science

Tatar–Russian code-switching

Tatar–Russian code-switching is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Tatar–Russian code-switching rather than just read about it. In short: Tatar–Russian code-switching is a code-switching language of the urban population of Tatarstan, and is spoken predominantly among bilingual Tatars. It is based on the Tatar language, but many spoken forms are from Russian language.

Key takeaways

Tatar–Russian code-switching belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Tatar–Russian code-switching to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Tatar–Russian code-switching from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Tatar–Russian code-switching is a code-switching language of the urban population of Tatarstan, and is spoken predominantly among bilingual Tatars. It is based on the Tatar language, but many spoken forms are from Russian language. In some cases one can start a phrase in Tatar and end it in Russian or vice versa. Sometimes only single Russian words are incorporated into Tatar speech, or vice versa. Speaking Tatar words, one can use Russian order of words. The same situation is similar to Bashkir–Russian, Chuvash–Russian and many other code-switching of Russian minorities.

Usage of code-switching Tatar–Russian code-switching is used in several cases:

Russian remains the most common language in urban areas of Tatarstan and other Tatar-populated areas. Several generations of Tatars speak fluent Russian. Often, when constructing a sentence, they use Russian order of words. Being an inflexional language, Russian differs from Tatar, which is an agglutinative language. Even when speaking Tatar conjunctive words that don't exist in Turkic languages are inserted. Even archaic literary language used Arabic and Persian conjunctive words, not all of them are used in modern urban speech. Most of urban Tatars graduated from Russian schools and they have no idea how use some constructions other than in Russian, especially if those constructions were not in use in Tatar-speaking generations. Examples are mojet, naverno, potomu chto, nüjäli (neuzheli), konechno instead of bälki, ixtimal, çönki, çınlap ta, älbättä ('maybe', 'probably', 'because', 'really?', 'of course'). Brat is used to describe all brothers, although Tatar has two different words for older and younger brothers: abí and ene correspondingly. Some concepts have appeared only after Russian language became dominant. Even when those words have counterparts in the literary Tatar language, they are traditionally used in Russian form. Example: Arkhitekturnyj institut instead of Arxitektura institutı ('Architure Institute') Sometimes it is used because many Russian phrases have a unique meaning such as Kuzkina mat (see Tsar Bomb). Often well known Tatar terms sound much longer than equivalent Russian terms: bezopasnyj → qurqınıçsızlı. The youngest generation use Russian slang words. Often one who can speak pure Tatar language uses a mix to communicate with the younger generation, as it is more understood by Russians and Tatars who do not speak the native language well. In areas such as science and technology, where the most of Tatar words are of Russian origin, it is usual to conjunct them with Russian phrases. In some cases, Tatar words are used in Russian speech to convey a meaning that the Russian word does not have or to provide "Tatar color" to the sentences. For example, well-known phrases by all Tatarstan communities: Alla birsä 'God willing', maturım 'my beauty', and canım 'my soul' (the last two for lovers).

The origin of code-switching Russian was an administrative language, as well as a language of higher education, ever since the fall of Kazan. The literary Tatar language did not have Indo-European roots and was most closely related to several Turkic languages, whose prestige decreased after the Russian revolution whereas knowledge of Russian increased and many Russian words entered into the literary language. Tatar–Russian code-switching is based in from the asymmetric bilingualism of Tatars and the introduction of Russian schools, as well as total decline of the national culture as defined by educated Tatars after the 1930s. Another major factor is that the most commonly used language in the cities is Russian. Although there were many Russian-speakers present before the Revolution, more arrived as the result of population transfer in the Soviet Union. Tatars living outside of Tatarstan also code-switch, as there are no Tatar schools outside of Tatarstan.

Written form The code-switching for a long time had only an oral form, but the popularization of the Internet and SMS it became written. It is written using a Russian or English keyboard without the additional Tatar Cyrillic or Latin characters. The following example is taken from a Tatar hip hop and R&B forum:

There is seen that there is a grammatical agreement of Russian phrases following the rule of Tatar grammar: zadniy most is Russian for 'rear axle', but Tatar possession suffix is used to is sense of 'her back axle' (zadniy mosty).

See also Bashkir–Russian code-switching

References

Wertheim, Suzanne. “Language Purity and the De-Russification of Tatar.” Berkeley Program in Soviet and Post-Soviet Studies Working Paper Series (May 1, 2002): 1-25.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Tatar–Russian code-switching

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Tatar–Russian code-switching claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Tatar–Russian code-switching before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Tatar–Russian code-switching ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Tatar–Russian code-switching

In research: Tatar–Russian code-switching appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Tatar–Russian code-switching in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Tatar–Russian code-switching is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Code-switching, Russian language, Tatar language, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Tatar–Russian code-switching outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Tatar–Russian code-switching in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Tatar–Russian code-switching means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Tatar–Russian code-switching out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tatar–Russian code-switching in simple terms?

Why does Tatar–Russian code-switching matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Tatar–Russian code-switching?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Tatar–Russian code-switching.