The use of Language and Attitudes by Ethnic Minorities In Tehran: A case of Azeri Speakers

Abstract

The 1979 Islamic revolution, being one of the most significant sociocultural occurrences of the last decades, has made the history of Iran an appealing case study for researchers. The purpose of this work is to summaries the historical changes that have led to the current sociolinguistic situation of Iran, and then to put a special focus on the Azeri language condition, especially in terms of its amount and contexts of use, as well as the attitudes towards it by Iranian Azeri speakers in Tehran. A questionnaire was developed with the aim of shedding a light on fundamental sociolinguistic elements, such as the institutional support that the Azeri language currently receives in Tehran and the beliefs that Azeri speakers hold about their native language. Fifty-two Azeri speakers living in Tehran and coming from different educational, tribal and social backgrounds participated in this online study. Results suggest that despite the existence of institutional support issues, Iranian Azeri speakers have maintained a positive attitude towards their mother tongue.