Rusyn language

Rusyn (/ˈrsɪn/ ROO-sin;[16] Carpathian Rusyn: русиньскый язык, romanized: rusîn'skyj jazyk; Pannonian Rusyn: руски язик, romanized: ruski jazik)[17][18] is an East Slavic language spoken by Rusyns in parts of Central and Eastern Europe, and written in the Cyrillic script.[19] The majority of speakers live in an area known as Carpathian Ruthenia that spans from Transcarpathia, westward into eastern Slovakia and south-east Poland.[20] There is also a sizeable Pannonian Rusyn linguistic island in Vojvodina, Serbia,[20] as well as a Rusyn diaspora throughout the world.[21][22] Per the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, Rusyn is officially recognized as a protected minority language by Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Poland (as Lemko), Serbia, and Slovakia.[12]

Rusyn
русинськый язык; руски язик
rusîns'kyj jazyk; ruski jazik
EthnicityRusyns
Native speakers
70,000 (2001–2013)[1]
Slovakia – 38,679[2]
Serbia – 15,626[3]
Poland – 10,000[4]
Ukraine – 6,725[5]
Croatia – 2,337[6]
Hungary – 1,113[7]
Czech Republic – 777[8]
Early forms
Dialects
Cyrillic script (Rusyn alphabets)
Latin script (Slovakia)[11]
Official status
Official language in
 Serbia (in Vojvodina)[12][13]
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3rue
Glottologrusy1239
Linguasphere53-AAA-ec < 53-AAA-e
(varieties: 53-AAA-eca to 53-AAA-ecc)
Rusyn is classified as Vulnerable by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
[citation needed]
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

The categorization of Rusyn as a language or dialect is a source of controversy.[23] Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian, as well as American and some Polish and Serbian linguists treat it as a distinct language[24][needs update] (with its own ISO 639-3 code), whereas other scholars (in Ukraine, Poland, Serbia, and Romania) treat it as a dialect of Ukrainian.[25][needs update]

Name

In the English language, the term Rusyn is recognized officially by the ISO.[26] Other names are sometimes also used to refer to the language, mainly deriving from exonyms such as Ruthenian or Ruthene (UK: /rʊˈθn/ RUUTH-een, US: /rˈθn/ ROO-theen),[27] that have more general meanings, and thus (by adding regional adjectives) some specific designations are formed, such as: Carpathian Ruthenian/Ruthene or Carpatho-Ruthenian/Ruthene.[28]

Within the Rusyn community, the language is also referred as руснацькый язык, rusnac'kyj jazyk, 'Rusnak language',[18][29] or simply referred to as speaking our way (Carpathian Rusyn: по-нашому, romanized: po-nashomu).[30]

Classification

The classification of the Rusyn language has historically been both linguistically and politically controversial. During the 19th century, several questions were raised among linguists, regarding the classification of East Slavic dialects that were spoken in the northeastern (Carpathian) regions of the Kingdom of Hungary, and also in neighbouring regions of the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria. From those questions, three main theories emerged:[31]

  • Some linguists claimed that East Slavic dialects of the Carpathian region should be classified as specific varieties of the Russian language.
  • Other linguists argued that those dialects should be classified as western varieties of a distinctive Ukrainian language.
  • A third group claimed that those dialects are specific enough to be recognized as a distinctive East Slavic language.

In spite of these linguistic disputes, official terminology used by the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy that ruled the Carpathian region remained unchanged. For Austro-Hungarian state authorities, the entire East Slavic linguistic body within the borders of the Monarchy was classified as Ruthenian language (German: ruthenische Sprache, Hungarian: Rutén nyelv), an archaic and exonymic term that remained in use until 1918.[32]

Geographic distribution

In terms of geographic distribution, Rusyn language is represented by two specific clusters: the first is encompassing Carpathian Rusyn or Carpatho-Rusyn varieties, and the second is represented by Pannonian Rusyn.[33]

Carpathian Rusyn is spoken in:

Pannonian Rusyn is spoken by the Pannonian Rusyns in the region of Vojvodina (in Serbia), and in a nearby region of Slavonia (in Croatia).

Varieties

Carpathian Rusyn varieties

The main continuum of Rusyn varieties stretches from Transcarpathia and follows the Carpathian Mountains westward into South-Eastern Poland and Eastern Slovakia, forming an area referred to as Carpathian Ruthenia. As with any language, all three major varieties of Rusyn vary with respect to phonology, morphology, and syntax, and have various features unique to themselves, while of course also containing their own, more local sub-varieties. The continuum of Rusyn is agreed to include the varieties known historically as Lemko and Bojko, and is also generally accepted to end at or with the Hucul variety, which is "not included in the Rusyn continuum per se, but represent[s] a linguistic variant .. better seen as a dialect of Ukrainian". As the westernmost member of the family of East Slavic languages, it has also acquired a number of West Slavic features—unique to East Slavic languages—due to prolonged contact with the coterritorial languages of Polish and Slovak.[35]

