The Impact of Urbanization on the Transmission of Culture and Language of the Sakha People: A Sociological Analysis

The Impact of Urbanization on the Transmission of Culture and Language of the Sakha People: A Sociological Analysis

V.S. Efimov, A.V. Lapteva, and E.I. Mikhailova.

The article discusses the impact of urbanization on the transmission of the Sakha people’s identity, culture, and language in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Based on the results of a sociological survey, the ethno-cultural identity of villagers, and fi rst and second generation urban dwellers is assessed. People living in towns, especially the descendants of townsfolk, are signifi cantly different from villagers in several respects: they plan to have fewer children, have weaker ties with tribal clans, their ethnic identity is transformed, they are adopting Russian as an everyday language, and are less involved in folk culture. It is predicted that the impact of urbanization will fully manifest itself in 20–25 years following a rise in the share of second generation urban dwellers in the Sakha population.

Keywords: Northern peoples, Sakha, Yakuts, urbanization, demographic changes, cultural changes, culture transmission, language transmission.