JS-45.6
Linguistic Vitality Among the Turks and Armenians of Tehran
Abstract: In this research, the demographic structure of Tehran is investigated according to Ferguson and Fishman's bilingual theory. Tehran as the capital city of Iran has its own distinct, prestigious, dominant and standard language verity. Tehran, due to its particular situation, attracts local immigrants who speak in different languages and dialects. Each individual tries to pick up and internalize this dominant variety of language according to his/her will or situation. Taking into account the fact that languages do not have the characteristics of superiority or inferiority by themselves, and if the language is placed in the pyramid of hierarchy and enjoys the dominancy, it is because of cultural, economic, political and even psychological factors. The use of either local or dominant varieties of languages in different settings as well as the factors that contribute to the stability and instability of multi-lingualism precisely among Armenians and Turks is the main goal of this research. This research is consists of four parts:
Part I: Ethnicity, language, biligualism , diglossia and language vitality
Part II: A brief survey on the historical background and demographic situation of two ethnic groups
Part III: Research method, analysis and Interpretation of Information
Part IV: Conclusion
Keywords: Tehran, Armenians, Turks, Bilingualism, Diglossia, Immigration
Emilia Nercissians. Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, Faculty of social Sciences.
University of Tehran, e-mail : enerciss@ut.ac.ir