity in the late Soviet Union and thereafter

Authors

  • Anastassia Zabrodskaja Tallinn University and University of Tartu Author
  • Martin Ehala University of Tartu Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v9i2.26828

Keywords:

language policy, identity, collective identity, post-soviety identities

Abstract

The introduction to the special issue takes a brief look at the history of ethnolinguistic policies in the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union and post-Soviet space. It also covers relevant key terms for understanding linguistic processes taking place after the collapse of USSR. At the end it introduces the case studies included in this special issue.

Author Biographies

  • Anastassia Zabrodskaja, Tallinn University and University of Tartu
    Anastassia Zabrodskaja is a Professor of Estonian as a Second Language at the Institute of Estonian Language and Culture in Tallinn University, Estonia. She also works as a Senior Research Fellow in Sociolinguistics at the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics in the University of Tartu, Estonia. Her scholarly interests comprise language contact, dynamics and change in Estonia and ethnolinguistic vitality.
  • Martin Ehala, University of Tartu
    Martin Ehala is a Professor of Literacy Education at the Institute of Estonian and General Linguistics of the University of Tartu in Estonia. His main research interests are the development of the Estonian linguistic environment, language maintenance and ethnolinguistic vitality. Currently, he is the head of the project “Sustainability of Estonian in the Era of Globalisation” (EKKAM), which aims to develop a systemic interdisciplinary approach to language ecology on the example of the development of Estonian. He has also published extensively on topics related to language and identity, and contact-induced changes in Estonian.

Published

2015-09-30

How to Cite

Zabrodskaja, A., & Ehala, M. (2015). Language and identity in the late Soviet Union and thereafter. Sociolinguistic Studies, 9(2-3), 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1558/sols.v9i2.26828