Buryat-Russian Bilingual Speech: Problem-Solving Mechanisms Analyzed

Introduction. The article analyzes problem-solving mechanisms occurring in Buryat-Russian bilingual oral speech, the former being universal communicative strategies that enable bilinguals to construct and maintain Buryat language communication in the absence of some language resources and skills. Goals. The study attempts an analysis of extensive speech materials that include certain problem-solving mechanisms and aims at describing features of bilingual speech and essentials of social bilingualism from across the territories of ethnic Buryatia, as well as at showing analyses of such mechanisms be rewarding for explorations of Buryat-Russian bilingualism. Material and methods. The work examines recordings (speech narratives) of Tükherig TV Quiz Show (2019–2020) to have been attended by 285 bilinguals from different areas of ethnic Buryatia and with differing Buryat language proficiency levels. Speech portraits of the bilinguals contain details of their speech behavior individually indicating a certain problem faced and a mechanism employed to solve the latter. Reference editions prove instrumental in assessing efficiency of each specific mechanism activated and calculating correlations between age characteristics of the informants and task fulfillment rates, including actual communication language choices. Results. The paper reveals quite a number of various problem-solving mechanisms, identifies their activation reasons and logic. The narratives — though specific enough — make it possible to delineate features of social bilingualism in the region. Conclusions. The observations vividly confirm and illustrate findings of other researchers as to that the region’s communication paradigm is distinctly two-coded, with large layers of Buryat vocabulary remaining passive for Buryat-Russian bilinguals. This results in that though actively used basic words enable bilinguals to generate utterances in Buryat, the latter largely prove inaccurate and demonstrate no semantic diversity.

1. Tükherig TV Quiz Show. On: YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0uoQvhX3R4rdNKxc5l8f7Q/featured (accessed: 8 November 2020). (In Bur. and Russ.)

2. Akulenko V. V. (ed.) English-Russian and Russian-English Dictionary of False Friends. Moscow: Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya, 1969. 384 p. (In Russ. and Eng.)

3. Dashinimaeva P. P. et al. Buryat-Russian Bilingualism: A Psycholinguistic Aspect. B. Tsyrenov (ed.). Ulan-Ude: Buryat Scientific Center (SB RAS), 2010. 166 p. (In Russ.)

4. Dörnyei Z., Kormos J. Problem-solving mechanisms in L2 communication: A psycholinguistic perspective. Studies in Second Language Acquisition. 1998. No. 20 (3). Pp. 349–385. (In Eng.)

5. Dörnyei Z., Scott M. L. Communication strategies in a second language: Definitions and taxonomies. Language Learning. 1997. No. 47. Pp. 173–210. (In Eng.)

6. Dyrkheeva G. A. The Buryats and the Buryat language as mirrored by statistics (Census data). Acta Linguistica Petropolitana. 2015. No. 3. Pp. 158–166. (In Russ.)

7. Dyrkheeva G. A. The language situation in Buryat Republic. World of the Great Altai. 2018. No. 4 (2). Pp. 302–320. (In Russ.)

8. Grosjean F. Myths about bilingualism. On: University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland (website). 2000. Available at: https://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/myths_en.html (accessed: 1 August 2021). (In Eng.)

9. Khilkhanova E. V. Factors of Language Shift and Minority Language Preservation: Discourse and Sociolinguistic Analyses (A Case Study of Ethnic Buryatia’s Language Situation). Dr. Sc. (Philology) thesis. Barnaul, 2009. 356 p. (In Russ.)

10. Rusakova M. V. Elements of Russian Anthropocentric Grammar. Moscow: Yazyki Slavyanskoy Kultury, 2013. 568 p. (In Russ.)

11. Shagdarov L. D., Cheremisov K. M. Buryat-Russian Dictionary. In 2 vols. Ulan-Ude: Respublikanskaya Tipografiya, 2010. Vol. 1, 636 p.; Vol. 2, 708 p. (In Bur. and Russ.)

12. Swaan de A. The emergent world language system: An introduction. International Political Science Review. 1993. Vol. 14. No. 3. Pp. 219–226. (In Eng.)

13. Tregubova D. D. The Buryat language in the global language system. Oriental Studies. 2016. No. 4. Pp . 75–82. (In Russ.)

14. Valdés G. Teaching heritage languages: An introduction for Slavic-teaching professionals. In: Kagan O., Rifkin B., Bauckus B. (eds.) The Learning and Teaching of Slavic Languages and Cultures. Bloomington: Slavica, 2000. Pp. 375–403. (In Eng.)