language use in Belarus showed, inter alia, the following results: Asked about their ‘native language’, roughly 38% of around 1200 respondents named the Belarusian-Russian mixed speech, 49% Belarusian and 30% Russian (more than one answer was allowed). As their ‘first language’ roughly 50% declared the mixed speech, 42% Russian and 18% Belarusian (again more than one answer was allowed). Finally, as their ‘primarily used language’ roughly 55% named Russian, 41% the mixed speech and 4% Belarusian. The results of the research project contradict the popular opinion that the use of Belarusian-Russian mixed speech is an indicator for a poor education level and a lack of proficiency in Russian or Belarusian standard language. The mixed speech is widespread among Belarusians from all educational levels and age groups and used alongside the standard language, which in most cases is Russian. The degree to which individuals tend to approximate ‘their’ mixed speech use to Russian or, respectively, to Belarusian depends on such factors as interlocutors, conversation place, topic etc. Among young Belarusians the relative weight of mixed speech use decreases in favour of Russian. Phonology Phonology of Belarusian-Russian mixed speech is closer to Belarusian. From the point of view of the Russian speaker, the following distinctions are noticeable: presence of palatal affricate consonants [dz̪ʲ], [ts̪ʲ] instead of [dʲ], [tʲ], i.e. [ˈdz̪ʲenʲ] – "день", "day" – instead of [ˈdʲenʲ], [ˈts̪ʲixʲɪ] – "тихий", "quiet" – instead of [ˈtʲixʲɪj] absence of palatalization of the consonant in front of [j], i.e. [ˈpjʉt] – "пьют", "(they) drink" – instead of [ˈpʲjʉt] assimilative palatalization of the consonants, i.e. [ˈdz̪ʲvʲerɨ] – "двери", "doors" – instead of [ˈdvʲerʲɪ] aspirate [sʲ], i.e. [ˈsʲʰvʲatə] ("свята", "holiday"), [ˈʂɛsʲʰts̪ʲ] ("шесть", "six") “hard” hushing sibilants, [ʈ͡ʂ] as in Belarusian instead of [t͡ɕ] as in Russian, i.e. [ˈʈ͡ʂaʂkə] – "чашка", "cup" – instead of [ˈt͡ɕæʂkə] “hard” [r] instead of [rʲ], i.e. [ˈtrapkə] – "тряпка", "rag" – instead of [ˈtrʲæpkə] presence of non-syllabic bilabial [ʊ] in place of etymological (в) and (л) and instead of Russian normative [l] in the end of the word, i.e. [ˈpraʊdə] – "правда", "truth" – instead of [ˈpravdə], [ˈvoʊk] – "волк", "wolf" – instead of [ˈvolk], [pʲɪˈsaʊ] – "писал", "(he) wrote" – instead of [pʲɪˈsal] Vocabulary Belarusian-Russian mixed speech mostly includes Russian words which have Belarusian analogue shaped by Belarusian phonology and morphology. Some examples of high-frequency Russian words are (Belarusian and English translations are given in parenthesis): Nouns: (, "child"), (, "flower"),