Language Situation in the Republic of Karelia: Current Ethnolinguistic Dynamics

The Republic of Karelia is the only region of the Russian Federation, in which its indigenous languages – Karelian, Vepsian and Finnish – do not enjoy the official status. Moreover, the Republic is undergoing a process of language shift, and the indigenous languages of Karelia are under threat. Thus, there is an urgent need to understand how and to what reasons these language processes occur in the Republic. The aim of the current work is to conduct a comprehensive study of the language situation in Karelia. This paper will consider the distribution of indigenous languages across the Republic, the use of different languages in various occasions, actions taken to preserve and support local national languages, new forms and ways of their revitalization, and the impact of the proximity of the border with neighboring States on language processes in Karelia. To obtain the necessary data, a field study was conducted, in which such methods as interviews and observation were used. Based on the results of the study, a detailed understanding of the language situation in the Republic of Karelia was obtained, which comprehensively describes the language processes in all aspects.