Eleven questions and answers about Belarusian-Russian Mixed Speech (‘Trasjanka’)

Abstract

This paper concludes a research project on Belarusian-Russian Mixed Speech (BRMS), which is commonly referred to disrespectfully as ‘Trasjanka’. BRMS is practised as a subvariety by millions of people in Belarus, usually in addition to Russian. The findings of the project will be presented in a question and answer format. At issue are 11 questions, which have been widely discussed during the last two decades: 1. When did BRMS / Trasjanka come into existence? 2. How did Trasjanka arise and how is it acquired? 3. Is Trasjanka a form of speech of the uneducated? 4. Does Trasjanka have anything in common with pidgin or creole languages or other ‘mixed languages’? 5. Is Trasjanka an instance of code switching, of code mixing or a mixed (‘fused’) lect? 6. Does Trasjanka have a usus or usage norm? 7. Is it possible to distinguish a Belarusian-based Trasjanka from a Russian-based one? 8. Is Trasjanka a Belarusian or Russian ‘dialect’? 9. Can we comprehend Trasjanka with the help of old concepts like ‘diglossia’ and ‘bilingualism’? 10. Is Trasjanka a transient epiphenomenon in the language shift from Belarusian to Russian? 11. What role does Trasjanka play for the maintenance or revitalisation of Belarusian?