Virtual Communication in Speech Practices of Functional Bilinguals

The article presents the results of a study on the relationship between communication in native and learned languages in offline and online communication systems. This study tests the hypothesis that the time of entry into and intensity of online communication influence instructed bilinguals’ self-assessments of their proficiency in basic forms of communication. These forms include passive skills (listening comprehension, reading) and active skills (speaking, writing). The study was conducted on the material of bilingualism variants involving the Russian language, implemented in variable language situations in which Russian is native for bilinguals and the majority (Russian- English bilingualism), the second, studied, minority (Uzbek-Russian and Tajik-Russian). The relevance of the study is determined by the need to study two global trends in the development of modern society – the increasing role of virtual communication and bilingual practices in the world in general, and in the Russian Federation, in particular. The main research methods are a questionnaire to collect subjective assessments by respondents of the target characteristics of social and linguistic experience, statistical analysis in processing the obtained materials, sociolinguistic analytics. As a result of the analysis, zones of use of the second language in virtual speech practices of the active and passive type were identified in different language situations in three regions. It was found that, overall, the correlation between levels of the second language proficiency and the time to engage in online communication in the second language ranges from average to zero, varying significantly across the three bilingual groups studied, operating in variable language situations. The data obtained generally agree with the results of related studies conducted on other language pairs of bilinguals and in other regions, while also revealing unique features due to the unique language situations within which the studied types of bilingualism are formed. The findings presented are limited to a sample of respondents, primarily students and recent graduates of humanities faculties with a language specialization. As a research prospect, we consider expanding the sample by involving respondents with other aspects of social and linguistic experience.