passable resource that does an alright job at presenting the basics of the topic,
Although I am very much aware and the author both hints at and explicitly mentions it that demographics are one of the main components needed to objectively present the general linguopolitical situation and its development over the years, I would say Grenoble focuses a bit too much on it, especially in the second half of the book, which makes it a good source of demographics figures I guess even if they could have been presented in a much neater manner in more tables instead of in text, but they made me feel a bit lost and overwhelmed sometimes.
This I found to be probably the biggest issue contentwise given some of the space devoted to demographics could have been used for a closer look at the actual language policies itself that I believe should have been present.
It was very shallow when it comes to the actual topic of language policies I would say, it did focus a lot on education which I appreciate, I did like that, and to a briefer extent also attitudes.
A lot of stuff was just, I would dare say, vaguely presented as if the author wasn't sure with it or didn't want to go too much into it, I don't know, the overall presentation was missing something.
Another issue more on the technical side of things I had with this book is that some information repeated quite often and not in the usual interchapter manner but also within a single chapter and sometimes even in two consecutive paragraphs in similar if not identical words.
I'm not sure if that's an issue present only in the edition I have but I am inclined to doubt it, I have no idea what's the reason for that being the case,
For anyone interested in the topic, I would most likely recommend Kirkwood'ssitelinkLanguage Planning in the Soviet Union instead, even if it's missing the postSoviet part of things due to its year of publication, it's still a much better resource both content amp readabilitywise.
You can then use pieces of this book to fill in thegap,
The contents are as follows: I don't know why I wasted my time on reading this poorly researched, poorly written, and poorly edited book.
My two questions are: Why was this ever published Why has Grenoble listed this disaster of a publication on her CV
I am at a loss at what Grenoble's argument is I think she tried to argue that the peoples of the USSR have faced increasing Russification and as a result many lost the ability to use their native languages.
The question of why and how the Soviet state promoted linguistic Russification, what other factors might have led to the increased use of Russian language in the USSR, and the reactions that the peoples of the USSR had to this policy remain beyond the scope of the study.
Grenoble had done no archival research, and her book seems to be a compilation of other sources she uncritically cites an article about Soviet language policy published in the USA in!, which often remain unattributed.
There's a beautiful passage where a statement about the Soviet Union is supported with evidence from the Russian Empire: "Language was seen by the Soviet state as a key trait in identifying ethnicity.
. . Historically, a longstanding example of this is the tsarist identification of Ukrainian as a dialect of Russian", In general, much of the language is imprecise and many widesweeping statements are left unsubstantiated, such as "the Soviets used the guise of overtly inclusive language policies, . . to Russify native languages"this doesn't make any sense, and no explanation is forthcoming, There is a lot of guesswork: "The fact that eleven Republics passed language laws in such a short period of time is itself indicative of the widespread public belief in the need to counteract the effects of Soviet Russification.
Language was seen by whom to lie at the heart of identity, . . ". When faced with hard evidence that some peoples of the USSR preferred learning Russian to their native language, Grenoble counteracts it by stating that "it is important to bear in mind that it was Soviet policy that shaped the need for its citizens to know Russian, by creating a society that was effectively monolingual".
And I really doubt that the latter assertion is anywhere near the truth,
In her conclusion, Grenoble discusses demographics without being able to connect the evidence to her argument, and then states that the spread of Russian came back to haunt Soviet authorities, because "the ill will which they fostered in the process of
achieving Russification ultimately became a critical factor in the downfall of the USSR".
How exactly Russification led to the "creation of new nonRussian or Soviet senses of identity" which contributed to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, is, again, not explained.
Soviet language policy provides rich material for the study of the impact of policy on language use, Moreover, it offers a unique vantage point on the tie between language and culture, While linguists and ethnographers grapple with defining the relationship of language to culture, or of language and culture to identity, the Soviets knew that language is an integral and inalienable part of culture.
The former Soviet Union provides an ideal case study for examining these relationships, in that it had one of the most deliberate language policies of any nation state.
This is not to say that it was constant or wellconceived in fact it was marked by contradictions, illogical decisions, and inconsistencies, Yet it represented a conscious effort on the part of the Communist leadership to shape both ethnic identity and national consciousness through language, As a totalitarian state, the USSR represents a country where language policy, however radical, could be implemented at the will of the government, Furthermore, measures such as forced migrations were undertaken that resulted in changing population demographics, having a direct impact on what is a central issue here: the very nature of the Soviet population.
That said, it is important to keep in mind that in the Soviet Union there was a difference between stated policy and actual practice, There was no guarantee that any given policy would be implemented, even when it had been officially legislated, .
Read For Free Language Policy In The Soviet Union (Language Policy, 3) Conceived By Lenore A. Grenoble Shared As Copy
Lenore A. Grenoble