Thesis title: La lingua dei molocani russi in Azerbaigian: l’impatto della storia e della religione (Язык русских молокан в Азербайджане: влияние истории и религии)
This dissertation examines the dialects of Russian Molokans living in the settlements of Ivanovka, Maraza (now Gobustan), Khilmilli, Chukhuryurd, and Russkie Borisy in Azerbaijan.
The primary focus is on the functioning of Russian speech in the context of Azerbaijani-Russian bilingualism, which has developed over nearly two centuries of Russian settlement in the South Caucasus. The analysis is based on materials collected during field research.
The study also provides a historical and demographic overview of Molokan settlement in Azerbaijan, as well as an exploration of their religious beliefs, customs, and rituals. This broader context allows for a more comprehensive analysis of the circumstances surrounding this ethnoreligious linguistic minority, taking into account relevant historical and social factors.
Special attention is given to linguistic changes in the speech of Molokans resulting from the influence of Standard Russian and Azerbaijani, including phonetic, lexical, grammatical, and syntactic features, as well as the phenomenon of code-switching.