Abstract:

In a multi-ethnic and multilingual Russian society, which unites representatives of more than 180 nationalities, the preservation of linguistic and cultural diversity, the functional aspects of the language, its position in society, state regulation of language policy are the object of Russian and foreign scholars’ research. Regions with two co-official languages are of particular interest in this issue, for example the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia where the phenomenon of bilingualism has obtained a legal status. Within the context of the preservation and development of national languages the regional mass media have a special role to play as a tool for the socialization of nationalities, along with such areas as the family and education. The sphere of mass media is distinguished by the maximum degree of coverage of the main spheres of life of society and in this social institution the interests of different social objects are concentrated. The media stand out among other public institutions because of its mass influence.

This paper explores mass media as one of the main tools to promote regional languages of the Russian Federation in the context of decreasing of language and national identity which was the result of the increasing globalization process of the late 20th and 21st century covering all spheres of life.

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the situation of regional languages in the field of mass information. The study offers the results of the public survey and quantitative analysis that enables to study the implementation of the functional potential of national languages in the regional media, determine their role in the development and promotion of regional languages.

Keywords:

Language policy, regional languages, regional mass media, co-official languages.