Literary languages

Today, there are three formally codified Rusyn literary varieties and one de facto (Subcarpathian Rusyn). These varieties reflect the culmination of nearly two centuries of activist and academic labor, during which a literary Rusyn language was desired, discussed, and addressed (time and again) by a dedicated intelligentsia. Linguist Stefan M. Pugh notes, "...at every stage someone was thinking of writing in Rusyn; approximately every generation a grammar of some sort would be written but not find wide acceptance, primarily for reasons of a political nature (and of course logistical practicalities)."[36]

Some of these earlier grammars include those by Dmytrij Vyslockij[a] (Karpatorusskij bukvar'[b]),[37] Vanja Hunjanky (1931), Metodyj Trochanovskij (Bukvar: Perša knyžečka dlja narodnıx škol;[c] 1935),[38][39] and Ivan Harajda (1941).[22] Harajda's grammar is particularly notable for having arrived in the midst of a five-year linguistic furvor for Carpatho-Rusyn. From 1939 through 1944 an estimated 1,500 to 3,000 Rusyn-language publications (mostly centered around Uzhhorod, Ukraine) entered print and from 1941 onward, Harajda's grammar was the accepted standard.

Prešov Rusyn

In Slovakia, the Prešov literary variety has been under continuous codification since 1995[40] when first published by Vasyl Jabur, Anna Plíšková and Kvetoslava Koporová.[citation needed] Its namesakes are both the city and region of Prešov, Slovakia—historically, each have been respective centers for Rusyn academia and the Rusyn population of Slovakia.

Prešov Rusyn was based on varieties of Rusyn found in a relatively compact area within the Prešov Region. Specifically, the variety is based on the language spoken in the area between the West Zemplin and East Zemplin Rusyn dialects (even more specifically: a line along the towns and villages of Osadne, Hostovice, Parihuzovce, Čukalovce, Pcoline, Pichne, Nechvalova Polianka, Zubne, Nizna Jablonka, Vysna Jablonka, Svetlice, and Zbojne). And though the many Rusyn dialects of Slovakia entirely surpass the limited set of features prescribed in the standard, this comparatively small sample size was consciously chosen by codifiers in order to provide a structured ecosystem within which a variety of written and spoken language would inevitably (and already did) thrive.[19]

Its orthography is largely based on Zhelekhivka,[citation needed] a late 19th century variety of the Ukrainian alphabet.

Lemko-Rusyn

In Poland, a standard Lemko-Rusyn grammar and dictionary, Gramatyka języka łemkowskiego, 'Grammar of the Lemko Language' (Rusyn: Ґраматыка лемківского языка, romanized: Gramatŷka lemkivskoho jazŷka), was published in 2000 by Mirosława Chomiak and Henryk Fontański [pl; rue], with a second edition issued in 2004.[41][42]

Subcarpathian Rusyn

In Transcarpathia, Ukraine, M. Almašij's and Igor Kerča's Материнськый язык: Писемниця русинського языка, Materyns'kyj jazyk: pysemnycja rusyns'koho jazyka, serves as the de facto literary standard for Subcarpathian, though "unofficial". Published in 1999, with a second edition in 2004, and a 58,000 word Rusyn-Russian dictionary in 2007, Kerča's work has been used by prominent Rusyn publishers in Uzhorod—albeit with variations between published works that are typical of the spoken language.[43][44]

Common usage

Despite the above codified varieties, many Carpatho-Rusyn publications will use a combination of the three Carpathian standards (most notably in Hungary and in Transcarpathia). There have even attempts to revitalize the pre-war etymological orthography with archaic Cyrillic orthography (i.e. usage of the letter ѣ, or yat'); the latter can be observed throughout Rusyn Wikipedia, where even a single article may be written in several different codified varieties. And while somewhat archaic, used of Harajda's grammar is even promoted by some in Rusyn Wikipedia (although parts of the articles are written using other standards).

Pannonian Rusyn

Pannonian Rusyn, has variously been referred to as an incredibly distinct dialect of Carpathian Rusyn or a separate language altogether. In the ISO 639-9 identifier application for Pannonian Rusyn (or "Ruthenian" as it is referred to in that document), the authors note that "Ruthenian is closest to [a] linguistic entity sometimes called [ Slovak: východoslovenský, Pan. Rusyn: виходнярски, lit.'East Slovak' ],[i] ... (the speeches of Trebišov and Prešov [districts])."[45]

Literary language

The literary variety of Serbian and Croatian Rusyns is, again, significantly different from the above three Carpathian varieties in both vocabulary and grammar.[citation needed] It was first standardized in 1923 by G. Kostelnik.[citation needed] The modern standard has been continuously developed since the 1980s by Julian Ramač, Helena Međeši and Mihajlo Fejsa of Serbia, and Mihály Káprály of Hungary.[citation needed]

History

The Rusyn Language in History

One of the dangers of any enterprise like the codification of a language is the desire to 'see' its history go back as far as possible. This danger affects every single language that may have had difficulties in gaining acceptance of its identity ... A good example is Ukrainian itself ... It was not recognized by ... the 19th century ('great') Russian establishment ... leading to a continued perception ... that Ukrainian was a 'dialect' of Russian ... Such treatment invariably led later Ukrainian scholars ... to refer to the language of those [earliest] features as not only 'old' Ukrainian but 'proto'-Ukrainian ... The desire to see the beginnings of Rusyn as existing before, say, the 18th century is entirely natural – it was clearly in evidence in that century, so the beginnings must have been earlier. In fact, it is possible to see linguistic traces of what we recognize as 'Rusyn' in documents in very early texts – but this is not to say that these texts were written in 'Old Rusyn'. It is safe to say that Rusyn begins to be quite recognizable in a more systematic fashion (in terms of modern Rusyn) by the 18th century. Of course, given the political and social histories of the region, and especially religious history, documents differ according to the region, time, and the (socio-)linguistic milieu in which they were composed – e.g., Church Slavonic, Russian, Latin, etc.

