Bashkir–Russian code-switching

Bashkir–Russian code-switching is a code-switching widespread among Bashkir people of Russia and ex-Soviet republics who speak both Russian and Bashkir language (i.e. bilingual people).

Background

Russian language has the status of being the official language of Russian Federation and is also used as the international communication language; at the same time Bashkir language is the official language in the Republic of Bashkortostan. However, different circumstances require from people a high level of both Russian and Bashkir language proficiency. Therefore, due to historical events and circumstances, the Baskir–Russian code-switching has appeared.

Its character is asymmetric: such code-switching is typical for many Russian-speaking Bashkortostan residents, whose level of Bashkir language proficiency is limited due to lack of practical skills. The level of Bashkir proficiency is quite high for Bashkirs in villages (about 92%) and in cities (more than 74%); about 50% Bashkirs of the urban area and 24% of rural area have high levels of balanced Bashkir-Russian bilingualism; about 32% of Bashkirs of the urban area and 6.4% Bashkirs of the rural area have higher skills in Russian than in Bashkir.^[1]

Also there are multiple cases of multilingualism for Tatar, Russian, and Bashkir languages in Bashkortostan, in such cases Bashkir language plays role of another international communication language.

Interference

The Bashkir-Russian interference in the speech of bilingual people who speak Bashkir and Russian languages may be presented on phonological, grammar and lexical levels of languages and may lead to some problems during the Russian and Bashkir children co-education process.

The most common interference cases are in the similar-sounding words like:^[2]

• ак[ы]т (akyt) — акт (akt; «act»)
• апт[и]ка (apteeka) — аптека (ap-te-ka; «drugstore»)
• ба[ту]н (ba-toon) — батон (ba-toan; «biscuit, loaf»)
• би[ту]н (be-toon) — бидон (be-doan; «crate, tin»)
• гал[уш] (ga-loosh) — галоши (ga-lo-she; «galoshes»)
• [малатук] (ma-la-took) — молоток (mo-lo-tok; «hammer»)
• т[э]р[и]лк[э] (ta-ryl-kae) — тарелка (ta-rel-ka; «plate»)
• [е]ст[э]л (e-stel) — стол (stol; «table»)
• самуаыр (sa-mua-yr) — самовар (samovar)

The interference may be presented in sentences and is very sensitive to influence of the environment:

• Мин пошёл. Можно мы я книгу возьму? (Me went. Can we I take a book?)
• Ты будешь достать эту банку варенья из подпола (You will do have taken that jar with jam from the crawl space)
• Я буду написать сочинение о весне (I will do have written essay on spring)

Other examples of phonological interference:

• The odd vowel between consonants in the middle of the word: проспе[кыт] — проспект (boulevard), ак[ы]т — акт (act)
• The odd vowel between consonants in the beginning of the word (typical for bilinguals): [ыштан] — штаны (pants)
• Extrapolating Bashkir phonetics to Russian, expressed in replacing of sounds
• Extrapolating Bashkir grammar to Russian: Мальчик учить собаку (A boy to teach a dog)

The language interference problems can be solved by the advanced language learning, systematic work on lexis improvement, reading the literature and observing the oral and written speech.

See also

• Tatar–Russian code-switching