The language situation in Sasyr village, Moma district, and Beryozovka village, Srednekolymsk district, Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)

This article presents a sociolinguistic analysis based on the results of a field study scheduled for autumn 2024 in areas of compact Even settlement: the Berezovka National (Nomadic) Heritage Territory in the Srednekolymsky District and the Ulakhan-Chistay National Heritage Territory in the Moma District of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The villages of Berezovka and Sasyr, which serve as the administrative centers of these respective territories, differ significantly in terms of demographic and socio-ethnic characteristics. Our analysis of the data collected during the expeditions indicates that the Even language remains relatively stable in the Berezovka National Heritage Territory. This stability can be attributed to the monoethnic composition of the local community and the presence of regular intergenerational communication. However, we note with concern certain negative trends, particularly the increasing dominance of Russian among specific age groups, which signals a shift in the overall linguistic landscape of the village. In this context, it is evident that passive knowledge of the Even language is becoming increasingly common among younger generations. This trend is largely due to the shrinking of the natural communicative environment for the Even language, a phenomenon driven by multiple factors—including a decline in reindeer herding, which traditionally supports language transmission. In contrast, in the Ulakhan-Chistay National Heritage Territory of the Moma District, full proficiency in the Even language is largely confined to the older generation. Among middle-aged and younger residents, knowledge of Even is limited to a passive understanding of individual words and phrases. All residents of Sasyr village are fluent in the Yakut language.