Language preferential policy in ethnic territorial autonomies: research model keyline

Being both a phenomenon of culture and communicative tool, language is an important domain and modus of social and political life. However, language is not a political phenomenon. Language has been politicizing by public requests, claims and debates in respect to its political and institutional status that is the result of political decision-making and implementation of language policy. The special case of this policy is language preferential policy that maintains a balance in ethnically fragmented polities. It provides the preservation and reproduction of titular language and (in some cases) minority mother tongues in ethnic territorial autonomy. This article focuses on the task of the formulation of research design of language preferential policy in contemporary ethnic territorial autonomies.