This paper concludes a research project on Belarusian-Russian Mixed Speech
(BRMS), which is commonly referred to disrespectfully as ‘Trasjanka’. BRMS is practised as
a subvariety by millions of people in Belarus, usually in addition to Russian. The findings of
the project will be presented in a question and answer format. At issue are 11 questions, which
have been widely discussed during the last two decades: 1. When did BRMS / Trasjanka come
into existence? 2. How did Trasjanka arise and how is it acquired? 3. Is Trasjanka a form of
speech of the uneducated? 4. Does Trasjanka have anything in common with pidgin or creole
languages or other ‘mixed languages’? 5. Is Trasjanka an instance of code switching, of
code mixing or a mixed (‘fused’) lect? 6. Does Trasjanka have a usus or usage norm? 7. Is it
possible to distinguish a Belarusian-based Trasjanka from a Russian-based one? 8. Is Trasjanka
a Belarusian or Russian ‘dialect’? 9. Can we comprehend Trasjanka with the help of
old concepts like ‘diglossia’ and ‘bilingualism’? 10. Is Trasjanka a transient epiphenomenon
in the language shift from Belarusian to Russian? 11. What role does Trasjanka play for the
maintenance or revitalisation of Belarusian?

EB00000002560K

Available

• Eleven questions and answers about Belarusian-Russian Mixed Speech (‘Trasjanka’)