Common Language Development in Multilingual Contexts: A Study of Russian Language Policy in the Early Years of the Soviet Union

In the field of Russian linguistics, history, and jurisprudence, the Russian language is widely regarded as a political instrument and, to some extent, reflects the development and influence of contemporary language policy of the Russian language in the Soviet Union. This study aims to examine the process, characteristics, influencing psychological and sociological factors, and consequences of Russian language policy in the early Soviet Union (1917-1930s). Thematic analysis and discourse strategy analysis methods were employed to achieve this goal. The results indicate that a well-thought-out language policy necessitates the establishment of language legislation and a precise legal definition of the status and use of different languages. The absence of language legislation can be a major drawback of language policy. While the Soviet Constitution and other relevant political documents broadly define the status and use of Russian and other languages, there is no specific language legislation regulating the use of each language. Analysis of word frequency statistics demonstrates that the key concepts of Stalinist policy differed compared to the time of Lenin’s rule, resulting in a lack of effective legal force and strong mechanisms for controlling language policy practices. As the functional advantages of the Russian language become increasingly evident, some ethnic minorities tend to lean towards studying and using it, leading to the emergence of many bilingual and even trilingual individuals. Other minorities with small or underdeveloped populations turn to the Russian language, which is the most widely spoken language. These findings contribute to the theoretical and practical knowledge base for research in the fields of linguistics, linguistic culturology, history, psycholinguistics, and political science. Subsequent research can focus on current aspects of the country’s language policy.