A study of the speech of bilingual children of Russian Germans living in Germany

The article presents the relevant issue of analysing the common features of the grammar of Russian as language inherited by the second or third generation of migrant children in Europe and in the world. The novelty of the study is in the fact that it compares the speech of children with different dominant languages and, in particular, studies the speech of a group of children from families of Russian Germans living in Germany under dual language inheritance. Their parents have a very rich migration history, as they are, in turn, also heritage speakers of German, the language, which they spoke in their family. In the present paper, the main task will be to identify the common features determined by the contact between Russian as a heritage language and other languages, especially at morphological and lexical levels. For this purpose, a field research project was conducted at the Learning and Integration Centre Dialog e. V. in Reutlingen. The analysis of oral and written works of bilingual children of the last generation of Russian Germans showed not only the common elements of erosion identified in the heritage grammar, but also the special linguistic features caused by the transition from German-Russian to Russian-German inheritance. The influence of their parents language distinguishes them from other groups of Russian students, emphasizes the importance of studying not only childrens, but also their parents speech, as well as teaching standard Russian in the framework of non-formal education.

Glossary of Russian-German Literature

The article presents a large fragment of the authors glossary (dictionary) on the literature of Russian Germans (the authors definitions of literary concepts related to the literature of Russian Germans, based on its study in a doctoral dissertation and a number of articles). Writers - Russian Germans - Russian-German bilinguals, therefore the dictionary on the literature of Russian Germans should be presented in German-Russian format (articles in German and Russian). In the original literature of Russian Germans, there are phenomena and facts specific to this subculture. The Dictionary of the Literature of Russian Germans, explaining the meanings of words that may be unfamiliar, incomprehensible, or partially incomprehensible to the reader, makes it possible to significantly expand the circle of connoisseurs of the literature of Russian Germans, facilitates the perception of literary and scientific text.

The German Population of Siberia in the Conditions of Social Transformations of the 1900s-1920s

At the turn of the 19th – 20th century Siberia became a “melting pot” once again, where the representatives of various ethnic groups found themselves. The reasons for the resettlement beyond the Urals were of predominant economic character. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of various social events of the first third of the 20th century on the life of Siberian Germans. Russian Germans engaged in agriculture were forced to seek the ways to survive inside Russia in the situation of the agrarian crisis. Modernization of the state migration policy at the beginning of the 20th century and development of the railway transport allowed for labor migration, as a result of which Siberia turned into one of the agrarian regions, being on the rise, by the mid-1910s. German immigrants, who created capitalist farm type households there and became a model for Russian old-timers and other immigrants, contributed greatly to his process. However, the events of 1914-1922 disrupted the customary pace of life in the German village. The economic policy of the Bolsheviks who came to power provoked famine in the first half of the 1920s.The German population suffered from hunger as well, which drove up emigration sentiments. However, NEP and restoration of cooperation allowed them to start rapid recovery of the small-scale economy. The All-Russian Mennonite Agricultural Union played a pivotal role in this process. The gradual curtailment of NEP and transition to a command-administrative economic model were connected with pressure on the German population among which the conservative-clerical sentiments prevailed. It was sure to provoke a new round of confrontation between the Russian Germans and the Soviet state in the late 1920s already. The article is intended for those interested in the history of ethnic minorities (Russian Germans) and national politics in the twentieth century.

