Dashkova Centre

The identity of Adolescent Heritage Speakers of Russian in the U.S., Israel, Germany and Finland

The ties between the metropolitan country and the diasporians seem too loose, and the political responsibility is a heavy burden. Fair people will always remember where their ancestors lived, but this cannot be their own country. With time, identity may become more and more symbolic. In the Post-Soviet realm, identities are still marked by the ‘socialist’ values, including terminology of internationalism, nationalities and language of mutual understanding (Russian). Questions like where you are born, who were your parents and grandparents, when have you started to acquire your second language – are always asked in the multicultural societies, because to position a person, the interlocutor needs to confirm, juxtapose or reject some stereotypes. The self-identification is often an imposed process entailing self-reflections and narrative self-analysis resulting in a hierarchical multilayered construction. In the present study, we took about 60 bilinguals (heritage speakers of Russian) aged 15-18 in the U.S., Israel, Germany and Finland (together with Olga Kagan, Miriam Minkov and Mila Schwartz) and asked them about their use of languages, networking, feelings of belonging and ties to the countries of origin of their parents. These young people from the 1.5 generation on the verge of adulthood displayed a variety of identities, most of them multiple and hybrid. They typically continue using Russian at home while using the language of surroundings elsewhere. They are rather competent speakers (weaker in the USA and Israel, stronger in Finland and Germany) of L1 Russian, but have deficient writing abilities. Their positive attitudes toward Russian combine with scruples about their origins and doubts about their future. 

The identity of Adolescent Heritage Speakers of Russian in the U.S., Israel, Germany and Finland

Professor Ekaterina Protassova (University of Helsinki) will deliver the keynote lecture of a multilingualism symposium at the Princess Dashkova Russian Centre. The keynote lecture is open to the public.

Princess Dashkova Russian Centre
19 Buccleuch Place
EH8 9LN