Mixing cultures and languages: Trasianka, Surzhyk, and Russian pidgin languages 3224-MIESZKULTJ

Course Description: The course traces the origin and formation of East Slavic mixed cultures
and languages such as Ukrainian Jazychie, Surzhyk, Balak, Belarusian Trasjanka and the Russian
pidgins and other creoloid languages used in the colonial borderlands. The formation of non-
pidgin mixed East Slavic languages are discussed through the prism of the notion of prestige and
mixed cultures in the history of the Ukrainian and Belarusian nations, placed in the context of
language ideologies and policies in both the Russian and Habsburg empires. Unlike Ukrainian
and Belarusian, the Russian language remains the only Slavic language which is the lexical
source of such mixed languages as the pidgin used in the Taymyr Peninsula, Russenorsk or
Chinese Pidgin Russian. The origin of the latter mixed languages is to be connected rather with
the expansion of the Russian Empire into Siberia and other parts of North Asia than the cultural
and linguistic russification of Ukrainian and Belarusian
This is a writing-enhanced course that requires an effective amount of writing, in addition to
exams, to help students, who are non-native speakers of English, learn course
content. Formal writing elements, such as good organization, development, and editing are
considered in grading, as well as content. Students will receive detailed written handouts for
each writing assignment, specifying criteria. Students will receive feedback for 2
revisions on the final writing assignment (research paper) before it is graded. The writing in
final drafts will be evaluated, along with content, based on evaluative criteria from a checklist or
rubric (to be shared with the students via USOSweb of the University of Warsaw)

Tentative Topics
(Please, note that you may offer your own topics which need to be approved by your
instructor):
Linguistic Russification in Ukraine/Belarus’
Surzhyk. Typology and linguistic characteristics
Trasjanka. Typology and linguistic characteristics
Russian Pidgins
Minority languages and language policies
Creole languages. Theories of genesis
From pidgin to creole and beyond
Hybrid Slavic languages: Jazychie/Surzhyk/Trasjanka
Hybrid Slavic languages: Bałak
Slavo-Arabic
TOPICS AND READING SCHEDULE
Cluster 1: Languages, Communities, and Contexts
a) Key topics
The nature of language; variation: variants and linguistic variable; language and culture
b) Languages and communities
What is a language? Language or dialect? Standardization: the standard and language change;
standards of Ukrainian; regional and social dialects (Jazychie, Surzhyk and Trasjanka); ethnic
dialects (African American Vernacular English- AAVE); styles and hierarchies
c) Defining groups
Speech communities; social networks and identities; language ideologies (standard language
ideology; puristic and monoglossic ideologies: the case of Ukrainian and Belarusian); language
attitudes
 Cluster Reading:
Głuszkowski, M. “Contact Linguistics and Slavic”

Rabus, A. “Inter-Slavic Language Contact”
Greń, Z. “Komunikacja językowa w kontakcie interetnicznych na masową skalę”
Михеева, Н.Ф. “О контактных, смешанных языках и диалектах”
Danylenko, Andrii and Halyna Naienko. “Linguistic Russification in Russian Ukraine:
languages, imperial models, and policies”
 Term Paper Topic, Outline, and Bibliography due
Cluster 2:
a) Languages in contact
Multilingualism as a social phenomenon; linguistic landscapes; language maintenance and shift;
diglossia; metaphorical and situational codeswitching; multilingual identities
b) Societal factors and mechanisms of interference
Linguistic mechanisms of interference; “mixed” vs. “unmixed” languages; stable vs. unstable
mixed languages; bilingual mixed languages; codeswitching; code alternation; “negotiation”;
second-language strategy; bilingual first-language acquisition; change by deliberate decision
c) The pluralistic ideology and the discursive practice of translanguaging in the US
 Cluster Reading:
Sarah G. Thomason, “Social Factors and Linguistic Processes in the Emergence of Stable
Mixed Languages”
Bakker, Peter and Maarten Mous, “Introduction”, in: Bakker, Peter and Maarten Mous
(eds.), Mixed Languages
Danylenko, Andrii, “Iazychie i Surzhyk: Mixing Languages and Identities in the
Ukrainian Borderlands”
García, Ofelia and Li Wei. Translanguaging: Language, Bilingualism and Education
 Term Paper Draft due
Cluster 3: Multilingual Matters
a) Stable Mixed Varieties: Pidgin
Codeswitching vs. loanwords and calques; convergence; lingua francas; Russian Pidgins:
Taymyr Pidgin, Russenorsk; Chinese Pidgin Russian and others; linguistic characteristics:
phonology, morphosyntax, vocabulary
b) Stable Mixed Varieties: Creole Languages
Creole formations; theories of creole genesis; geographical distribution; linguistic characteristics:
phonology, morphosyntax, vocabulary
 Cluster Reading:
Stern, Dieter “Russian Pidgin Languages”
Stern, Dieter “Taimyr Russian Pidgin (Govorka)”
Kibrik, Andrej “Alaskan Russian”
Крылова. И. А. “Формирование языковой культуры в процессе пиджинизации и
креолизации

Cluster 4: Linguistic Hybrids and Beyond
a) Language Policy and Planning
Ruthenian: standard vernacular vs. Church Slavonic; Russification of how many Ukrainian and
Belarusian languages? Periods and models, policies in the Russian and Habsburg Empires
b) Mixed Languages and Cultures
Surzhyk and Trasjanka: typology and samples; linguistic characteristics: phonology,
morphosyntax, vocabulary
c) Linguistic Hybrids, and Beyond
Jazychie, Bałak, and other formations
 Cluster Reading:
Bilaniuk, Laada, “A Typology of Surzhyk”
Bilaniuk, Laada, “Speaking of Surzhyk: Ideologies and Mixed languages”
Bilaniuk, Laada, “Surzhyk”
Danylenko, Andrii, “Iazychie i Surzhyk: Mixing Languages and Identities in the
Ukrainian Borderlands”
Danylenko, Andrii and Halyna Naienko. “Linguistic Russification in Russian Ukraine:
languages, imperial models, and policies”
Flier, Michael. “Surzhyk: Rules of Engagement”
Hentschel, Gerd, “Eleven Questions and Answers about Belarusian-Russian Mixed
Speech”
Liskovets, Irina, “Trasjanka: A Code of Rural Migrants in Minsk”
Хентшель, Герд, “Белорусско-русская смешанная речь”
Kanter, Reagan, “Jazyčie”
 Term Paper revision due
Cluster 5: Individual Meetings and Presentations
 Final Term Paper due
Odds and Ends:
1. Attendance is required and will be monitored in a regular basis. Students collect one point for
each attendance (excluding exams), for a maximum of TBA points. Perfect attendance thus
results in TBA points extra credit. Sorry, no points for excused absences.
2. Punctuality for class is appreciated. If you are late, please find a seat near the entrance.
3. Classroom participation, while not explicitly graded, will be taken into consideration in
calculating final grades (especially in the case of a “close call”).