S. M. Pugh, The Rusyn Language, 2009[46]

The Niagovo Postilla (Njagovskie poučenija), dated to 1758, is one of the earliest texts possessing significant phonetic and morphological characteristics of modern Rusyn (specifically the Subcarpathian variant) and is potentially "linguistically traceable" to the 16th century.[47][48]

By the 18th century, the Rusyn language was "clearly in evidence" and "quite recognizable in a more systematic fashion".[46]

The first books produced exclusively for Rusyn readership were printed under the direction of bishop of Mukachevo, Joseph Decamillis (r. 1690 – 1706). Under his direction, the printshop at the University of Trnava published a catechism (Katekhisis dlia naouki Ouhorouskim liudem, 1698) and an elementary language primer (Boukvar’ iazyka slaven’ska, 1699). For decades, these would be the only textbooks available to Rusyn students.[49]

Later, in 1767 Maria Theresa's Urbarium was published throughout the Habsburg Empire in a variety of languages, including Rusyn.[50][51]

Finally, under Bishop Andriy Bachynskyi's tenure (r. 1773 – 1809) in the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo, new texts for Rusyn student readership were published. These several editions of Ioann Kutka's primer and catechism were published in Rusyn vernacular, though with heavy influence from Church Slavonic. [52]

19th century

By the 19th century, "attempts to write in a form of Russo-Church Slavonic with a Rusyn flavor, or a type of 'Subcarpathian Russian' with Rusyn phonetic features," began to be made. Notably, Myxajlo Lučkaj's grammar of the Subcarpathian variety of Church Slavonic, Grammatica Slavo-Ruthena, of 1830 had a "distinctly Rusyn flavor". And while Lučkaj did not support use of vernacular as a literary language (commenting on the proper usage of either lingua eruditorum et Communis plebis, 'the languages of the learned and the languages of the common people' in his Praefatio), he did include examples of "Rusyn paradigms" in his work to attempt demonstrate its similarity to Church Slavonic. Lučkaj in effect sought to prove the two languages were close sisters of a common ancestor. [47][53]

In 1847, Greek Catholic priest Alexander Dukhnovych published the first textbook written almost fully in common Rusyn vernacular, Knyzhytsia chytalnaia dlia nachynaiushchykh (A Reader for Beginners).[54] Further editions of the primer followed in 1850 and 1852, as well as the establishment of "the first Carpatho-Rusyn cultural organization", the Prešov Literary Society, in 1850. Over the next four years of its existence, the Society would go on to publish a further 12 works, including Dukhnovych's Virtue is More Important than Riches (the very first play written in Carpatho-Rusyn), as well Carpatho-Rusyn's first literary anthologies in 1850, 1851, and 1852, titled Greetings to the Rusyns.[55]

20th century

After the dissolution of Austria-Hungary (1918), the newly proclaimed Hungarian Republic recognized Rusyn regional autonomy in Subcarpathian regions and created, at the beginning of 1919, a department for Rusyn language and literature at the Budapest University.[56]

By the end of 1919, the region of Subcarpathian Ruthenia was appended to the newly formed Czechoslovak state, as its easternmost province. During the next twenty years, linguistic debates were continued between the same three options (pro-Russian, pro-Ukrainian, and local Rusyn), with Czechoslovak state authorities occasionally acting as arbiters.[57]

In March 1939, the region proclaimed independence under the name Carpatho-Ukraine, but it was immediately occupied and annexed by Hungary. The region was later occupied (1944) and annexed (1945) by the Soviet Union, and incorporated into the Ukrainian SSR,[58] which proceeded with implementation of Ukrainian linguistic standards. In Soviet Ukraine, Rusyns were not recognized as a distinctive ethnicity, and their language was considered a dialect of Ukrainian language. Poland employed similar policies,[59] using internal deportations to move many Eastern Slavs from southeastern to newly acquired western regions (Operation Vistula),[60] and switch their language to Polish, and Ukrainian at school.

