language death and language shift in Russian

[Jeff Holdeman]

Dear Dieter,

I have been battling with the same terminological problem.  I have
seen a wide variety of solutions, but haven't seen any semblance of a
standard.  In lieu of a standard, for "language shift" I have seen
and use "iazykovoi sdvig" and "iazykovoi perekhod, perekhod na X-skii
iazyk" (cf. "pereshli s russkogo na angliiskii iazyk").  For
"language loss (loss within a community, as in an immigrant
community, but not worldwide)" I have seen and use "utrata (navykov)
rodnogo iazyka".  For "language death" I have seen the literal
translation "smert' iazyka".  For "language death" I have also seen
"utrata iazyka", but that eliminates the distinction between language
death and language loss.  For "dying language" I have seen
"umiraiushchii iazyk".  For all of these, Russophone authors usually
describe the process ("kontakty privodiat k utrate chast'iu etnosa
svoego rodnogo iazyka") and then go on to use one of the truncated
forms of these (like "utrata iazyka").  Without the initial
explanation, the use of the truncated form doesn't make much sense.

I have also been looking for an accepted form of the counterpart of
these terms--"language maintenance".  I have seen verb constructions
like "podderzhivat' uroven' iazyka", "sokhranit' navyki rodnogo
iazyka", "sokhranit' vladeniie iazykom", "sokhranit' svoi iazyk", but
I have not seen forms like "sokhraneniie rodnogo iazyka" (which
doesn't seem to ring right to my ear).

I would be interested to hear what others have come across and the
reaction of native speakers to these solutions.

Jeff


Jeff Holdeman
The Ohio State University
holdeman.2 at osu.edu


>could anyone help me with a proper rendering of "language death" and
>"language shift" in Russian?
>Thanks
>
>Dieter Stern

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                http://members.home.net/lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------