A Short Outline of the Tatar Language Development II

The Soviet Period Until the End of the 1980s

Toward the end of the 1930s, the Soviet government implemented a new language policy that made Russian obligatory for everyone in the USSR. The Tatar Latinized alphabet was replaced by the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, with additional symbols.

Simultaneously with the shift to Russian, numerous changes in vowel harmony were introduced into the written Tatar language, affecting its phonetic structure and orthography.

While the Tatar language had previously undergone a process of removing unnecessary Arabic and Persian elements, the Soviet language policy took a more extensive approach. It aimed to eliminate even those Arabic and Persian words that had been integral to the Tatar language for centuries and were not perceived as foreign. These "traditional words" were systematically phased out from the language on a large scale and replaced with Russian terms or "international" words adapted into the Russian form. This policy had a profound impact on the vocabulary of the Tatar language.

Various measures were taken to promote the use of Russian among Tatars, including closing down Tatar newspapers and periodicals outside Tatarstan, requiring knowledge of Russian for admission to higher education, and closing or converting Tatar schools into Russian ones. The use of Russian was enforced in kindergarten. Many Tatar-speaking individuals were encouraged or even forced to use Russian in public life.

By the late 1980s, a mere 7% of Tatar children were enrolled in Tatar-language schools. Moreover, the production of Tatar books faced growing limitations, with only 0.7 copies published per person in 1989, compared to the national average of 9 copies per person, and even more in the case of Russian publications.

The Tatar Language after the 1980s

With the onset of Perestroika and the weakening of Soviet control, there was a resurgence of interest in Tatars' national identity and language. Cultural and educational institutions began to focus more on the Tatar language and culture. "Old and forgotten" words were reintroduced to replace modern loanwords, leading to a "purer" language in Tatar literature and publications. Tatar writers have substantially reduced the practice of incorporating Russian words and expressions into the language of their literary characters. An "awareness" trend has emerged, resulting in a noticeably "purer" form of the Tatar language in both literary and non-fiction publications.

In 1992, Tatar was declared the official language of the Republic of Tatarstan, on par with Russian. Tatar language education received increased attention in schools, institutes of higher education, and technical secondary schools. Tatar language advocates worked to preserve and promote it through language revitalization programs, educational initiatives, and the publishing of literature and media in Tatar.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, there was a transition from the Cyrillic script to the Latin script for writing in Tatar. This change aimed to reflect linguistic and cultural ties with other Turkic-speaking peoples and promote the Tatar identity.

The Tatar Language Today (2017 and Beyond)

Tatar, along with Russian, remains the official language of the Republic of Tatarstan. The official script is based on the Cyrillic alphabet, with Latin and Arabic scripts used unofficially in various contexts.

Tatarstan, as a republic within the Russian Federation, has taken measures to promote the Tatar language. There are some Tatar-language media outlets, cultural institutions, and literary works being produced.

Despite these efforts, there has been a gradual shift towards Russian as the dominant language in everyday life. The use of Tatar has declined over the 20th and 21st centuries and Tatar proficiency has decreased.

Economic and social factors often play a role in language choice, with Russian being seen as a more "practical" language for education and employment opportunities outside of Tatarstan.

State-controlled media outlets often prioritize the Russian language over Tatar. This limits the exposure of Tatar-speaking populations to their native language in the media, reducing its usage and influence. Russia has implemented education policies that aim to assimilate Tatar-speaking students into the Russian-speaking majority. This includes a significant emphasis on teaching subjects in Russian and a reduction in the availability of Tatar-language education materials.

Tatar activists have faced various forms of repression, including fines, detentions, interrogations, and police searches, as they advocate for greater protections for the Tatar language and culture. One activist who staged a solitary protest outside government buildings has been subjected to court-ordered 30-day stays at a psychiatric hospital, a tactic reminiscent of Soviet-era suppression.

Back in 1992, following the Soviet Union's collapse, the Tatar center played a role in generating momentum for a referendum on independence, which garnered 62% support. While Tatarstan did not achieve full independence, it did negotiate a treaty with then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin in 1994, granting significant autonomy, including exclusive resource rights and tax collection.

In the last two decades, Russia has consistently worked to diminish regional governments' capacity to safeguard ethnic languages, histories, and cultures. Laws have been enacted to centralize the production of history textbooks and mandated that all ethnic languages use the Cyrillic alphabet, aligning them with the Russian script.

Under the 2017 law that ended compulsory regional language study, students must now request optional lessons in regional languages like Tatar. Moscow has argued that even in regions where Russians are in the minority, they should not be obligated to learn a non-native language. This change is a violation of the Tatarstan Constitution which stipulates the equality of Russian and Tatar languages in the republic.

The world's largest online platform for Tatar language learners, "Ana Tele" (which means "mother tongue" in Tatar), was closed down. Over its nearly ten years of existence, Ana Tele has served more than 100,000 Tatar language learners, both within Russia and abroad. It provided Tatar language courses with interfaces in Tatar, Russian, and English. The closure of Ana Tele comes at a time when the Tatar language has been experiencing a decline in speakers, losing more than 1 million speakers in Russia between the 2010 and 2021 censuses.

Today, there has been a surge in interest in the Tatar language, especially among the younger generation. The social status of Tatar is shifting from being a language of the “poorly educated village people” to the language, the knowledge of which is considered respectable and a sign of a person with a strong national identity. More and more people come to learn Tatar as a “foreign” native language or refresh their knowledge acquired in childhood. Tatar activists are actively working to rekindle the Tatar language, launching podcasts, YouTube channels, blogs, and other initiatives to popularize Tatar and raise awareness. I invite you to share your favorite Tatar language resources in the comments.

Thank you for your interest in Tatar!

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Burbiel, G. (2018). Tatar Grammar: А Grammar of the Contemporary Tatar Literary Language. Stockholm: Institute for Bible Translation.

Faller, H. M. (2011). Nation, Language, Islam: Tatarstan’s Sovereignty Movement. Budapest: Central European University Press.

Salimova, D., & Sabitova, A. (2019). Problems of choosing the main language in a bilingual society of national regions. Journal of Social Studies Education Research.

Suleymanova, D. (2020). Pedagogies of Culture: Schooling and Identity in Post-Soviet Tatarstan, Russia. Springer Nature.

Wigglesworth-Baker, T. (2016). Language policy and post-Soviet identities in Tatarstan. Nationalities Papers.