Human Capital Multidisciplinary Research Center

1.5.2 The Arctic Center: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity of the North, Siberia and the Far East

Andrian Vlakhov
Project Leader

Project period

2021-2025

Context of Research Project within a Subject of Human Capital

Linguistic and cultural diversity is a necessary condition for the human potential development. The Arctic region is strategically important for Russia and the whole world. A comprehensive study of the Arctic using methods from social sciences and humanities is topical both for science and applied industries.

The research project The Arctic Center: Linguistic and Cultural Diversity of the North, Siberia and the Far East focuses on the extremely urgent task of describing and studying Russia's unique heritage: languages and cultures of the population of the Arctic, many of which are under threat or even dying out. The study of the Arctic and Northern languages and cultures is important for the development of socio-economic policy and human development in the region.

Project Aim

Conducting an interdisciplinary study of linguistic and cultural diversity of the Arctic and Northern population as a necessary condition for the human potential development, ensuring sustainable development of the region and humanity in general.

Project Objectives:

  1. Documenting languages and cultures of the Arctic regions (Yakutia, Chukotka, Kamchatka, Karelia, Komi, Svalbard, etc.)
  2. Working with local communities, disseminating research results among native speakers of languages and cultures

Key Findings

2020

The research project has been implemented since 2021

2021

Data on grammatical, phonetic, and semantic phenomena in language systems have been systematized; sociolinguistic situation in the community, representation of local languages in the linguistic landscape, attitudes towards language and language shift, linguistic, cultural, and ethnic policy have been analyzed; ethnocultural situation in the regions and local identities have been studied, as well as the modern state of traditional practices of the indigenous population of the Arctic.

2022

It has been established that the language shift (loss of indigenous languages) in Arctic communities is proceeding much faster than previously assumed, and has significantly accelerated due to the latest changes in language legislation. In particular, these processes have affected the language communities of the north-west of the Russian Arctic, where no new native speakers of indigenous languages have been recorded at all. The situation requires close attention and urgent intervention of decision makers.

Karelian hut (‘Karjalan Pirtti’), village Pyaozersky, Republic of Karelia

Educational Programs

All-University elective The North and the Arctic from Point of View of Social Sciences and Humanities

Publications

Vinyar A. I. (2023) Beyond syntacticocentric and lexicalist: Event-structural force-dynamic approach to noun incorporation and promotion to direct object in Amguema Chukchi //Voprosy Jazykoznanija. – 2023. – №. 2. – С. 114-143. doi

Conferences

International Festival Pint of Science 2021 (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Russia, May 17-19, 2021)
Vlakhov A. Social and Humanitarian Studies of the Arctic (05/17/2021)