This article reports findings from a survey on language usage in Belarus,
which encompasses bilingual Belarusian and Russian. First, the distribution of
language usage is discussed. Then the dependency of language usage on some
sociocultural conditions is explored. Finally, the changes in language usage
over three generations are discussed. We find that a mixed Belarusian–Russian
form of speech is widely used in the cities studied and that it is spoken across
all educational levels. However, it seems to be predominantly utilized in informal
communication, especially among friends and family members, leaving
Russian and Belarusian to more formal or public venues.