Multilingual Moscow

Book excerpt: Moscow is one of the largest cities in Europe. Over the last three decades, the linguistic, cultural, and religious diversity in the Russian mega-city has increased substantially. On the other hand, language policy and language situation received little or no academic attention. The collection is closing this gap in the literature and investigates the urban multilingual practices in Moscow. A particular focus is placed on the investigation of multimodal interactions within minority groups. Ideologies about language play an important role in how communities form and differentiate themselves from others. Interestingly, the book unearths significant ideological views held about language varieties spoken in Moscow. The collection offers interdisciplinary contributions from areas such as education, intercultural communication, migration studies, geography, ethnography of communication, and community practitioners. In sum, the reader benefits from an insightful introduction to the complex linguistic situation in the dynamic capital of Russia.