Problems of preservation and development of languages of small ethnic groups were discussed at KBSU
November 25, 2022, as part of the Year of the Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of the Russian Federation and the International Decade of Indigenous Peoples at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University named after H.M. Berbekov hosted a national conference with international participation «The problem of minority languages in the paradigm of modern linguistics», dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Russian Language and General Linguistics Zinaida Gabunia.
Professor of the Department of Russian Language and General Linguistics of KBSU Marina Kremshokalova explained that Zinaida Gabunia devoted her whole life to studying the languages of small peoples and the problem of minority languages is part of her entire scientific activity.
With words of gratitude to the eminent scientist, excellent mentor and true friend of Zinaida Mikhailovna, her colleagues, friends and students addressed.
Murat Gukepshokov, Vice-Rector for Personnel and Organizational and Legal Affairs of KBSU, on behalf of the university leadership, presented the hero of the day with a Certificate of Honor from KBSU for his huge contribution to the development of science. The relevance of the conference topic was noted by Doctor of Philology, Professor, Head. Department of the language of the Abkhaz Institute for Humanitarian Research named after D.I. Gulia, Academician of the Adyghe International Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences of Abkhazia Lili Khagba, who defended her doctoral dissertation at KBSU in 2006 under the guidance of Zinaida Gabunia. She thanked the organizers — the Department of the Russian Language and General Linguistics of the KBSU for their reverent attitude towards the languages of indigenous peoples. Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Humanitarian Disciplines of the North Caucasian State Academy Marina Kharatokova shared her memories of working on her doctoral dissertation «Borrowings in the Abaza language in the sociolinguistic aspect» under the guidance of Zinaida Gabunia.
«Zinaida Mikhailovna is an outstanding linguist whose name is on a par with such scientists as Uslar, Genko and others. I am very glad that I met such a person, especially since she was my supervisor and consultant. I wish her health, long life, I hope that her scientific collection of more than 20 monographs will be replenished with new works,” — said Marina Kharatokova.
The words of deep respect and reverence for the talent of the scientist and teacher Zinaida Gabunia were expressed by the professor of the North Caucasian State Institute of Arts Lyudmila Shautsukova. A scientist, professor of the Department of Greek and Slavic Philology at the University of Granada, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Association of Teachers of Russian Language and Literature, who devoted his whole life to the study of the Russian language at the same time as the study of languages small nations, doctor of philological sciences Rafael Tirada.
During the scientific part of the conference, linguists from various republics of the North Caucasus — Dagestan, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Adygea, Abkhazia presented their opinion on the fate of the languages of small peoples, on the prospects for their development. The materials of the conference will be published in the journal «Language: history, modernity», which is indexed in the RSCI.