The Buryat language in student evaluations (based on materials of sociological research)

The article is devoted to the state and changes of the Buryat language from viewpoint of students of the Republic of Buryatia. Objective and subjective assessments of the modern ethno-linguistic space in the region demonstrate a number of obvious paradoxes. The 2020 All-Russian Population Census for the first time in the post-Soviet period has revealed positive changes in the state of the Buryat language in a multi-ethnic region. The results of a sociological research have shown a high level of ethnic self-awareness of students, which does not correlate with their real skills in the Buryat language. Bilingualism dominates in the language environment of modern Buryat youth, the Buryat language remains the primary means of communication between people from rural areas, especially parents and relatives. The Russian language prevails in the communication with friends and completely dominates in the educational process. Evaluating the state and prospects for the development of the Buryat language, students adhere to pessimistic views, the narrowing of the ethno-linguistic environment continues.