During that period, the only country that was officially recognizing the Rusyn minority and its language was Yugoslavia.[61]

Post-Soviet developments

Official usage of Pannonian Rusyn in Vojvodina, Serbia

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, modern standards of minority rights were gradually applied throughout Eastern Europe, thus affecting the attitude of several states towards the Rusyn language. As successors of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Croatia continued to recognize the Rusyn language as an official minority language.[62]

Scholars with the former Institute of Slavic and Balkan Studies in Moscow (now the Institute of Slavonic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences) formally acknowledged Rusyn as a separate language in 1992, and trained specialists to study the language.[63] These studies were financially supported by the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Since 1995, Rusyn has been recognized as a minority language in Slovakia, enjoying the status of an official language in municipalities where more than 20 percent of the inhabitants speak Rusyn.[64]

Contemporary status

Ukrainian state authorities do not recognize Rusyns as a separate ethnicity, regardless of Rusyn self-identification. Ukraine officially considered Rusyn a dialect of Ukrainian. In 2012, Ukraine adopted a new law, recognizing Rusyn as one of several minority and regional languages, but that law was revoked in 2014.[65]

Rusyn is recognized as an officially protected, minority language by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2011), Croatia (1997), Hungary (1998), Romania (2008), Poland (as Lemko, 2009), Serbia (2006), and Slovakia (2002).[12]

It is not possible to estimate accurately the number of fluent speakers of Rusyn; however, their number is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.[citation needed]

ISO 639-9 Identifiers

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has assigned the ISO 639-3 code 'rue' for Carpathian Rusyn.[66]

On January 20, 2022, the ISO 639-3 identifier, rsk, and language names, Rusyn and Ruthenian, were approved for Pannonian Rusyn by ISO. The change followed a November 2020 request by a group of linguists (including Aleksandr Dulichenko) in which ISO was asked to recognize Pannonian Rusyn as distinct and separate from Carpathian Rusyn and to issue it the new ISO 639-3 identifier, Ruthenian language (with the additional name, Rusnak).[67][68]

This ISO update is the latest development since a 2019 proposal from a smaller group of those same linguists which similarly requested suppression of the code, rue, and division of Rusyn language into two distinct languages: the East Rusyn language (Carpathian Rusyn) and the South Rusyn language (Pannonian Rusyn). However, in January 2020, ISO authorities rejected the request.[69]

As explained earlier, term Ruthenian language already has a specific and well-established meaning. However, the additional term, Rusnak, also has a wider connotation as it is a traditional endonym for all Rusyns (whether in Pannonia or Carpathian Rus').[18][70] The effects of the adoption of these terms for Pannonian Rusyn by ISO (if any) remain to be seen.

Phonology

Consonants

LabialDental/
Alveolar
Post-
alveolar
VelarGlottal
hardsofthardsoft
Nasalmn
Stopvoicelessptk
voicedbdɡ
Affricatevoicelesst͡st͡sʲt͡ʃ
voicedd͡zd͡zʲd͡ʒ
Fricativevoicelessfsʃ(ʃʲ)xh
voicedvzʒ(ʒʲ)
Rhoticr
Approximantlaterall
central(w)[a]j

A soft consonant combination sound [ʃʲt͡ʃʲ] exists more among the northern and western dialects. In the eastern dialects the sound is recognized as [ʃʲʃʲ], including the area on which the standard dialect is based. It is noted that a combination sound like this one, could have evolved into a soft fricative sound [ʃʲ].[71]

Vowels

FrontCentralBack
Closeiu
ɪɤ
Midɛo
Opena
  • /ɪ/ and /ɤ/ tend to be more towards centralized as [ɪ̈], [ɤ̈].[72]

Grammar

Noun declension

Declension in Rusyn is based on grammatical number, gender, and case. Like English, only two types of grammatical number are expressed: singular and plural. And like other Slavic languages, Rusyn has three grammatical genders: feminine, masculine, and neuter. Furthermore, like those languages, Rusyn uses a seven-case system of nominative, accusative, genitive, dative, locative, instrumental, and vocative cases.[73]

One final point of note is that the masculine gender (and only the masculine gender) is further subdivided into animate and inanimate types. While there are no suffixes specific to animacy, declension between the two differs in that for animates, the form of the accusative case copies that of the genitive case.[73]

Grammatical cases

As mentioned in the preceding section, Rusyn cases are similar to those of other Slavic languages. A very general summary of usage is given in the table below, though proper usage depends on a particular situation, prepositions, and verbs used, as well as other extenuating circumstances.[73]

Cases in Rusyn
Full name (Rusyn)CaseGeneral Usage
номінатівnominativeSubjects
акузатівaccusativeDirect objects
ґенітівgenitivePossession or belonging (i.e. "of" or English possessive suffix -'s)
датівdativeIndirect objects (i.e. "to" or "for")
локалlocativeConcerning location. Only used with prepositions such as "in", "on", etc.
інштрументалinstrumentalConcerning "means by which".
вокатівvocativeUsed to address another.

Nouns will generally decline differently to indicate each case (e.g. English they/them/their/theirs). Based on how they decline, nouns can be grouped into one of four "types".

  • Type I: feminine nouns ending in / in the nominative singular
  • Type II:
    • masculine nouns ending in a consonant in the nominative singular
    • neuter and masculine nouns ending in a consonant or -o in the nominative singular
    • neuters ending in -e or / in the nominative singular
  • Type III:
    • feminine nouns ending in a paired consonant (-cons.+ь),[ii] an unpaired palato-alveolar consonant (, , щ, , or -дж),[iii] or -ов in the nominative singular
    • the feminine noun мати, maty, 'mother'
  • Type IV: neuter nouns ending in / in the nominative singular

Declension type I: feminines ending in -а/-я

This type consists of grammatically feminine nouns ending in (hard) or (soft) in the nominative case. The table below includes four examples of such nouns. The first two represent the archetypal feminine paradigm, while the second two represent a "common" or "two-fold gender" paradigm.

