Russian-language television broadcasting as a tool for implementing language policy in the Republic of Tajikistan

The article is devoted to the analysis of the development of Russian-language television broadcasting in the Republic of Tajikistan in the context of deepening political, economic and cultural ties with the Russian Federation. The relevance of the study is due to the desire of the state to maintain the status of the Russian language as a means of interethnic communication and management of the language situation in the country. The purpose of the article is to analyze how Russian-language television broadcasting contributes to the implementation of the objectives of the state language policy in Tajikistan. The main attention is paid to the role of television in the popularization of the Russian language, its influence on the development of bilingualism and the integration of Tajik labor migrants into the Russian linguistic and cultural environment. The state language policy of Tajikistan is aimed at the development of the state language — its active use in government institutions, education and the media. At the same time, support and development of Russian as a language of interethnic communication and other languages represented on the territory of the republic is also ensured. Support for the Russian language and Russian-language broadcasting is seen as a tool for maintaining balance in the linguistic space. This makes it possible to neutralize the growing influence of the Iranian language, which is actively disseminated through Iranian-language television channels, which often broadcast political and ideological guidelines that are prohibited in Iran itself. As part of the study, the following tasks were set: to assess the current state of Russian-language television broadcasting in Tajikistan, analyze its impact on the development of the Russian language in the country, identify the significance of Russian-language content for migration policy and cultural adaptation. Television was chosen as the object of study because of its high popularity among the population, which is confirmed by research data on media preferences. The TV viewing barometer shows the highest levels of television popularity among the media. Therefore, the country occupies a leading place in Central Asia in this indicator. The empirical basis of the study was official documents regulating the features of the language policy of the Republic of Tajikistan, statistical data and measurement results, as well as materials from a survey and questionnaire conducted by the author of the article. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used for the analysis, including content analysis, comparative method and interpretation of sociological data. Research results. The analysis showed that Russian-language television broadcasting in Tajikistan, thanks to two large local television providers, has strengthened its position in large cities. In remote areas it has become difficult to reach. Watching programs in Russian contributes to more successful language acquisition, which, in turn, facilitates the adaptation of labor migrants to life in Russia, including understanding its legislation and culture. Russian-language broadcasting helps strengthen the position of the Russian language and develop linguistic and cultural ties between Tajikistan and Russia.