Humanities & Social Sciences, Vol 11, No 4 (2018)

Revival of the Evenki Language: Traditional and Modern Formats

Natalia N. Seredkina, Yelizaveta S. Strucheva

Abstract


The process of linguistic assimilation, which began as far as in the 1990s, had a strong influence on the decreasing number of the Evenks who speak their native language. At the present stage of language development, the issue of its revival is especially topical and timely. In this article, the authors consider the strategies for revitalizing the Evenki language, connected, on the one hand, with the ongoing traditional practices of preserving the language, and, on the other hand, with the emergence of new modern forms that allow the Evenki language and culture to be used more and to reach a larger audience. Priority directions for the revival of the Evenki language are presented in the article. They include the sustentation of policy aimed at preserving and developing the traditional way of life of the Evenks; language immersion programs; supporting the practice of creating literature in the Evenki language; attraction of a larger audience to the Evenki language through modern Internet technologies.