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Do not fill this in! === Language === {{Main|Russian language|Languages of Russia}} {{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=350|caption_align=center | align = right | title = Minority languages across Russia | image1 = Linguistic map of the Altaic, Turkic and Uralic languages (en).png|caption1=[[Altaic languages|Altaic]] and [[Uralic languages]] spoken across Russia | image2 = Caucasus-ethnic en.svg|caption2=The [[North Caucasus]] is [[Peoples of the Caucasus|ethno]]-[[North Caucasian languages|linguistically]] diverse.<ref>{{cite conference |last1=Lazarev |first1=Vladimir |last2=Pravikova |first2=Ludmila |date=2005 |title=The North Caucasus Bilingualism and Language Identity |url=http://www.lingref.com/isb/4/103ISB4.PDF |editor-first1=James |editor-last1=Cohen |editor-first2=Kara T. |editor-last2=McAlister |editor-first3=Kellie |editor-last3=Rolstad |editor-first4=Jeff |editor-last4=MacSwan |page=1325 |book-title=ISB4: Proceedings of the 4th International Symposium on Bilingualism |publisher=Cascadilla Press |location=Somerville, MA |quote=The North Caucasus, inhabited by more than 100 of autochthonous and allochthonous peoples, including Russians, is a unique locus for conducting a large-scale research in the area of bilingualism and multilingualism.}}</ref> }} Russian is the [[official language|official]] and the predominantly spoken language in Russia.<ref name="Chevalier-2006"/> It is the most spoken [[first language|native language]] in Europe, the most geographically widespread language of Eurasia, as well as the world's most widely spoken [[Slavic languages|Slavic language]].<ref name="language"/> Russian is one of two official languages aboard the [[International Space Station]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Wakata |first=Koichi|author-link=Koichi Wakata |url=https://global.jaxa.jp/article/special/expedition/wakata01_e.html |title=My Long Mission in Space |publisher=[[JAXA]] |quote=The official languages on the ISS are English and Russian... |access-date=18 July 2021}}</ref> as well as one of the six [[official languages of the United Nations]].<ref name="language">{{cite web |url=https://learn.utoronto.ca/programs-courses/languages-and-translation/language-learning/russian |title=Russian |publisher=[[University of Toronto]] |quote="Russian is the most widespread of the Slavic languages and the largest native language in Europe. Of great political importance, it is one of the official languages of the United Nations – making it a natural area of study for those interested in geopolitics." |access-date=9 July 2021}}</ref> Russia is a [[Multilingualism#Europe|multilingual]] nation; approximately 100–150 minority languages are spoken across the country.<ref>{{cite journal |year=2011 |last=Iryna |first=Ulasiuk |title=Legal protection of linguistic diversity in Russia: past and present |journal=[[Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development]] |publisher=[[European University Institute]] |volume=32 |number=1 |pages=71–83 |doi=10.1080/01434632.2010.536237 |s2cid=145612470 |issn=0143-4632 |quote=Russia is unique in its size and ethnic composition. There is a further linguistic complexity of more than 150 co-existing languages.}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Russia/Mixed-and-deciduous-forest#ref38595 |title=Russia – Ethnic groups and languages |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]] |quote="Although ethnic Russians comprise more than four-fifths of the country's total population, Russia is a diverse, multiethnic society. More than 120 ethnic groups, many with their own national territories, speaking some 100 languages live within Russia's borders." |access-date=8 November 2020}}</ref> According to the [[Russian Census (2010)|Russian Census of 2010]], 137.5 million across the country spoke Russian, 4.3 million spoke [[Tatar language|Tatar]], and 1.1 million spoke [[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm |script-title=ru:Всероссийской переписи населения 2010 года |trans-title=All-Russian population census 2010 |website=Том 4. Национальный состав и владение языками, гражданство |publisher=[[Rosstat]] |language=ru |access-date=24 August 2022 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220307194352/http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/perepis2010/croc/perepis_itogi1612.htm |archive-date=7 March 2022}}</ref> The constitution gives the country's individual republics the right to [[List of official languages in Russia|establish their own state languages]] in addition to Russian, as well as guarantee its citizens the right to preserve their native language and to create conditions for its study and development.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.constitution.ru/en/10003000-04.htm |title=Chapter 3. The Federal Structure |publisher=[[Constitution of Russia]] |quote="2. The Republics shall have the right to establish their own state languages. In the bodies of state authority and local self-government, state institutions of the Republics they shall be used together with the state language of the Russian Federation. 3. The Russian Federation shall guarantee to all of its peoples the right to preserve their native language and to create conditions for its study and development." |access-date=27 December 2007}}</ref> However, various experts have claimed Russia's linguistic diversity is rapidly declining due to [[List of endangered languages in Russia|many languages becoming endangered]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jankiewicz |first1=Szymon |last2=Knyaginina |first2=Nadezhda |last3=Prina |first3=Federic |url=http://eprints.gla.ac.uk/208165/1/208165.pdf |title=Linguistic rights and education in the republics of the Russian Federation: towards unity through uniformity |date=13 March 2020 |volume=45 |number=1 |pages=59–91 |journal=[[Review of Central and East European Law]] |doi=10.1163/15730352-bja10003 |publisher=[[Brill Publishers|Brill]] |s2cid=216273023 |issn=0925-9880}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bondarenko |first1=Dmitry V. |last2=Nasonkin |first2=Vladimir V. |last3=Shagieva |first3=Rozalina V. |last4=Kiyanova |first4=Olga N. |last5=Barabanova |first5=Svetlana V. |year=2018 |title=Linguistic Diversity In Russia Is A Threat To Sovereignty Or A Condition Of Cohesion? |url=https://mjltm.org/article-1-146-en.pdf |journal=Modern Journal of Language Teaching Methods |pages=166–182 |volume=8 |number=5 |issn=2251-6204}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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