Language and Cultural Contacts in the Russian-Nordic Borderlands: Change and Continuity

NRU HSE , 2021. No. 108.

Vlakhov A., Deresh A., Mironova E., Nedaikhleb P., Reshetnikova A., Ryzhkov A., Smirnova A.

Russian-Nordic borderlands are an important area of intense contact and cooperation between various communities with diverse sociocultural and linguistic backgrounds. During the recent decades, such contact has significantly intensified, bringing into life new linguistic and cultural strategies and creating new identities in the region. Based on field data, we argue that this borderland region features a unique linguistic and cultural landscape imbued with multilingualism and multiculturalism, most of whose residents — indigenous and non- indigenous alike — become involved in the cross-border contact in one way or another. The contact becomes an indispensable feature of the local landscape, defining its sociocultural image and acting as the strongest marker of the local residents’ identity. The study also highlights the general idea of linguistic and cultural contact as one of the main life strategies in the region.

Keywords: Arctic, cultural contacts, language contact, language situation, borderland communities, russian-nordic borderlands

Publication based on the results of: Мультилингвизм в условиях сверхразнообразия (2021)