Dagestan fights back disappearance of local languages

Makhachkala/Agency Caucasus – As the whole of Caucasus begins to show the effects of having been exposed to the limitation of time in broadcasts of TV and radio in mother tongue, Dagestan, the country that hosts dozens of languages, now fights it back.

The widely known cartoons that remained from the Soviet era will be translated into local languages in an act of support for local languages and national cultures.

The intellectuals have long called attention to the gradual erosion of the mother tongues and the cultures of local people. Concern about the local cultures led to the translation of some of the well known Soviet-era cartoons into local languages. Professional players (actors and actresses) took part in the dubbing process. 

This project was initiated with a view towards helping those who lost their contact with their mother tongue after they moved away from Dagestan, said Shuma Shabotayev, the coordinator. However, it was later extended to cover the children as well, because it was observed that the children had trouble knowing about their mother tongues.

A couple of years ago, radio broadcasts in national languages were disallowed and television broadcasts in local languages were limited to a few hours only.

It is likely that the local languages that exist in Dagestan may be completely forgotten in 10-15 years if those languages are not supported, experts say. KU/ÖZ/FT