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Central Asia: Russian Language Experiencing Rapid Decline
...Census data from Kyrgyzstan provides startling context on the decline of Russian in Central Asia. In the most recent census, undertaken in 2009, 9 percent of the population 18 and over spoke Russian as a native language, while 50 percent of Kyrgyz in the same age bracket said they spoke Russian as a second language. In the 1999 census, 14.9 percent of respondents characterized Russian as their native tongue, while 75 percent considered Russian as their second language.
When it comes to Kyrgyz youths, the numbers look especially grim for the Russian language. Among children between the ages of seven and 15, only 5 percent are listed as native Russian speakers, and just 26 percent have mastered it enough to consider it a second language. The language’s decline is all the more jarring in Kyrgyzstan when the fact that Russian enjoys state-language status is taken into account.
...The consequences of the decline are already being felt by Central Asia’s poorest citizens, the very people who fill the ranks of Russia-bound legions of labor migrants. Recently compiled data indicates that many Central Asian guest workers don’t have a strong command of Russian, and are thus increasingly vulnerable to harassment and mistreatment. Russia’s Federal Migration Service found that roughly one in five Central Asian guest workers can’t speak Russian, while another 50 percent cannot independently fill out a simple form in the language. Russia has provided funds for potential labor migrants to obtain Russian-language instruction, but, so far, such classes have been unpopular.
Beyond labor migration, the eclipse of Russian is making it more difficult for Westerners to engage with and understand the people of Central Asia. Western scholars conducting research in Central Asia have found that fluency in Russian is no longer enough to communicate effectively. In major cities, Westerners face little difficulty. Outside large metropolitan areas, however, Russian is practically useless.
...Meanwhile, English is not about to fill the void created by Russian. Knowledge of English seems to be an attractive alternative to Russian only for a select few in the region... Russian will probably remain the “default” language to learn for ambitious locals. “Most people who have a choice still consider Russian necessary,” she said. “For upward mobility you have to learn Russian.”