It is important to note that this second paradigm has atypical dative, locative, and instrumental singular suffixes which are actually representative of the male/neuter declension paradigm (visible later in this article). According to Pugh, this peculiarity developed as a result of the societal roles of "judge" and "elder" being traditionally patriarchal. This phenomenon is in contrast to grammatically feminine nouns of ambiguous gender where a particular role was not historically male-oriented, such as сирота, orphan. In these cases, the typical feminine paradigm is maintained.[74]

Feminine Nouns Ending in -а/-я in the Nominative Singular[74]
Archetypal FeminineCommon/Two-Fold Gender
HardSoftHardSoft
Sg.Nominativeшколаземлястаростасудця
Accusativeшколуземлюстаростусудцю
Genitiveшколыземлїстаростысудцї
Dativeшколїземлїстаростовисудцёви
Locativeшколїземлистаростовисудцёви
Instrumentalшколов [a]землёв [a]старостов
старостом
судцём
Vocativeшколоземлёстаростосудцё
Pl.Nominativeшколыземлїстаростове
старосты
судцёве
судцї
Accusativeшколыземлїстаростівсудцїв
Genitiveшколземльстарост
старостів
судцїв
Dativeшколамземлямстаростам
старостім
судцям
судцїм
Locativeшколамземляхстаростах
старостох
судцях
Instrumentalшколамиземлямистаростамисудцями
Englishschoolearthelderjudge

Declension type II: masculines and neuters

This declension type encompasses a very large set of vocabulary as it contains nouns of both masculine and neuter genders, hard and soft stems, as well as animate and inanimate beings (for the masculine gender).[75]

Masculines ending in consonants

This declension contains a large amount of identical forms (syncretism) between cases. Depending on the noun, the number of distinct forms may number from as few as 3 to as many as 6. For singular animate nouns, there is a single form for the accusative and genitive cases, as well as a single form for the dative and locative cases. Similarly, singular inanimate nouns share a form for nominative and locative cases.[76]

Masculine Nouns Ending in a Consonant in the Nominative Singular[76]
AnimateInanimate
HardSoftHardSoft
Sg.Nominativeсынучітельстілкрай
Accusativeсынаучітеля
Genitive [a][76]столакраю
Dativeсыновиучітелёвистолукраю
Locativeстолїкраю
Instrumentalсыномучітелёмстіломкраём
Vocativeсынуучітелюстолекраю
Pl.Nominativeсыновеучітелїстолыкраї
Accusativeсынівучітелївстолыкраї
Genitiveсынівучітелївстолівкраїв
Dativeсынам
сынім
учітелям
учітелїм
столам
столім
краям
країм
Locativeсынох
сынах
учітелях
учітелёх
столох
столах
краях
краёх
Instrumentalсынамиучітелямистоламикраями
Englishsonteachertablearea, region
Neuters or masculines ending in -o, neuters ending in -e or -а/-я

The following table demonstrates the declension paradigm for nouns with hard stems which end in -o in the nominative case. Though there are some masculine nouns in this category, these nouns are predominantly neuter.

Neuter or Masculine Nouns (with Hard Stems) Ending in -o in the Nominative Singular[77]
MasculineNeuter
InanimateAnimate
Sg.Nominativeдомискодїдосело
Accusativeдомискодїда[a]село
Genitiveдомискадїдасела
Dativeдомискудїдовиселу
Locative[b]домискудїдовиселї
Instrumentalдомискомдїдомселом
Vocativeдомискодїдусело
Pl.Nominativeдомискадїдовесела
Accusativeдомискадїдівсела
Genitiveдомискдїдівсел
Dativeдомискамдїдамселам
Locativeдомисках/

домискох

дїдах/

дїдох

селах
Instrumentalдомискамидїдамиселами
Englishlarge house, buildinggrandfathervillage
Neuter Nouns (with Soft Stems) Ending in -e and -а/-я in the Nominative Singular[78]
Soft in NominativeHard in Nominative [a]
Sg.Nominativeусловієзначіня[b]полесердце
Accusativeусловієзначіняполесердце
Genitiveусловіязначіняполясердця
Dativeусловіюзначінюполюсердцю
Locativeусловію
условії
значіню
значінї
полю
полї
сердцю
сердцї
Instrumentalусловіёмзначінёмполёмсердцём
Pl.Nominativeусловіязначіняполясердця
Accusativeусловіязначіняполясердця
Genitiveусловійзначіньпольсердець
сердць
Dativeусловіямзначінямполямсердцям
Locativeусловіяхзначіняхполяхсердцях
Instrumentalусловіямизначінямиполямисердцями
Englishconditionmeaningfieldheart

Declension type III: other feminines

All nouns in this type are feminine. The paradigm can be identified by the following suffixes in the nominative singular case: a paired consonant (-cons.+ь),[ii] an unpaired palato-alveolar consonant (, , щ, , or -дж),[iii] or the suffix -ов. Additionally, the noun мати, maty, 'mother' is also part of this type.

