THE STATUS OF THE KARELIAN LANGUAGE IN THE PERCEPTION OF SPEAKERS AND THE SPHERES OF ITS USE

Abstract

The article examines the language situation in the Republic of Karelia on the basis of a field study conducted in September 2022 in Petrozavodsk. The situation of coexistence of two languages in a shared speech community (Russian and Karelian languages) with different social, political or economic prestige is studied, as well as how this affects the linguistic ecology of the studied speech community. The analysis of the language situation is carried out from the point of view of studying the current status of the Karelian language among speakers, the spheres of use of the Karelian language, the level of its linguistic prestige. The instrumental value of the Karelian language is analyzed in comparison with the Russian language in the perception of speakers. The symbolic value of the Karelian language is considered among those respondents who indicate it as their native language. The possibility of giving Karelian the status of the state language is also being studied.