Educational language policy and indigenous language maintenance: a language ecologies study of intergenerational language shift and maintenance among Tuvan-Russian bilinguals

Adopting a language ecologies perspective, this targeted, qualitative study investigates the relationship between Russian and Tuvan, an indigenous minority language of southern Siberia. In particular, we focus on how these two languages are acquired, transmitted, and used across three generations of Tuvan-Russian bilinguals. Research to date has looked mainly into the effects of educational policies on biliteracy in Tuvan schools. Much less is known about language use across generations, and in daily life. Using language background questionnaires, language use diaries, and interviews, we collected self-reported language use data from 17 Tuvan-Russian bilinguals belonging to three generations: teenagers (13–16 years old), middle-aged participants (30s-40s), and senior participants (60-70s). Findings reveal that Russian is acquired through its use in education and in mass media. Tuvan is used by the senior and middle-aged participants in their everyday lives, but there is a sharp decline in Tuvan proficiency and use among the teenagers. To help reverse this shift, most participants advocate for the reinstatement of Tuvan-medium instruction as well as production of quality Tuvan-language content for children.