Introduction: Everyday Verbal and Cultural Practices of the Russian Speakers Abroad

Abstract

Abstract The Russian-speaking space plays an important role for diasporans: starting a business, founding a company, seeking legal advice, or high-quality medical treatment is always more convenient when participants understand the nuances of communication in a common language. It facilitates the understanding of highly specialized fields such as legislation and medicine. In business, it makes presumptions and expectations transparent, and common values allow the quality scale to be defined and shared. The sphere of activities conducted in the diaspora in Russian depends on the contingent of immigrants: their education, career aspirations, and interests. Integration in a new society is closely linked to the level of language proficiency in the local language/s and also in English as the lingua franca of science, commerce, and entertainment. Yet, Russian often competes with the other languages and serves as a unifying factor for communities with a background in the former Soviet Union. In the present special issue, the authors combine sociolinguistics and linguistic anthropology while analyzing the everyday verbal and cultural practices of Russian speakers abroad. Observations of communication in immigrant groups reveal the cultural potential of the speakers as reflected in their discourse. They demonstrate a variety of lifestyles and practices, but have a strong sense of cultural identity.