Since former Soviet republics became independent states in 1991, their governments maintained active language policy with derusification as a part of it. Probably most consistently this policy has been maintained in Turkmenistan. This essay describes the process of derusification in Turkmenistan in retrospect and notes its effects. The essay shows that the effects of the derusification policy can be seen in two planes - in both space and time, and that this policy had a negative effect on the Turkmen nation.
The present article, "Professor Olaf Broch's archive in the National Library of Norway," provides a preliminary description of the archive of the Norwegian professor of Slavic languages Olaf Broch (1867-1961), whose heritage is represented not only by well-known works in the field of Slavic phonetics but also by abundant correspondence held in archives of various countries. The greater part of this correspondence is deposited in the archive of the Norwegian National Library. There is currently no description of this archive, but according to a preliminary evaluation, the epistolary section of Broch's archive comprises letters from approximately 500 correspondents, of whom approximately 140 wrote in Russian. Correspondence with academician Alexey A. Shakhmatov holds a special place within Broch's correspondence with philologists. Broch was in communication with many Russian linguists, historians, literary scholars, writers and poets, as well as with diplomats and politicians: there are letters written to him by S. V. Arsen'ev, V. A. Bereznikov, K. N. Gulkevch, A. M. Kollontay and A. V. Lunacharskiy. Of special significance is his correspondence with Ukrainian scholars and politicians, through which a previously unknown Ukrainian chapter in the biography of Norwegian Slavist has been discovered. In addition to the epistolary legacy, many other materials have been discovered in Broch's archive, including a manuscript containing previously unknown memoirs by E. A. Masal'skaja-Surina and poems-in-prose by S. Šil'.
This article deals with the phenomenon of "digital anti-clericalism" in the Russian-speaking sphere of the Internet (Runet). In the context of post-secularism the claims of Russian clerical and bureaucratic elites to the ideological monopoly in the political and social life face a strong resistance from the champions of religious pluralism and preservation of a secular state. Presented here is a detailed analysis of the topics and the stylistic features of different types of anti-clerical Internet communication – a variety of political folklore (memes, demotivators, photoshopped pictures). Also traced is the connection between the modern anti-clericalism on Runet and the late Soviet counter-culture. Suggested for the first time is a classification of anticlerical and atheist websites that constitute a vital part of the Russian blogosphere.
Parallel to radical changes in Russian society in the last decades of the 20th century are transformations in literary methods and genres. There is a widespread notion that new tendences in this sphere were born as a reaction to the uniformistic, boring Sovjet literature of the previous period. Valerija Narbikova was one of the new names which manifested the arrival of postmodernist literature (1989), with its neglect of social and political realities and concentration on the egocentric inner life of an individual and, unusually for Russian literature of the time, its acceptance of sex as the most important part of life, an expression of the desperate need for love and understanding and helplessness in the attempt to discover the meaning of human existence. Narbikova's prose is interesting not for its philosophy, which is intentionally very simple, but for its inventive use of language, for its intertextuality and vitality. Narbikova became almost a cult figure in the 1990s. Her latest novel was published in 1996, and since then she has been silent. Russian society has changed, the reader has become mature, and one may ask oneself in what directions this type of prose might possibly develop.
Covid-19 is highly relevant in 2020; among other things, it is attracting new global socio-communicative and linguistic research. Scholars are addressing the linguistic response to the social and psychological situation in different countries in the era of coronavirus. Thus, the Editorial Board has created a forum for specialists to communicate (in writing), one which makes it possible to provide information about their sources on Covid-19 and illustrate theoretical materials. The participants chose to analyse different aspects of language during the pandemic; medical terminology and its relevant vocabulary were the same for all countries. The conversation goes beyond the scope of linguistics, as it is important for the researchers to characterise measures taken by governments to combat Covid-19 and the public's reaction to them as reflected through language. Additionally, the authors focus on spontaneous linguistic responses to the pandemic in the form of language games, metaphors, and references to historical memory of combatting disasters. The pandemic has also caused long-standing forms of speech communication to change. Researchers from different European countries have taken part: Arto Mustajoki (University of Helsinki, Finland; National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia), Nadezjda Zorikhina Nilsson (Stockholm University, Sweden), Rafael Guzmán Tirado (University of Granada, Spain), Anna Tous-Rovirosa and Daria Dergacheva (Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain). The conversation was moderated by Irina Vepreva and Tatiana Itskovich (Ural Federal University Yekaterinburg, Russia). ; Тема Covid‑19, актуальная для этого года, обретает новые грани как исследовательская проблема мирового масштаба в социокоммуникативном и лингвистическом аспектах. Исследователи обращаются к проблеме языкового реагирования на социально-психологическую обстановку, сложившуюся в разных странах в эпоху коронавируса. Объективные обстоятельства современного общения заставляют научное сообщество искать новый формат обсуждения насущных проблем. Предложенная редколлегией журнала форма письменного диалога позволяет как привести информацию об источниках высказываний о коронавирусе, так и подкрепить теоретические положения ссылками на научные изыскания. Участники дискуссии выбрали различные аспекты анализа языкового существования в период пандемии. В поле наблюдений были включены вопросы, связанные с лексиконом дискурса пандемии, который носит глобальный характер: медицинская терминология и актуальная лексика оказались общими для всех стран. Разговор выходит за рамки лингвистического обзора, поскольку важно было охарактеризовать действия правительства по борьбе с коронавирусом и общественную реакцию на эти действия, отраженную в языковых явлениях. В стороне не осталось обсуждение стихийно складывающейся языковой реакции на пандемию, выраженной в фактах языковой игры и метафорики, а также обращения к исторической памяти народа о противостоянии бедствиям. Пандемия оказала влияние и на устоявшиеся формы речевой коммуникации. В обсуждении приняли участие исследователи из разных стран Европы: Арто Мустайоки (А. М.; Хельсинкский университет, Финляндия; Национальный исследовательский университет «Высшая школа экономики», Москва, Россия), Надежда Зорихина-Нильссон (Н. З.-Н.; Стокгольмский университет, Швеция), Рафаэль Гусман Тирадо (Р. Г.-Т.; Гранадский университет, Испания), Анна Тоус-Ровироса, Дарья Дергачева (А. Т.-Р., Д. Д.; Свободный университет Барселоны, Испания). Модераторами обсуждения стали Ирина Вепрева и Татьяна Ицкович (И. В., Т. И.; Уральский федеральный университет, Екатеринбург, Россия). ; Artikelns språk är ryska och engelska. Engelsk titel: Covid-19 : A Disaster in the Linguistic Dimension of Different Countries Transkriberad titel: Covid-19 : katastrofa v jazykovom izmerenii raznych stran
