FACING A LANGUAGE SHIFT: REFLECTIONS ON THE POSITION OF THE CIRCASSIAN LANGUAGE IN PRESCHOOL EDUCATION IN THE KABARDINO-BALKARIAN REPUBLIC (2000-2014)
The issue of the protection of the linguistic rights of minorities is one of the areas in which the degree of balance of inter-ethnic relations in complex polities is manifested. The level of complementarity of the latter to the linguistic needs of minority communities can be accurately judged by the degree of involvement of certain languages in the state education system. The focus of this study is the position of the Circassian language in one particular segment of the educational system in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. Analytical optics is aimed at clarifying the conditions for the functioning of the Circassian language in preschool educational institutions of the republic. The research perspective is built on the correlation of the institutional resources available in the republic, the demographic potential and the linguistic demand of the population for a comprehensive study of the Circassian language and the de facto course of profanation of the idea of multilingual education implemented within the educational system.