The specifics of ethnic interaction in the Middle Volga region through Russian dialect data

Abstract

The article analyzes the recordings of dialect speech made in Russian villages of the Ulyanovsk region. The dialects of the Middle Volga region are of particular interest to the author because of the polyethnic and multilingual environment, which resulted from the cohabitation of Slavic, Turkic and Finno-Ugric groups. Russian dialect speech reveals evidence of ethnic and cultural interaction. The recorded texts reflect a set of common, for different ethnic groups, traditions of farming, cooking, and dwellings. In the field of nutrition we can note the significant role of pumpkin dishes, which have never played an important role in Russian traditional cuisine. We can also find the native and borrowed words for them. The Turkic and Finno- Ugric influence upon Russian dialects was manifested to the greatest extent in the field of animal breeding. This is most of all vocabulary connected with the pasturing of cattle. In the field of agriculture and food culture we can see the most significant results of interaction between the material cultures. In the sphere of spiritual culture, confessional frameworks limited the mutual influence. A mixed Russian-Mordovian-Chuvash population of the villages characterizes the Ulyanovsk region. An individual’s belonging to a particular religion can be seen as an ethnic identifier. Modern informants emphasize the identity of the Russian, Mordovian, and Chuvash population. A different type of relationship develops with the population of the surrounding Tatar villages with the barrier being another faith. The informants point out friendly, but restrained relations.