The Komi-Permyaks’ ethnicity as a system of oppositions

The article investigates the Komi-Permyaks’ ethnicity basing on text data. We investigate the declared ethnic identity expressed in stably used ethnonyms. Most frequently used ethnonyms are «Komi-Permyaks» and «Permyaks». The «real» identity, expressed in stably predicated categories, is analyzed. A complex system of oppositions is presented, the basic terms of which are «Komi-Permyak» in opposition to «Russian». It is shown that despite the processes of the Komi-Permyaks’ «de-ethnicization» being observed, the Komi-Permyaks’ ethnicity is still preserved and is being maintained by the system of opposed categories presented in the texts.