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Rusyn language



 
 
Rusyn (; ) is an East Slavic idiom
East Slavic languages

The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of Slavic languages, currently spoken in Eastern Europe. It is the group with the largest numbers of speakers, far out-numbering the West Slavic languages and South Slavic languages groups....
 that is spoken by the Rusyns
Rusyns

Rusyns are an Eastern Slavic ethnic group which speak Rusyn language. The group is descended from the minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the ethnonym Ukrainians to describe their ethnic identity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
. Opinions differ among linguists concerning whether Rusyn is a separate East Slavic language or a dialect of Ukrainian
Ukrainian language

Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic languages of the Slavic languages. It is the official language of Ukraine. In some areas of Russia there are dialects, Balachka or Surzhyk, which are the Ukrainianized versions of the Russian language....
. The political implications of the dispute add to the controversy.

Rusyn is spoken in the Transcarpathian Region
Zakarpattia Oblast

Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative administrative divisions of Ukraine located in southwestern Ukraine. Its Capital is the city of Uzhhorod....
 of Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
, in northeastern Slovakia
Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
, southeastern Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 (where it is often called lemkowski 'Lemko', from their characteristic word lem/??? 'only'), and Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
 (where the people and language are called Ruten).






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Rusyn (; ) is an East Slavic idiom
East Slavic languages

The East Slavic languages constitute one of three regional subgroups of Slavic languages, currently spoken in Eastern Europe. It is the group with the largest numbers of speakers, far out-numbering the West Slavic languages and South Slavic languages groups....
 that is spoken by the Rusyns
Rusyns

Rusyns are an Eastern Slavic ethnic group which speak Rusyn language. The group is descended from the minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the ethnonym Ukrainians to describe their ethnic identity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
. Opinions differ among linguists concerning whether Rusyn is a separate East Slavic language or a dialect of Ukrainian
Ukrainian language

Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic languages of the Slavic languages. It is the official language of Ukraine. In some areas of Russia there are dialects, Balachka or Surzhyk, which are the Ukrainianized versions of the Russian language....
. The political implications of the dispute add to the controversy.

Rusyn is spoken in the Transcarpathian Region
Zakarpattia Oblast

Zakarpattia Oblast is an administrative administrative divisions of Ukraine located in southwestern Ukraine. Its Capital is the city of Uzhhorod....
 of Ukraine
Ukraine

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
, in northeastern Slovakia
Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
, southeastern Poland
Poland

Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian Enclave and exclave, to the north....
 (where it is often called lemkowski 'Lemko', from their characteristic word lem/??? 'only'), and Hungary
Hungary

Hungary , officially in English the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in the Carpathian Basin of Central Europe, bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and Slovenia....
 (where the people and language are called Ruten). The Pannonian Rusyn language
Pannonian Rusyn language

Pannonian Rusyn or simply Rusyn is a Slavic languages language or dialect spoken in north-western Serbia and eastern Croatia . It is similar to West Slavic languages, , but has Eastern Slavic languages phonetics and vocabulary....
 in Serbia
Serbia

Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
 is sometimes considered part of the Rusyn language group, although some linguists consider that language to be West Slavic. In Ukraine, Rusyn is usually considered a dialect of Ukrainian, as it is very close to the Ukrainian Hutsul dialect, but some speakers sometimes prefer to consider themselves distinct from Ukrainians.

Attempts to standardize the language suffer from its being divided among four countries, so that in each of these countries there has been devised a separate orthography
Orthography

The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Orthography is derived from Greek language ????? orth?s and ???fe?? gr?phein ....
 (in each case with Cyrillic
Cyrillic alphabet

The Cyrillic alphabet is a family of alphabets, subsets of which are used by five Slavic languages national languages as well as non-Slavic . It is also used by many other languages of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia and other languages in the past....
 letters) and grammatical standard, based on different Rusyn dialects. The cultural centres of Carpatho-Rusyn are Prešov
Prešov

Pre?ov is a city in eastern Slovakia. It is the seat of the administrative Pre?ov Region . With a population of approximately 91,000, it is the third-largest city in the country....
 in Slovakia, Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod

Uzhhorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the Capital of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast....
 and Mukacheve
Mukacheve

Mukacheve or Mukachevo is a city located in the valley of the Latorica river in the Zakarpattia Oblast , in southwestern Ukraine. Serving as the Capital city of the Mukachivskyi Raion , the city itself is also designated as a separate raion within the oblast....
 in Ukraine, Krynica
Krynica

