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FUNCTIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE TUVA LANGUAGE: DIACHRONIC ASPECT // Tomsk Journal of Linguistics and Anthropology. 2018. Issue 3 (21). P. 56-66

The article deals with the dynamics of functional development of modern Tuva language in compliance with diachronic-sociolinguistic approach. Given the attempt to characterize the history of Tuvan functional development in connection with Tuvan society history, the article describes the social changes that had a direct impact on the functional status of the language. The author conditionally identifies several stages in Tuvan functional development and this division allows seeing language development from one stage to another. Particular attention is paid to pre-Soviet era: Tuvan-Mongolian language contacts, history of Tuvan national writing, language peculiarities during the existence of Tuvan People's Republic, political situation. This time is considered as positive and associated with formation of literary form of the language, expansion of its social functions. The functional state of the language in the Soviet period is characterized by the increasing role of the Russian language in everyday life of Tuvans, the gradual increase of Tuvan-Russian bilingualism, the reduction of some communicative spheres of Tuvan. At the same time, studies showed that during the Soviet period Tuvan remained the main means of communication of Tuvans. Socio-political changes in the early 1990's contributed to the settlement of the legal status of the Tuvan language, strengthening the national consciousness of Tuvans. On the base of historical reconstruction the general situation of the Tuvan language interaction with Mongolian and Russian is introduced. The analysis show that Mongolian and Russian had significant influence to the Tuvan functional development, namely these languages were its main contact influences. The survey also demonstrates that at the beginning, Mongolian and Russian were mainly used for management, interethnic contacts and maintained only official spheres. The author concludes that such functional distribution led to limited, asymmetrical use of the modern Tuva language in official spheres. In conclusion the stages of Tuvan functional development are represented.

Keywords: language situation, functional distribution, social function, the Tuva language, Tuvans, Republic of Tuva