Feminine Nouns Ending in a Consonant and 'Mati'[80]
Paired Cons.Palato-Alveolar Cons.-овмати
Sg.Nominativeтїньнічмышцерковмати/ матїрь
Accusativeтїньнічмышцерковматїрь
Genitiveтїниночімышыцерквиматери
Dativeтїниночімышіцерквиматери
Locativeтїниночімышіцерквиматери
Instrumental [a]тїнёвночовмышовцерковлёвматїрёв
Pl.Nominativeтїниночімышыцерквиматери
Accusativeтїниночімышыцерквиматери
Genitiveтїнейночеймышейцерквейматерей
Dativeтїнямночаммышамцерквамматерям
Locativeтїняхночахмышахцерквахматерях
Instrumentalтїняминочамимышамицерквамиматерями
Englishshadownightmousechurchmother

Declension type IV: neuters ending in -а/-я

This declension paradigm is used very rarely. It entirely consists of grammatically neuter nouns. This paradigm can be identified by the -a suffix in the nominative and accusative cases, as well as the appearance of the affix -t- between the stem and suffix in other cases. There is no variation in this paradigm: all nouns decline in an identical manner.[81]

Type IV is predominantly made up of words referring to the young of animals and humans. However, this should not be taken as a hard rule as some nouns which historically declined differently (e.g. вымя, vŷmja, 'udder' and горня, hornja, 'cup, mug'), now decline according to this paradigm instead.[81]

Neuter Nouns Ending in -a and [82]
Sg.Nominativeгусягачавымя/ вымня
Accusativeгусягачавымя/ вымня
Genitiveгусятигачативымяти/ вымняти
Dativeгусятигачативымяти/ вымняти
Locativeгусятигачативымяти/ вымняти
Instrumentalгусятёмгачатёмвымятём/ вымнятём
Pl.Nominativeгусятагачатавымята/ вымнята
Accusativeгусятагачатавымята/ вымнята
Genitiveгусятагачатавымята/ вымнята
Dativeгусятамгачатамвымятам/ вымнятам
Locativeгусятахгачатахвымятах/ вымнятах
Instrumentalгусятамигачатамивымятами/ вымнятами
Englishgoslingcolt, foaludder

Verbal conjugation

Verbs may be divided into two major conjugation types, which may be identified based on the "stem-marker" that appears during conjugation. The infinitive verb forms are often ambiguous and as such, there is no general system that allows an infinitive to be identified as either Type I or Type II. Some infinitive suffixes, however, are unique to at least Type I, i.e. -ути, -овати, -нути, etc. In the following sections, the stem-markers are given in Latin as Cyrillic often obscures the markers in the conjugated forms.[83]

Conjugation type I

Type I may be divided into several sub-types, the most notable of which are the vowel+j stem-markers: -uj-, -ij-, -yj-, etc. It is important to remember that in the infinitive and some conjugations that the consonant, -j-, is truncated when followed by another consonant, e.g. бісїдув-aj-ty → бісїдув-a-ty.[84]

UJ stem markers

The -uj- set of verbs can be divided into two groups based the presence of the suffixal markers -ova- or -uj- in the infinitive. The former group representing the overwhelming majority of verbs in this type.[84]

Conjugation of Verbs with -UJ- Stem Marker[85]
-OVA--UTY
HardSoftHard
Infinitiveбісїдова́тионо́влёватичути
Sg.1st Person (I)бісїду́юоно́влюючу́ю
2nd Person (you)бісїду́єшоно́влюєшчу́єш
3rd Person (he, she, it)бісїду́єоно́влюєчу́є
Pl.1st Person (we)бісїду́ємеоно́влюємечу́єме
2nd Person (you all)бісїду́єтеоно́влюєтечу́єте
3rd Person (they)бісїду́ютьоно́влюютьчу́ють
Englishto speakto renewto hear
IJ stem markers

Verbs with stem formant -IJ- are typically derived from adjectives and thus indicate the acquisition of a given property i.e. зеленый, zelenŷj, 'green' → зеленї́ти, zelenjity, 'to (turn) green'. In the infinitive, these verbs are identical to those of Conjugation II, Type I. However, these two types of verbs are conjugated differently.[86]

Conjugation of Verbs with -IJ- Stem Marker[86]
Infinitiveзеленї́тимолодїти
Sg.1st Person (I)зеленї́юмолодїю
2nd Person (you)зеленї́єшмолодїєш
3rd Person (he, she, it)зеленї́ємолодїє
Pl.1st Person (we)зеленї́ємемолодїєме
2nd Person (you all)зеленї́єтемолодїєте
3rd Person (they)зеленї́ютьмолодїють
Englishto turn greento grow young
YJ stem markers

There are very few verbs in this category, but the members that do belong to it, tend to be commonly used.[87]

Conjugation of Verbs with -YJ- Stem Marker[87]
Infinitiveви́типи́ти[a]
Sg.1st Person (I)ви́юпи́ю, пю
2nd Person (you)ви́єшпи́єш, пєш
3rd Person (he, she, it)ви́єпи́є, пє
Pl.1st Person (we)ви́ємепи́єме, пємє́
2nd Person (you all)виєтепи́єте, пєтє́
3rd Person (they)виютьпи́ють, пють
Englishto windto drink
ЫJ stem markers

This conjugation scheme works similarly to the previous one.[88]

Conjugation of Verbs with -ЫJ- Stem Marker[88]
Infinitiveкры́тишы́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)кры́юшы́ю
2nd Person (you)кры́єшшы́єш
3rd Person (he, she, it)кры́єшы́є
Pl.1st Person (we)кры́ємешы́єме
2nd Person (you all)кры́єтешы́єте
3rd Person (they)кры́ютьшы́ють
Englishto coverto sew
AJ stem markers

The -AJ- stem type has variations within different Rusyn dialects and regions. In the Prešov Rusyn community, the -A(J)- type described below is the predominant conjugational pattern. However, in regions further east within Slovakia and in other Rusyn communities, a full-fledged "AJ" type conjugation exists, resembling the patterns found in the rest of East Slavic.