“Please Send Us a Priest of Our German Nationality…”: The Confessional/Ethnic in the Worldview of the Siberian Catholics

The study is devoted to the analysis of the correlation of the confessional element with the ethnic element within the construction of "ethnoconfession" for the Catholic Germans of Siberia. The relevance of the study of the topic is dictated by the modern processes of ethnic and confessional identification/self-identification that have replaced globalization. Notably, due to the multi-ethnic and multi-confessional nature of the Siberian population, a peculiar and unique concept of the frontier has developed, determined by historians as the “Siberian frontier”. The temporal boundaries of the study include the twentieth century: from the moment of mass migrations from the Crimea, the Volga region and Ukraine to the Trans-Urals in the context of the Stolypin agrarian reform to the beginning of the active return movement of Russian Germans to Germany. The methodological basis of the study was the work of both ethnographers and sociologists. The content analysis method revealed the peculiarities of the mentality of representatives of various confessional groups within the German ethnic group. The research is based on the materials of the Russian State Historical Archive. The conclusions about the importance of confessional self-awareness are important for the self-identification and successful socialization of Russian Germans. The article is intended for specialists in the field of history and ethnography of Russian Germans, as well as for researchers interested in the features of frontier communications in Siberia.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF GERMAN ISLAND DIALECT IN RUSSIA (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE RUSSIAN GERMANS’ DIALECT OF THE KIROV REGION)

Cпецифика формирования и развития немецких островных диалектов в России, в частности, в Кировской области, связана с проблемой исследования языковой стабильности в условиях сложной несбалансированной языковой ситуации и интерференции. Целью статьи является выявление особенностей развития немецких островных диалектов в условиях иноязычного окружения. Необходимо отметить, немецкие островные диалекты Кировской области имеют своеобразные языковые черты и включают как новые словарные единицы, так и языка окружающего большинства. The specificity of the formation and development of German island dialects in Russia, in particular in the Kirov region, is associated with the problem of linguistic stability in a complex imbalanced linguistic situation and interference. The aim is to identify the development features of German island dialects in a foreign language environment.

NATIONAL AND CULTURAL IDENTITY IN PROVERBS AND SAYINGS OF RUSSIAN GERMANS CONTAINING REALIA

В статье ставится задача проанализировать общий корпус пословиц и поговорок российских немцев и выделить наиболее часто встречающиеся группы реалий - названия предметов и явлений духовной и материальной культуры. В статье освещается опыт исследователей Вятского государственного университета, а также используется метод комплексного анализа при сборе и обработке языкового материала носителей немецких островных диалектов Кировской области. The article sets out to analyze the general corpus of proverbs and sayings used by Russian Germans and to highlight the most common groups of realities - names of objects and phenomena of spiritual culture and realities - names of objects and phenomena of material culture. The article highlights the experience of researchers at Vyatka State University, and it also uses the complex analysis method when collecting and processing the language material of speakers of the German island dialects living in the Kirov region.

“Wiedergeburt” Society of Russian Germans in the Republic of Khakassia in the 1990s–2010s

This article examines the “Wiedergeburt” Society of Russian Germans in the Republic of Khakassia over the period from 1990s to 2010s relying on the archival sources. The object of this research is the “Wiedergeburt” Society of Russian Germans in the 1990s–2010s. The subject is the “Rebirth” Society of Russian Germans in the Republic of Khakassia. The goal of the publication consists in analysis of the history of establishment and development of “Wiedergeburt” Society in the Republic of Khakassia. The author aims to trace the history of creation of “Wiedergeburt” Society in the Russian Federation, namely in the Republic of Khakassia; as well as analyze the role of “Rebirth” Society in Germany-Russia relations. The article employs historical-comparative, chronological, and retrospective methods. The scientific novelty lies in the comparative analysis of the processes of creation and development of “Wiedergeburt” Society on the national level and on the level of the Republic of Khakassia; summary and systematization of  the related material using the historical-comparative and system-functional method for examination of the tasks faced by “Rebirth” Society in the Republic of Khakassia; examination of the regional branch of “Wiedergeburt” Society in Abakan within the system of nonprofit organization of Russian Germans; use of archival sources. The conclusion is made that “Wiedergeburt” Society in the Republic of Khakassia is part of the system of nonprofit organization of Russian Germans, and the regional branch of “Rebirth” Society in Abakan slightly differed from the central All-Union Society of Russian Germans “Wiedergeburt”. In pursuit of its goals, the organization was focused on the cultural-educational activity, preservation of culture and traditions, and development of the German language.

