In Alaska, linguists have found an isolated dialect of the Russian language

Фото: Depositphotos

In the village of Ninilchik on the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, about 185 miles from Anchorage, linguists discovered a relict dialect of the Russian language.

According to Share America, a small group of elderly Alaskans lives in the village, thanks to whom the dialect of the Russian language has been preserved, almost frozen in time and unchanged since 1847, since the village was founded in the Russian Empire. The inhabitants of this village are descendants of the first settlers from Russia. The language preserved here dates back to the era of the reign of Alexander II and existed long before Alaska became the 49 state of America.

Ninilchik dialect is a unique combination of modern and archaic Russian and includes words that were widely used 150 years ago. As generations change and Ninilchik assimilates in the modern world, the remnants of the characteristic Russian way of life of the village, including this language, gradually disappear.

To prevent the language from disappearing, linguists from the Institute of Linguistics of the Russian Academy of Sciences compile a dictionary of approximately 2500 words from the Ninilchik dialect of the Russian language and record the speech of the villagers in the hope of preserving the dialect.

If the new generation ceases to use the dialect, at least, the archive will remain that will tell the story of the Alaskan village, where Russian settlers and Native Americans created a unique society and a successful economy.

In general, the problem of the disappearance of languages ​​is characteristic not only of a village in Alaska: the Atlas of World Languages ​​under Threat published by UNESCO says that almost half of 7 thousand languages ​​of the world are threatened with extinction, including more than 130 languages ​​throughout Russia . Scientists in the United States believe that at the moment only half of the approximately 300 languages ​​of Native Americans are used, and that only 20 of them will persist until 2050, a terrifying loss of 93%.

This trend is trying to stop: governments, organizations and ordinary citizens around the world are using modern technologies that allow them to withdraw from the edge of the abyss. Company Google recently established Endangered Languages ​​Project, allowing groups and individuals to share research results and collaborate on the preservation of vulnerable languages. Other efforts are more traditional, but they are also useful. For example, students at the Fort Peck Indian Reservation High School in Montana organized a language camp to learn and communicate on the Dakota language of the Sioux tribe.

In many cases, young people play a leading role in the movement for the preservation of languages. Students use online tools - websites, groups in Facebookonline chat rooms Google chats and channels YouTube - to collect, store and share valuable knowledge.

In 2013, the online campaign led to the creation of a version of the Star Wars movie dubbed into the Navajo language. This event was a turning point that sparked a new interest in dying languages ​​among Native American youth.

Read also on ForumDaily:

What a tourist in Alaska can see

Our in the USA: how Russian lives in Alaska

5 stunning natural wonders that you can see only in the USA

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.