Статьи

This work briefly describes several aspects of how the Karelian language is represented in the linguistic landscape of Karelia based on visual materials and interviews collected in research trips to the region in 2019 - 2022. Which public places is written Karelian used in? Who promotes and organises its usage in the local environment? What are the main functions of the language in the linguistic landscape? Сan the increase of Karelian’s presence in public spaces be considered a revitalisation strategy? These are the questions we address in the text. We suggest that the use of Karelian in the linguistic landscape constructs ethnically marked social spaces closely tied to local identification. Besides, we discuss variability in Karelian inscriptions due to dialect diversity and the absence of unified spelling standards, as well as influence of other languages (primarily Russian and Finnish).