The Language Sphere in the Kabardino-Balkar Republic in the Mass Public Opinion: Condition and Potential Problems in Interactions

Objective of the study is to identify the main trends in the public opinion of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic residents regarding the functioning of state and native languages in the republic in order to assess the potential problematization of language issues in the context of interethnic relations. The methodological basis of the research is a synthesized approach to the study of ethnicity, combining elements of constructivism and an instrumental approach. Within the framework of this approach, the author considers the ethnic language as a construct of nationalism, one of the markers of ethnic borders that become less flexible in case of conflict interaction, and as a possible tool for achieving certain goals of the elites. Methodically, the study is based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative strategies, that is, the results of a representative study for the republic are supplemented by data from expert interviews and focused group interviews.   Research results. The study revealed that in the republic for the most numerous ethnic categories (Kabardians, Balkars, ethnic Russians), the importance of language in ethnicity prevails against the background of other ethnointegrating features, which is confirmed by the all-Russian background. The understanding of the native language as an ethnic one prevails ("the language of my people"), however, there is also a plurality in the understanding of the native language, when significant proportions of Kabardians and Balkars call not only ethnic languages, but also Russian as their native language. The study revealed a fairly high proportion of those satisfied with the functioning of their native languages in different spheres of life, however, it is noticeable that Balkars note such satisfaction less often than Kabardians. The concern of cultural elites about the state and prospects of ethnic languages is clearly expressed, including in the context of transformations of the educational field in recent years. At the same time, the results allow us to conclude that language problems are unlikely to become complicating factors in interethnic interactions in the republic in the near future.   Prospects of the study. Measurements and analysis of public attitudes and expert discourses on the functioning of ethnic languages in the republics of the Russian Federation are an important element of research on interethnic relations in our country. The monitoring of discourses will continue, as well as a comparative analysis of the data and conclusions obtained with the results of other studies of the perception of the linguistic sphere in the regions.