Scholarly record

THE ISSUES OF THE ENDANGERED LANGUAGE ECOLOGY (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE TSOVATUSH LANGUAGE)

K. Gigashvili

Abstract

In the presented work there have been investigated the issues of the endangered language ecology on the example of the Tsovatush (Bats) language, the member of the Nakh branch of the North Caucasian language family, spoken by the population of only half the village Zemo Alvani, situated in Georgia, namely, in Akhmeta region. Research focus is on the sociolinguistic factors of language endangerment. For revealing the reasons causing the danger of Tsovatush language and the stimulating characteristics for switching it to the Georgian language, I studied the microsystem created in the village Zemo Alvani influencing on the macrosystem – the language world of the Tsovatush people – in the direction of vanishing it from the linguistic diversity. In the work, this macrosystem has also been investigated. It is quite complex and multilateral by its structure, covering and connecting every moment of the life to one another – geographic environment, policy of the country, economics, social life and, of course, the society with its traditions, mentality, world perception, spirituality, psychics, language, education, religion, culture and so on. All these moments attract attention while studying the endangered language ecology. The investigation, based on the analysis of the material obtained during the fieldwork (fulfilled several times in last eight years), and scientific literature, has shown that the Tsovatush language ecology is unique with its individuality and, besides, reveals the general patterns that are characteristic for the analogical bilingual environment. The study of the problem has evidenced those political-social-economic-demographic-cultural-educational reasons that define the choice of the dominant Georgian language in the Tsovatush society. Thus, the danger of Tsovatush language is caused by not a single cause but a set of reasons. The study relies on the widely recognized quantitative and qualitative sociolinguistic research methods: observation, questionnaires, sociolinguistic interview, critical discourse analysis and so on. The target group constitutes the representatives of the different generations of the Tsovatush people. The work was supported by Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation (SRNSF) [Grant #217850, ‘Endangered Languages and Vital Meaning of Their Documentation (according to Tsovatush Language’)].

Publication Impact Profile

No metrics available.

PLUMX see details

DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2018/3.6/S14.081

Publication details

Back to publication list