ABSTRACT
Until recently, the norms of Russian were established by academics not formally appointed for that task. The new language bill has changed the situation, and the authority to regulate the norm has been granted to the government. The first instance of government action in determining the norm took place in 2009. The decision was towards greater democracy in the sense that it authorized the use of some common variants that were considered incorrect under the previous norm. One can also see democratization in the expansion of colloquial and slang expressions in the mass media. Similar shifts in language use have taken place in most Western countries, but in Russia the change has been quicker and more dramatic. A topical issue from the point of view of the “ownership” of Russian is the possible existence of several varieties of Russian. The question is whether, and to what extent, native Russian speakers living outside Russia should follow the official norm of Russian-Russian.
