Abstract
Karelian and its status in education in the Republic of Karelia
The Karelian language, which belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family, is the native language of the titular people of the republic – the Karelians. Unlike other national republics within the Russian Federation, Karelian does not have the status of a state language in the Republic of Karelia. The Karelian language is not a compulsory subject in all schools, since Karelians are a numerical minority in the republic. Of the 617,668 people living in the Republic of Karelia in 2010, Karelians accounted for only 7.4%. According to the 2010 census, 36.8% of Karelians reported that they speak their native language. Between 2002 and 2010, the number of Karelians who reported that they speak their native language decreased by 51.6%. In 1997, the Concept for the Development of the Finno-Ugric School in the Republic of Karelia was approved, which stated that in the conditions of deep linguistic assimilation of the Karelians, a school with the study of the native language and culture acquires a special role in preserving their language. In practice, however, the situation is generally somewhat different. The secondary school programme, for example, provides for the allocation of only 2–3 hours per week for teaching the native language, including the historical and cultural component, which is inadequate for the stable preservation of the Karelian language in the Republic of Karelia.
Karelian in educational research
The Karelian language and its use in education have long been the subject of research conducted by scientists at Petrozavodsk State University and the Institute of Language, Literature and History at the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientists at these two leading scientific and educational institutions train scientific staff in the field of Finno-Ugric studies and Karelian language teachers, and also participate in the development of fundamental textbooks on the Karelian language for secondary and higher education. The Karelian Institute for the Development of National Education (KIRO) prepares curricula and teaching aids in Karelian for pre-schools and primary and secondary school institutions.
Prospects for Karelian in the Republic of Karelia
The Karelian language is included in UNESCO’s Atlas of Endangered Languages of the World. With the change of generations, the linguistic potential of the Karelians is weakening at a considerably rapid pace. Among Karelian respondents aged 16–29 (according to subjective assessment using a survey), for example, more than 57% reported either not speaking Karelian at all, or knowing only a few words, and approximately one in six reported speaking Karelian with difficulty. Younger generations’ poor knowledge of their native language is a significant indicator of unfavourable prospects for its preservation.
The Karelian language, which belongs to the Finno-Ugric language family, is the native language of the titular people of the republic – the Karelians. Unlike other national republics within the Russian Federation, Karelian does not have the status of a state language in the Republic of Karelia. The Karelian language is not a compulsory subject in all schools, since Karelians are a numerical minority in the republic. Of the 617,668 people living in the Republic of Karelia in 2010, Karelians accounted for only 7.4%. According to the 2010 census, 36.8% of Karelians reported that they speak their native language. Between 2002 and 2010, the number of Karelians who reported that they speak their native language decreased by 51.6%. In 1997, the Concept for the Development of the Finno-Ugric School in the Republic of Karelia was approved, which stated that in the conditions of deep linguistic assimilation of the Karelians, a school with the study of the native language and culture acquires a special role in preserving their language. In practice, however, the situation is generally somewhat different. The secondary school programme, for example, provides for the allocation of only 2–3 hours per week for teaching the native language, including the historical and cultural component, which is inadequate for the stable preservation of the Karelian language in the Republic of Karelia.
Karelian in educational research
The Karelian language and its use in education have long been the subject of research conducted by scientists at Petrozavodsk State University and the Institute of Language, Literature and History at the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Scientists at these two leading scientific and educational institutions train scientific staff in the field of Finno-Ugric studies and Karelian language teachers, and also participate in the development of fundamental textbooks on the Karelian language for secondary and higher education. The Karelian Institute for the Development of National Education (KIRO) prepares curricula and teaching aids in Karelian for pre-schools and primary and secondary school institutions.
Prospects for Karelian in the Republic of Karelia
The Karelian language is included in UNESCO’s Atlas of Endangered Languages of the World. With the change of generations, the linguistic potential of the Karelians is weakening at a considerably rapid pace. Among Karelian respondents aged 16–29 (according to subjective assessment using a survey), for example, more than 57% reported either not speaking Karelian at all, or knowing only a few words, and approximately one in six reported speaking Karelian with difficulty. Younger generations’ poor knowledge of their native language is a significant indicator of unfavourable prospects for its preservation.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | Ljouwert/Leeuwarden |
| Publisher | Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning |
| Number of pages | 76 |
| Edition | 1st |
| Publication status | Published - Jun 2024 |
Publication series
| Name | Regional Dossier series |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Mercator European Research Centre on Multilingualism and Language Learning |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 3050-5232 |
Keywords
- Karelian
- minority languages
- multilingual education
- multilingualism
- language education
- multilingualism in education