Положение русского языка и Трасянка в Беларуси

The status of the Russian language and Trasjanka in Belarus

Russian language is currently used by the absolute majority of the population for the communication of all social activities in Belarus. Belarusian language has been displaced from all spheres of usage. However, there is an intermediate form of mixed speech in Belarus, the so-called Trasjanka . Trasjanka – a mixture of Russian and Belarusian languages, the consequence of which is a violation of both languages: this is an incorrect use of gender, number, case or complete replacement of Russian words in Belarusian and vice versa. Despite the fact that this phenomenon has a negative impact on both languages, it continues to exist, especially in rural areas among the poorly educated population, but it can also penetrate into the mass media, advertising and public spaces. Trasjanka is a typical language for people who do not speak much Russian nor Belarusian. Also, a group of people who actively the language is those who moved to the city during the Russification period and forced to learn the Russian language in order to find a job and a new place.