From commodification to weaponization: the Russian language as ‘pride’ and ‘profit’ in Russia's transnational discourses

Abstract

The article expands the debate about the interaction and conflict of linguistic commodification with other values attached to a language. It interrogates Russian dominant discourse produced between 2010-2015, focusing on how it attributes the values of 'pride' and 'profit' to the Russian language in three transnational contexts: the narrative of 'compatriots' outside Russia, the formation of the Eurasian Economic Union and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. It argues that the discursive construction of Russian as a means for material advancement is constantly intertwined with manufacturing the transnational semantics of belonging to Russia (the transnational 'pride'). This is often overlaid with the instrumental value-attribution for Russian for establishing and perpetuating power relations, exerting control and, finally, warmongering.

War, Identity Politics, and Attitudes toward a Linguistic Minority: Prejudice against Russian-Speaking Ukrainians in Ukraine between 1995 and 2018

“…Further considerations make it seem likely that the perception of the war in Donbas as a war caused by Russia led to an increase in prejudice against Russian speakers. In the context of the annexation of Crimea and the events in Donbas, many have argued that Russian speakers were used to legitimate the Russian engagement (Hutchings and Szostek 2015, 190; Ryazanova-Clarke 2017, 451). Officials from the Russian Federation emphasized the threat to Russian speakers and Russia’s responsibility for its compatriots [sootechestvenniki ] in Ukraine.…”

Latinization of the Kazakh Alphabet: Implications for Education, Inclusion, and Social Cohesion in Kazakhstan

“…This must be logical reasoning, especially in light of Russia’s hostile attitude to the West (Ryazanova-Clarke, 2017a), a policy not supported by Kazakhstan. The expert therefore emphasizes the need to avoid it, using the topos of culture : as the Russian culture is characterized as chauvinistic, one should restrict its influence by means of distancing oneself from the script.…”

Коммодификация Языков И Языковой Ландшафт Столицы Монголии

“…Это хорошо видно, к примеру, в коммодификации русского языка на Кипре и в других излюбленных туристических дестинациях россиян, где в основе популярности русского языка лежат сугубо экономические мотивы, сочетаясь порой со скрытым негативным отношением к самим россиянам (см., напр. : [Pavlenko, 2012;Ryazanova-Clarke, Muth, 2015]). В исследовании С. Мута также говорится о том, что Литва стала популярной дестинацией для русскоязычных медицинских туристов по причине прибыльности рынка медицинского туризма, экономического кризиса и демографических изменений в стране, и это произошло несмотря на частую демонстрацию националистических идеологий в политических дискурсах в Литве .…”