Ethnicity and linguistic consciousness of Dagestan youth

In a multi-ethnic society, the issue of ethnic self-identification is acute, and the key role in this process is played by the identifier "national language", which is the most important marker of the reproduction of ethnic identity. In the post-Soviet period, centrifugal forces clearly manifested themselves; the national elite of many Russian subjects outlined a course for self-determination, the revival of ethnic culture, and the preservation of national identity. However, these processes were accompanied by the emergence of open ethnic conflicts, the aggravation of pre-existing ethnic conflicts, and accusations against other peoples. In the ethnic process, the younger generation turned out to be the most subject to the radicalization of consciousness, which was rapidly involved in the destructive trajectories of social development. The hypothesis put forward that the place of the “national language” parameter in the hierarchy of markers of the reproduction of ethnic identity is reflected in the linguistic consciousness of the young generation surveyed was confirmed by the results of the study. The influence of the significance of the native language on the formation of linguistic consciousness, which determines the linguistic behavior of the surveyed Dagestan youth, has been established. A number of measures can contribute to improving the situation with the native languages of the Dagestan peoples, first of all, the adoption of the Law on the Languages of the Dagestan Peoples, which would allow, firstly, designating the vector of language policy, secondly, to ensure the preservation of national languages, and thirdly, not allow a language conflict.