Small but Mighty Language

Minority languages and majority languages are usually perceived to be at odds with one another. If a majority language grows, it’s typically expected that the minority language will cease to exist. This is logical and history has shown this process. However, it isn’t a guarantee. Rather this article asks the question:

What if a small minority language can remain strong alongside the growth of a majority language?

The national language for the Godoberi people is Russian. How someone self-identifies in a particular language is important. The words used and their felt meanings carry significant weight. They often identify themselves using the Russian word, using proper Russian grammar. However, it has more limitations in its meaning from a Godoberi perspective However, to say “Godoberi” in the Godoberi language is completely different. It sounds like “Gib-di-di”. It’s an unrelated word that carries more of an intimate and deeper sense of meaning which represents a pride in their people.

Russian has an incredible depth of vocabulary and depth of meaning. Nevertheless, it cannot reach the depth of meaning and function for a Godoberi person. For those who have read earlier articles, you could stop here and ask how the Avar language (widely used in Dagestan) fits into this discussion, but that will need to wait for a future article.

In every Godoberi community I have visited (which has included a variety of different locations in both rural and urban settings), their language is still strong to this day. They feel the language in their bones; it freely flows from their hearts and their lips. However, the major language of Russian is ever-present and only becoming more accessible to the younger generations. In many ways this calls into question the future of Godoberi. Is Godoberi at risk of dying out?

According to many Godoberi the influence of Russian is not viewed as a problem but a welcomed opportunity. Young children are celebrated for their fluency in more than one language. Their own village education system teaches them Russian. Most people must be literate in Russian for the demands of daily life and traveling to a bigger city in the region requires speaking Russian to communicate. Considering the prevalence of Russian in technology, smart phones, internet, YouTube, social media, and tv – it’s apparent it is an essential language for the region.

            The Godoberi are aware of this reality and recognize that they may be sitting at a crossroads that determines the future of their language. The main generation that will decide this are the teenagers and young adults. Will they choose to keep living in their village or move to cities? Will they function in Godoberi or start showing preference for Russian? What will they teach their children? These will become increasingly pertinent questions.

However, over the last two-thousand years, their language has survived against all odds. There is a fervent desire to preserve their own language. This passion is not derived from a textbook, formal education, or an external motivation but rather comes from within their community. It comes from established households in their main village or in other communities that preserve, practice, and teach the next generation their language because it is so valued and enjoyed by them. It is valued and enjoyed by them. Do we have a category for the “joy” a language gives to people? We probably should because their enjoyment of their language is a part of their identity. It is a source of comfort and produces a persevering strength that quietly continues year after year.

Therefore, the idea of national languages necessarily being a threat to minority languages is not absolute. Yes, generational crossroads and globalization are real factors influencing minority people groups, but it is an assumption to think that both languages being present in their community means the minority language will inevitably die out.

While I was welcomed into different homes in their community, I was privileged to spend many hours simply observing, listening and participating when able in their language. My intermediate Russian was helpful for meaningful conversation but in almost every situation their love of their own language overflowed. They would soon begin speaking in Godoberi pausing occasionally to remark, “Ah, again we are speaking Godoberi. Sorry, we just love our language so much.”

I was able to learn from an older man about the state of their language. He affirmed their love and enjoyment of the language as well as identifying an interesting phenomenon. When a word is not actively usedby enough people it eventually is lost in their common vernacular and replaced by a Russian word. Furthermore, as is necessary new words are borrowed from Russian. My personal experience soon confirmed this to be true.

Therefore, I did an initial study in March 2022. I did a small data compilation of the Russian words they commonly use. This was exclusively when they were speaking Godoberi amongst themselves. I also chose to isolate the Russian words themselves apart from their contexts for simple findings appropriate to a short study. I conducted the study for a few days to see how much Russian was appearing in their conversations.

I heard these twenty-seven Russian words used by different people in various contexts while speaking Godoberi:

Chocolate

Anyway

Of course

Even

Kitchen

Refrigerator

Apartment

Car

Bedroom

Garage

Fantasy

In short

Let's go

Take it away

Telephone

Wild

The bomb (slang - “it’s great”)

Hat / Beenie

Conversely

In general

Difficult

Couch

Actually

Yogurt

Without something

What's the difference

Banana

Peanuts

What do I make of these initial findings? Much can be learned from the use of these words. Most importantly, none of these words have significant meaning for essential communication, nor do they carry cultural significance. This list represents many hours of speech and therefore this amount of vocabulary is a quantifiably small list of Russian words. Five more village visits from 2022-2023 support these first findings.

The use of objects like “refrigerator” represents the practical use of new terminology as opposed to the loss of certain cultural meanings and forms. Though they have a similar term in Godoberi to refer to a refrigerator, functional ease and modern vernacular have won out. Yet even so, I would argue that general object terminology for newer technology doesn’t represent a loss in language.

In fact, the phrase “lets go” still has a Godoberi equivalent that’s widely used in everyday speech. Therefore, the use of the majority language in this case has simply parallelled with the minority language. Even with its appearance in speech, its usage is still far less frequent than the Godoberi equivalents.

Time will tell the future of the Godoberi language as well as other minority language communities. More modern research is needed. However, I have found there to be strong evidence among the Godoberi people that a minority language community can welcome a greater presence of a majority language while holding onto their own language. The love for their language, what it represents, and the deep joy it gives continues to sustain its strength in our modern world.