Krynica-Zdr?j [] is a town in southern Poland in Beskid Sadecki mountains, inhabited by over eleven thousand people. It is the biggest spa town in Poland called The Pearl of Polish Spas; a tourist and ski resort....
 and Legnica
Legnica

Legnica is a city on the Kaczawa river in Lower Silesia in south-western Poland. According to official figures for 2006, it has a total population of 105,485....
 in Poland,Ruski Krstur
Ruski Krstur

Ruski Krstur is a village in Serbia, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. It is located in the municipality of Kula , West Backa District....
 in Vojvodina
Vojvodina

The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an Subdivisions of Serbia in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census....
 and Budapest
Budapest

Budapest is the Capitals of Hungary of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it serves as the country's principal political, cultural, commerce, Industry, and transportation center and is considered an important hub in Central Europe....
 in Hungary. Many very active Rusyns also live in Canada
Canada

Canada is a country occupying most of northern North America, extending from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west and northward into the Arctic Ocean....
 and the USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
.

It is very difficult to count the speakers of Rusyn, but their number is sometimes estimated at almost a million, most of them in Ukraine and Slovakia. The first country to officially recognize Rusyn, more exactly Pannonian Rusyn
Pannonian Rusyn language

Pannonian Rusyn or simply Rusyn is a Slavic languages language or dialect spoken in north-western Serbia and eastern Croatia . It is similar to West Slavic languages, , but has Eastern Slavic languages phonetics and vocabulary....
, as an official language was former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia

File:LocationYugoslavia2.pngYugoslavia is a term that describes three political entities that existed successively on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century....
. In 1995, Rusyn was recognized as a minority language
Minority language

A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a country. Such people are termed linguistic minorities. With a total number of 193 sovereign states recognized internationally and an estimated number of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 List of languages by name spoken worldwide, it follows that the vast majority of la...
 in Slovakia
Slovakia

Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
, enjoying the status of official language
Official language

An official language is a language that is given a special legal status in a particular country, state, or other territory. Typically a nation's official language will be the one used in that nation's courts, parliament and administration....
 in municipalities where more than 20% of the inhabitants speak Rusyn.
  • The Rusyn language is divided as follows:
    • Hutsul is spoken in the mountainous part of Suceava County
      Suceava County

      Suceava is a county of Romania, in the historical regions Moldova and Bukovina, with the capital city at Suceava....
       and Maramures County
      Maramures County

      Maramures ...
       in Romania
      Romania

      Romania is a country located in Southeastern Europe Central Europe, North of the Balkan Peninsula, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian Mountains, bordering on the Black Sea....
       and the extreme southern parts of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast
      Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

      Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an administrative divisions of Ukraine in western Ukraine. Its capital city is Ivano-Frankivsk.In the past the area was known as Stanislaw?w Voivodship and Stanislav Oblast ....
       of Ukraine
      Ukraine

      Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
       (as well as in parts of the Chernivtsi
      Chernivtsi Oblast

      Chernivtsi Oblast , is an administrative divisions of Ukraine in western Ukraine, bordering on Romania and Moldova. It has a large variety of landforms: the Carpathian Mountains and picturesque hills at the foot of the mountains gradually change to a broad partly forested plain situated between the Dniester and Prut rivers....
       and Transcarpathian Oblasts), and on the northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains.
    • Boyko is spoken on the northern side of the Carpathian Mountains in the Lviv
      Lviv Oblast

      Lviv Oblast is an administrative divisions of Ukraine in western Ukraine. The capital city of the oblast is the city of Lviv....
       and Ivano-Frankivsk
      Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast

      Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast is an administrative divisions of Ukraine in western Ukraine. Its capital city is Ivano-Frankivsk.In the past the area was known as Stanislaw?w Voivodship and Stanislav Oblast ....
       Oblasts of Ukraine
      Ukraine

      Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
      . It can also be heard across the border in the Subcarpathian Voivodship of Poland
    • Lemko is spoken outside Ukraine in the Prešov Region
      Prešov Region

      The Pre?ov Region is one of the eight Regions of Slovakia. It consists of 13 districts....
       of Slovakia
      Slovakia

      Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
       along the southern side of the Carpathian Mountains. It was formerly spoken on the northern side of the same mountains, in what is now southeastern Poland, prior to Operation Wisla
      Operation Wisla

      Operation Wisla was the codename for the 1947 deportation of southeastern People's Republic of Poland's Ukrainians, Boyko and Lemko populations, carried out by the Polish United Workers' Party authorities About 200,000 people, mostly of Ukrainian ethnicity, residing in southeastern Poland were forcibly resettled to the Former eastern terri...
      , but is being revived.
    • Dolinian Rusyn or Subcarpathian Rusyn is spoken in the Transcarpathian Oblast of Ukraine
      Ukraine

      Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by Russia to the east; Belarus to the north; Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to the south....
      .
    • Pryashiv Rusyn is the Rusyn spoken in the Prešov Region
      Prešov Region

      The Pre?ov Region is one of the eight Regions of Slovakia. It consists of 13 districts....
       (in Rusyn: Pryashiv/Pryashuv) of Slovakia
      Slovakia

      Slovakia . It was amended in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president and again in February 2001 due to EU admission requirements....
      , as well as by some émigré communities, primarily in the United States of America.
    • Pannonian Rusyn is spoken in northwestern Serbia
      Serbia

      Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a country in Central Europe and Balkans Europe, covering the southern part of the Pannonian Plain and the central part of the Balkans....
       and eastern Croatia
      Croatia

      Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a Central European country at the crossroads of Pannonian Plain, Balkans, and the Mediterranean Sea....
      . Also called Backa
      Backa

      Backa is an area of the Pannonian plain lying between the rivers Danube and Tisa. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary, with small uninhabited pockets of land on the left bank of the Danube which belong to Croatia, but are under Serbian control since 1991 ....
       dialect, it is one of the official languages of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
      Vojvodina

      The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina is an Subdivisions of Serbia in Serbia, containing about 27% of its total population according to the 2002 Census....
      ).
Boiko, Hutsul and Dolinian are identified (and for the same speakers) as Ukrainian dialects and not Rusyn for several speakers that they are identified themselves Ukrainians.

In the introduction to the book "Slavic languages," written in 1973, ten years before glasnost
Glasnost

was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of 1980s....
, Samuel Bernshtein writes about "western Ukrainians" and the "literary language" which they "until recently [i.e., 1973]" had.

Alphabet


See also


  • Old Ruthenian
    Ruthenian language

    Ruthenian is a term used for the Variety of East Slavic language spoken in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later in the East Slavic territories of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth....
  • Pannonian Rusyn
    Pannonian Rusyn language

    Pannonian Rusyn or simply Rusyn is a Slavic languages language or dialect spoken in north-western Serbia and eastern Croatia . It is similar to West Slavic languages, , but has Eastern Slavic languages phonetics and vocabulary....
  • Rusyns
    Rusyns

    Rusyns are an Eastern Slavic ethnic group which speak Rusyn language. The group is descended from the minority of Ruthenians who did not adopt the ethnonym Ukrainians to describe their ethnic identity in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries....
  • Pannonian Rusyns
    Pannonian Rusyns

    Rusyns in Pannonia, or simply Rusyns or Ruthenians , are a Slavic minority in Serbia and Croatia. They are officially considered a separate nationality in Serbia and Croatia, but are also considered to be a part of the northern Rusyns who live mostly in Ukraine, but also in Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, and Hunga...
  • Alexander Duchnovic's Theatre
  • Metodyj Trochanovskij
    Metodyj Trochanovskij

    Metodyj Trochanovskij, Lemko activist, was born in Binczarowa, Poland, when it was part of the province of Galicia of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, on May 5, 1885....
    , Lemko Grammarian


Further reading

  • A new Slavic language is born. The Rusyn literary language in Slovakia. Ed. Paul Robert Magocsi
    Paul Robert Magocsi

    Paul Robert Magocsi is a professor of history and political science at the University of Toronto since 1980, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1996....
    . New York 1996.
  • Magocsi, Paul Robert. Let's speak Rusyn. . Englewood 1976.
  • ?????????, ????????? ??????????. Jugoslavo-Ruthenica. ?????? ? ?????? ?????????. ???? ??? 1995.
  • Taras Kuzio, "", Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism, XXXII (2005)
  • Elaine Rusinko, "Rusinski/Ruski pisni" selected by Nataliia Dudash; "Muza spid Karpat (Zbornik poezii Rusiniv na Sloven'sku)" assembled by Anna Plishkova. Books review. "The Slavic and East European Journal, Vol. 42, No. 2. (Summer, 1998), pp. 348-350.
  • Marta Harasowska. "Morphophonemic Variability, Productivity, and Change: The Case of Rusyn", Berlin ; New York : Mouton de Gruyter, 1999, ISBN 3110157616.
    • by Edward J. Vajda, Language, Vol. 76, No. 3. (Sep., 2000), pp. 728-729
  • I. I. Pop, Paul Robert Magocsi, Encyclopedia of Rusyn History and Culture, University of Toronto Press, 2002, ISBN 0802035663


External links