The impact of Runglish on community identity.
Older generations and some researchers fear the increased use of Runglish among Brighton Beach natives contributes to a loss of Russian culture and tradition.
It is likely Runglish will only become more and more “Englishized” as each generation grows up with English as a first language and has increasingly little need to retain Russian. Stores have already taken down Russian signs to replace them with English. And in the shoes of a first-generation immigrant, it is understandably concerning when you see your culture and identity slowly disappearing with each passing year. This shift is not only in language but in all facets of Brighton Beach culture as traditional Russian restaurants are replaced with American ones and shops cater to an increasingly American audience.
This is the yellow banner of Saint Petersburg book store. In this old picture from 2006, you see that the store name is spelled in Russian “Санкт-Петербург” and the bottom of the sign uses Russian words “книги” (books), “музыка” (music), and “фильмы” (films) unlike the picture below which shows their updated sign using English.
Language is always changing, and all language is good language.
While English certainly influences Brighton more, English words are also used in Russia and are increasing in use as time goes on, especially as internet culture is popularized. Words like “фильм” [film] (film) and “компютер” [kəputɾ] (computer) are the only words in existence in Russian to describe this things. It is not just that Bright Beach natives have picked up some English words, Russian as a whole has adopted many foreign words. In retrospect, languages and cultures collide all the time, and this is not inherently bad. it does not always result in a loss of culture or language. Every language pulls from other languages to describe the unfamiliar and familiar. So perhaps this language collide is less an indication of a loss of language and more a change in language. Languages shift and change naturally as times change, and any language that functions for speakers is good language. Instead of viewing Runglish as loss of culture, you can see it as a shift in culture as speakers pioneer forward without neeing to loose sight of the past. Speaking English or Runglish does not mean you can’t cherish your Russian heritage, language, and culture. Runglish can even be seen as a tool to build an identity for young Russian-Americans who must mediate their heritage with their geography.