In the Prešov Rusyn community, the -A(J)- conjugation is recommended for the written system, while the -AJ- type is limited and occurs primarily with specific verb stems like "maj-", "znaj-", and "staj-". Both forms may coexist in speech and writing, but the "A(J)" type is more prevalent in the Prešov dialect.

In Lemko Rusyn, the conjugation system generally agrees with that of Prešov Rusyn; a fully-fledged -AJ- conjugation is limited to the third person singular of only three verb stems: "мати", "знати", and "познати". In Subcarpathian Rusyn, however, the -AJ- type is predominant, and the element "aj" can appear in all persons in the non-past paradigm.[89]

A(J) stem markers

While this stem type follows a conjugation structure similar to other East Slavic languages, it is completely unique in that -j- (normally in the form of suffixes -ю, -єш, -є, -єме, -єте, -ют) is truncated—except for in the 3rd person plural. The absence of the connector vowel -e- in this conjugation type is a distinctive feature, likely influenced by West Slavic languages. The conjugational pattern is similar to other Slavic languages, particularly Slovak.[90]

This stem type also includes verbs with the suffix -ывати, a suffix which is often found in imperfective verbs.[91]

Conjugation of Verbs with -A(J)- Stem Marker[90]
-ATY-ЫVA-
Infinitiveчі́та́тима́тиодкрыва́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)чі́таммамодкры́вам
2nd Person (you)чі́ташмашодкры́ваш
3rd Person (he, she, it)чі́татьматьодкры́вать
Pl.1st Person (we)чіта́мема́меодкрыва́ме
2nd Person (you all)чіта́тема́теодкрыва́те
3rd Person (they)чіта́ютьма́ютьодкрыва́ють
Englishto readto haveto discover
AVA stem markers

This conjugation type is marked by the presence of -AVA- in the infinitive. The conjugation scheme for these verbs vacillates depending on local dialect: sometimes being conjugated as if they were of the previously-discussed -AJ- stem type. A comparison between the two different conjugation schemes is given in the table below. The -AJ- conjugation scheme is preferred by the Prešov standard.[92]

Conjugation of Verbs with -AVA- Stem Marker[92]
-AVA--AJ--AVA--AJ-
Infinitiveдава́тиузнава́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)да́вамдаю́узна́вамузнаю
2nd Person (you)давашдаєшузнавашузнаєш
3rd Person (he, she, it)даватьдаєузнаватьузнає
Pl.1st Person (we)давамедамеузнавамеузнаме
2nd Person (you all)даватедатеузнаватеузнате
3rd Person (they)даваютьдаютьузнаваютьузнають
Englishto give
A stem markers
Conjugation of Verbs with -A- Stem Marker[93]
Infinitiveписа́тиуказа́тискака́типосла́тинасы́пати
Sg.1st Person (I)пи́шуука́жуска́чупо́шлюнасы́плю
2nd Person (you)пи́шешука́жешска́чешпо́шлешнасы́плеш
3rd Person (he, she, it)пи́шеука́жеска́чепо́шленасы́пле
Pl.1st Person (we)пи́шемеука́жемеска́чемепо́шлеменасы́племе
2nd Person (you all)пи́шетеука́жетеска́четепо́шлетенасы́плете
3rd Person (they)пи́шутьука́жутьска́чутьпо́шлютьнасы́плють
Englishto writeto showto hop or jumpto sendto strew
NU stem markers
Conjugation of Verbs with -NU- Stem Marker[94]
Infinitiveверну́типривы́кнути
Sg.1st Person (I)ве́рнупривы́кну
2nd Person (you)ве́рнешпривы́кнеш
3rd Person (he, she, it)ве́рнепривы́кне
Pl.1st Person (we)ве́рнемепривы́кнеме
2nd Person (you all)ве́рнетепривы́кнете
3rd Person (they)ве́рнутьпривы́кнуть
Englishto returnto become accustomed to
Non-syllabic stem markers
Conjugation of Verbs with Non-Syllabic Stem Markers[95]
CCV-ty > CVC-CCV-ty > CVCC-CV-ty > CC-CVC-ty > CC-CCV-ty > CC-
Infinitiveбра́тивзяти́жа́тизачати́вы́нятиде́ртирва́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)беру́во́зьмужнуза́чнувы́ймудрурву
2nd Person (you)бере́шво́зьмешжнешза́чнешвы́ймешдрешрвеш
3rd Person (he, she, it)бере́во́зьмежнеза́чневы́ймедрерве
Pl.1st Person (we)бере́мево́зьмемжнеме́за́чнемевы́ймемедреме́рвеме́
2nd Person (you all)бере́тево́зьметежнете́за́чнетевы́йметедрете́рвете́
3rd Person (they)беру́тьво́зьмутьжнутьза́чнутьвы́ймутьдрутьрвуть
Englishto taketo taketo reapto beginto draw or pull outto thrash or whipto tear
Consonant stems
Conjugation of Verbs With Stems Ending in Consonants[96]
Infinitiveне́стиве́ститечі́мочі́іти́лячі́
Sg.1st Person (I)не́суве́дутечу́мо́жуіду́ля́жу
2nd Person (you)не́сешве́дештече́шмо́жешіде́шля́жеш
3rd Person (he, she, it)не́севе́детече́мо́жеіде́ля́же
Pl.1st Person (we)не́семеве́деметечеме́мо́жемеідеме́ля́жеме
2nd Person (you all)не́сетеве́дететечете́мо́жетеідете́ля́жете
3rd Person (they)не́сутьве́дутьтечу́тьмо́жутьіду́тьля́жуть
Englishto carryto leadto flowto be ableto goto lie down

