Riga City Youth between Latvian and Russian

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a survey of 995 late adolescent residents of Riga -Lettophones, Russophones, and native bilinguals -offering evidence that the youngest generation of Latvia's capital has broken away from Soviet-era language trends, communicating in Latvian more frequently and confidently than Russian. Two correspondences, unique to the linguistic group in question, are also discussed. (1) Among the Lettophones, any preference for the other language in intercultural communication is far more likely if the language is also used at home. (2) Among the Russophones, any preference for the other language in intercultural communication is more likely among females.

History perceptions and national identity among Latvian youth: Entrapped between narratives of Latvia and Russia?

“…More specifically, young Russian speakers are increasingly able to decouple from their compatriots in Russia and approach the perceptions of Latvian speakers (Cheskin, 2013b, 23–24). Breggin (2014: 178) evaluated the use of language among youth in Riga. He concluded that breaking up with the Soviet‐era modes of interaction is indisputable as the Latvian language dominates communication among the youth of different ethnic backgrounds.…”

“…He concluded that breaking up with the Soviet‐era modes of interaction is indisputable as the Latvian language dominates communication among the youth of different ethnic backgrounds. He noted that Russian is still used vibrantly for intercultural interaction (Breggin, 2014: 178).…”