Belarusian language

Belarusian is a way to talk.

It is one of two main ways to talk in Belarus. People use it in many lands. They speak it in Russia and Poland too.

It is a close relative to Russian and Ukrainian. This means they sound a bit alike. Many people speak it at home with family. It helps them share their own stories. It is a special way to connect with others.

Belarusian is a way of speaking. It is one of two official languages in Belarus.

Many people also speak it in Russia, Poland, and Ukraine. It is part of the East Slavic group. This means it is a close relative of Russian and Ukrainian. Because of this, the languages can sound similar to each other.

Long ago, Belarusian came from a language called Ruthenian. In the 1800s, many people spoke it in small towns. It was often the language of farmers. Some people thought it was only for rural life. But writers worked hard to grow the language. Ivan Nasovič made the first dictionary in 1870.

In the past, people used different names for it. Some called it White Russian. Now, we call it Belarusian. It is a way for people to show pride. A writer named Francišak Bahuševič once said people should not leave their language behind. He wanted them to keep it so they would not perish. Today, it remains a special part of how people connect.

Belarusian is a beautiful East Slavic language. It is one of the two official languages in the country of Belarus.

Many people also speak it in Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine. There is even a Belarusian diaspora in the United States. Because it is an East Slavic language, it is closely related to Russian and Ukrainian. These languages share many similar words and grammar rules. This means people who speak them can often understand each other.

There are different ways people speak Belarusian depending on where they live. These are called dialects. Two main dialects are the northeastern and southwestern versions. The northeastern dialect uses a "soft sounding R." The southwestern dialect uses a "hard sounding R." There are also groups called Middle Belarusian and West Polesian. These groups live in different areas of the country.

The history of the language goes back many centuries. It descended from a language called Ruthenian. Ruthenian came from even older Old East Slavic. In the 1300s, a Latin term for the language was recorded. By the 1800s, Belarusian was often the language of farmers and small town dwellers. It was also used in oral folklore and stories. During this time, people also used the name White Russian to describe it.

Many important people worked to protect and grow the language. In 1870, Ivan Nasovič published the first Belarusian dictionary.

A writer named Francišak Bahuševič was also very important. He wrote that people should not abandon their language. He believed that losing a language could mean a people might perish. In 1897, a census showed about 5.89 million people spoke it. This helped people realize that their language was a special part of their identity.

Today, the language is a big part of how people connect. In a 1999 census, about 3,686,000 people said they spoke it at home. Many people also use it as their "mother tongue." Some people speak a mixture of Russian and Belarusian called Trasianka. Even though there are no Belarusian-language universities in the country, the language remains vital. It is a way for people to show pride in their history.

Belarusian is an East Slavic language. It is one of the two official languages in Belarus.

It is also spoken in parts of Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine. A Belarusian diaspora also speaks the language in the United States. Because it belongs to the East Slavic group, it shares many grammatical and lexical features with related languages. Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian share a degree of mutual intelligibility. This means speakers of these languages can often understand one another.

The language has a long and complex history. It descended from Ruthenian, a language used from the 13th to the 18th centuries. Ruthenian itself descended from Old East Slavic, which was spoken from the 10th to the 13th centuries. Documents like the Casimir's Code of 1468 and the third Lithuanian statute of 1588 were written in Ruthenian.

In the 14th century, a Latin term for the language was recorded. In the 16th century, the Ruthenian Bible was printed by Francysk Skaryna.

The modern Belarusian language was redeveloped in the 19th century. It grew from the vernacular remnants of Ruthenian spoken in ethnic Belarusian territories.

During the 19th century, the language faced many political challenges. The Russian Empire and the Polish nobility both held influence in the region. This created a struggle for control over education and culture. The Polish language and culture became very prosperous in the early 1800s. This led to the Polonization of many lower-level nobles. As a result, the use of Belarusian decreased and it became associated with folklore. However, a revival of national pride began in the early 19th century. By the 1880s, an educated Belarusian element began to appear in state offices. This group was often looked down upon because of its peasant origins.

Several important figures helped build the Belarusian literary tradition. Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich initiated the re-formation of this tradition using folk language. In 1846, Pavel Shpilevskiy tried to create a Belarusian grammar. Although the Russian Academy of Sciences refused to print it, his work was an early attempt at study. In 1870, Ivan Nasovič published the first Belarusian dictionary.

Another writer, Francišak Bahuševič, made emotional appeals to his people. He warned that losing the language could lead to the disappearance of the people. In the 1860s, Konstanty Kalinowski used the language for political propaganda. He published the first newspaper, Mužyckaja prauda, in the language.

There are several distinct dialects within the Belarusian language. Aside from the standardized version, there are two main dialects. The northeastern dialect features a "soft sounding R" and "strong akanye." The southwestern dialect features a "hard sounding R" and "moderate akanye." These two are separated by a hypothetical line passing through Ashmyany, Minsk, Babruysk, and Gomel. A transitional group called Middle Belarusian exists along this line. There is also a separate West Polesian dialect group. This group is separated from the rest of the country by a specific line of towns.

Statistics show the wide reach and usage of the language. The 1897 Russian Empire census recorded about 5.89 million Belarusian speakers.

In the 1999 census, about 3,686,000 citizens said they spoke Belarusian at home. This represented 36.7% of the population. Of these, about 6,984,000 Belarusians declared it their mother tongue. In Russia, about 316,000 inhabitants declare it a familiar language. In Ukraine, about 55,000 Belarusians name it as their native language. In Poland, about 40,000 people speak it at home.

The language also has many different names. It is officially called Belarusian, derived from the country name. Between 1992 and 1995, the name Belarusan was used officially in the United Nations. Before 1991, it was often called Byelorussian or White Russian in English. Some people have suggested alternative names like Grand Lithuanian or Kryvian. Today, many people in Belarus speak a mixture of Russian and Belarusian. This mixture is known as Trasianka. While there are no Belarusian-language universities in the country, the language remains a vital part of identity.