Lost and (Eventually, Hopefully Soon) Found | Nadya Bogdanova

On the 30rd of August I arrived in Budapest, a city which I never thought would be my home for an extended period of time. But here I am: creating personal memories and coming up with stories to tell while also adjusting my expectations to the reality faced, reinventing daily routines, walking the streets of the Hungarian capital, trying to make them my own and - quite often - getting lost. Not only geographically (how hasn't Google come up with maps for minds yet?!). 

My research proposal was about my intention to develop a rebranding strategy aimed at promoting the Buryat language, one of the indigenous languages of Russia that is currently on the list of definitely or severely endangered depending on the region (according to the UNICEF Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger). 

The Buryat People in their national attire

The Buryats are the largest minority group living in Siberia on the shores of Lake Baikal, and the Buryat language has the official status in the Republic of Buryatia. Despite its status, it is classified as definitely or severely endangered according to the UNICEF Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. 

The official data of Russian Census of 2010 tells it all: the number of ethnical Buryats living in the Republic of Buryatia and speaking the Buryat language was 122882 out of 286839 people which makes it less than 50% (with 281 916 individuals declaring the knowledge of language). The statistics becomes even more shocking when it is compared to the Census of 2002. With all the inaccuracies and errors kept in mind, it can be stated that the situation had only worsened: in 2002, 222107 individuals of Buryat ethnicity stated that they speak the Buryat language (out of the total of 272910 people identifying themselves as Buryat living in the Republic of Buryatia). 

It is a bleak picture, and so my motivation is quite clear. Being a representative of the Buryat people and strongly identifying myself as one, I feel my personal responsibility in making things better. As a professional linguist, educator and media specialist, I still believe that it’s possible. 

When writing my proposal, I had a clear picture of how to do this. First, I was going to use the existing scholarship, analyze available quantitative data, deal with results of questionnaires and polls, use text analysis and other methods – to outline the main problems that the situation with the Buryat language presents. Then I was to draw conclusions on the current situation and single out actual reasons for the lack of visible success in reviving the Buryat language. After that I thought it necessary to compare the obtained results with cases of other regions and countries and see how those problems were solved there and which measures proved to be effective. The final point of my project was to adapt these measures to the reality of the Republic of Buryatia and come up with a relevant management plan which would deal not only with governmental policies but also involve working with media, culture organizations and educational institutions. 

It seemed so clear and well-structured. 

However, now with all kinds of new information piling up on us through lectures, readings, talks with professors and fellow students, I realize that there is so much more to do and decide on. Is my project too ambitious? Is it even relevant? Are those methods that I chose back in January even appropriate for reaching the research objective? Should I just concentrate on something more tangible than a language? 

So, you see. A lot of anxiety. Frustration. And loneliness.

Luckily with every day passing it feels less and less alone to be lost. We are all in it together. And as a lone traveler follows the sun to find the way, we will find ours soon. 

References:

1. UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from http://www.unesco.org/languages-atlas/

2. Russian Census, 2010. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm
3. Russian Census, 2002. Retrieved November 20, 2017, from http://www.perepis2002.ru/index.html?id=17