ETHNO-LINGUISTIC PROCESSES GERMANS OF THE ALTAI TERRITORY (ACCORDING TO THE RESULTS OF THE ETHNOSOCIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF 2020)

The language of Russian Germans is an unstable factor in ethnic identity. The purpose of the article is to analyze the ethno-linguistic processes of the Altai Germans. The ethnosociological survey of 2020 presented the modern ethno-linguistic situation of the Altai Germans from various positions. Due to the compact residence and work of public organizations, a more positive attitude towards the German language has been formed here. Comparison of the general results of the survey with the data of Altai makes it possible to predict trends in the development of the language of Russian Germans.

Changes in the life of Germans in St. Petersburg in the late 19th – early 20th century

The subject of this paper is an overview of changes in the material and spiritual life of Germans living in St. Petersburg in the late 19th – early 20th century. The overview of various facets of life of German population of St. Petersburg makes it possible to comprehensively address the problem of transformation of the State nationalities policy toward the largest ethnic diaspora in the Imperial Capital. The research work of Russian and foreign scholars became the theoretical framework for the article that enabled to ensure continuity of historical analysis. This study used a problematic and chronological approach to review the dynamics of state legislative initiatives related to in relation to the German community of St. Petersburg. The legislative acts issued in the Russian Empire during the period under study to toughen up the legal regulations governing the life of Russian Germans served as the factual basis of the overview. The conclusions drawn in the paper give a better idea of general trends in the nationalities policy of the Russian state in the midst of the most important domestic and international events of the late 19th and early 20th century.

Funeral “Shpruchs” in the Tradition of Russian Germans

В статье на основе полевых материалов рассматриваются особенности траурных шпрухов российских немцев. Основными источниками исследования стали материалы, собранные в немецких поселениях Урала и Сибири. Изучению траурных шпрухов предшествует исторический экскурс, раскрывающий некоторые особенности традиции шпрухов - цитат из религиозных текстов, пословиц и назиданий - в культуре российских немцев. Траурные цитаты рассматриваются как часть широкой традиции шпрухов, как культурное явление российских немцев. Траурные шпрухи представлены текстами в письмах, уведомляющих о смерти человека и предстоящих похоронах, текстами на крышке гроба и венках. Для траурных цитат была характерна своя стилистика оформления. Изначально тексты были выполнены на немецком языке готическим шрифтом. В локальных сюжетах тексты сопровождаются изображениями креста, ангелов. В некотором смысле и сам текст можно считать своеобразной формой украшения. К середине второй половины XX в. происходит постепенный отход от традиционной графики и переход в цитировании на русский язык. Большая часть шпрухов связана с религиозной тематикой. Прежде всего, это выдержки или прямые цитаты из Библии, кроме того, пословицы и иные высказывания. Траурные цитаты ориентируются на христианское понимание жизни и смерти. В текстах находят отражение представления, связанные с устоявшимися общественными, этическими нормами. This article examines the funeral “shpruchs” (Ger. Sprüche, Rus. shprukhi) of the Russian Germans based on field materials collected in the German settlements in the Urals and Siberia. Shpruchs - short quotations from religious texts, proverbs and edificatory material - used in mourning are part of a long tradition among Russian Germans. They appear in letters announcing a person’s death and upcoming funeral and in texts on the coffin lid and wreaths. Funeral shpruchs have their own special design. In some contexts, the texts are accompanied by images of the cross and angels. In a sense, shpruchs themselves can be considered a form of decoration. Initially shpruchs were written in German in Gothic script; by the last quarter of the 20 th century, there was a gradual departure from traditional graphics and a transition to citation in Russian. Most funerary shpruchs are on religious themes. Predominantly, they are excerpts or direct quotations from the Bible, often proverbs. Mourning shpruchs focus on the Christian understanding of life and death and reflect well-established social and ethical norms.