V. A. Tishkov*
Division of History and Philology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
e-mail: valerytishkov@mail.ru
Received October 18, 2015
Abstract—Two postulates about the role of ethnic diversity and the fate of languages in the world are revised
on the basis of Russian materials. The author makes the following conclusions: (a) the ethnic fragmentation of
the population and language diversity of the countries in the world do not correlate directly with their levels of
democracy, presence of conflicts, and economic success and (b) widely publicized predictions about the quick
extinction of most languages in the world have turned out to be a myth, and international campaigns and dec-
larations in support of endangered languages were excessively politicized. The process of revitalization of lan-
guages is under way; they are acquiring a higher status, acknowledgment, and support on the territory of the
former Soviet Union, including the minority languages of the peoples of Dagestan, the North, and Siberia. The
state policy of providing an official status for regional languages and the ethnic component of the federative
system as ethnocultural autonomy for individual regions and ethnic communities play a key role. A list of
endangered languages is given; motives and factors of assimilation in favor of the Russian language in Russia
are explained. Categories and social practices based on them, such as mother tongue and national language are
revised in favor of multiply and mutually nonexclusive approaches.
Keywords: ethnic and linguistic diversity, linguistic situation, minority and majority languages, language policy
in Russia, language status, native (ethnic) language, state (national) language.
DOI: 10.1134/S1019331616020106
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