Russian Language Use in the United States: Demographics and Implications

Author

Julie Brock, University of KentuckyFollow

Year of Publication

2020

College

Arts and Sciences

Department/School/Program

Modern & Classical Languages, Literature & Cultures

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Sadia Zoubir-Shaw

Abstract

As a large nation covering 1/9 of the Earth’s surface, Russia and its language necessarily draw linguistic attention. Between the time of the Russian Revolution (1917) until now, Russian speakers (both from Russia itself and former Soviet territories) immigrated to the United States in four or five waves. Russian is currently identified as one of the world’s Critical Languages, according to the U.S. State Department. U.S. Census data indicate that Russian language spoken in respondents’ homes increased by 393% between 1980-2010, with just under a million people speaking Russian in their homes in 2011. English language use among this population is of interest, as is their continued Russian language use. Russian language use has implications for educational programs, policy development and community engagement.

Notes

Julie Brock participated in the Posters-at-the-Capitol event in Frankfort, KY on March 5, 2020.

Recommended Citation

Brock, Julie, "Russian Language Use in the United States: Demographics and Implications" (2020). Posters-at-the-Capitol Presentations. 7.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/capitol_present/7