Conjugation type II

Y-type I
Conjugation of Y(1) Type Verbs[97]
Infinitiveговори́типили́тиглушы́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)гово́рюпи́люглу́шу
2nd Person (you)гово́ришпи́лишглу́шыш
3rd Person (he, she, it)гово́ритьпи́литьглу́шыть
Pl.1st Person (we)гово́римепилиме́глу́шыме
2nd Person (you all)гово́ритепилите́глу́шыте
3rd Person (they)гово́рятьпиля́тьглу́шать
Englishto say or speakto saw (wood)to muffle, stifle or make quiet
Y-type II
Conjugation of Y(2) Type Verbs[98]
Infinitiveвози́тигаси́тигати́типусти́тиходи́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)во́жуга́шуга́чупу́щухо́джу
2nd Person (you)во́зишга́сишга́тишпу́стишхо́диш
3rd Person (he, she, it)во́зитьга́ситьга́титьпу́ститьхо́дить
Pl.1st Person (we)во́зимега́симега́тимепу́стимехо́диме
2nd Person (you all)во́зитега́ситега́титепу́ститехо́дите
3rd Person (they)во́зятьга́тятьга́тятьпу́стятьхо́дять
Englishto take by vehicleto put out or extinguishto erect a dam or barrierto admit or allow into go or walk
I-type
Conjugation of І-Type Verbs[99]
Infinitiveтрубі́тишелесті́тивертї́тилетї́тисвистї́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)трублю́шелещу́верчулечу́сви́щу
2nd Person (you)труби́шшелести́швертишлети́шсви́стиш
3rd Person (he, she, it)труби́тьшелести́тьвертитьлети́тьсви́стить
Pl.1st Person (we)8трубиме́шелестиме́вертимелетиме́свистиме́
2nd Person (you all)трубите́шелестите́вертителетите́свистите́
3rd Person (they)трубля́тьшелестя́тьвертятьлетя́тьсвистя́ть
Englishto trumpetto rustleto drill or turnto flyto whistle
Palato-Alveolar Stems
Conjugation of 'Palato-Alveolar'-А Verbs[100]
Infinitiveбурча́тивереща́тилежа́тикрича́тибоя́ти сястоя́ти
Sg.1st Person (I)бурчу́вере́щулежу́кричу́бою́ сястою́
2nd Person (you)бурчі́швере́щішлежы́шкричі́шбої́ш сястої́ш
3rd Person (he, she, it)бурчі́тьвере́щітьлежы́тькричі́тьбої́ть сястої́ть
Pl.1st Person (we)бурчі́мевере́щімележыме́кричіме́боїме́ сястої́ме
2nd Person (you all)бурчі́тевере́щітележыте́кричіте́боїте́ сястої́те
3rd Person (they)бурча́тьвере́щатьлежа́тькрича́тьбоя́ть сястоя́ть
Englishto mutterto screech or squealto lie on somethingto screamto fearto stand

Irregular Verbs

Conjugation of Irregular Verbs[101]
Infinitiveї́стидати́бы́типові́сти
Sg.1st Person (I)їмдамємпові́м
2nd Person (you)їшдашєсьпові́ш
3rd Person (he, she, it)їстьдастьєпові́сть
Pl.1st Person (we)їме́даме́сьмеповіме́
2nd Person (you all)їсте́дате́, дасте́сьтеповісте́
3rd Person (they)їдя́тьдаду́тьсутьповідя́ть
Englishto eatto giveto beto tell

Orthography

Each of the Rusyn standard varieties has its own Cyrillic alphabet. The table below shows the Rusyn alphabet of the Prešov Standard, with notes on other varieties. The alphabets of the other Carpathian Rusyn varieties, Lemko Rusyn and Subcarpathian Rusyn, differ from the Prešov Standard in lacking ё and ї. For the Pannonian Rusyn alphabet, see Pannonian Rusyn language § Alphabet.[citation needed]

Romanization (transliteration) is given according to ALA-LC,[102] BGN/PCGN,[103] generic European,[citation needed] ISO/R9 1968 (IDS),[104] and ISO 9.

Letters of the Rusyn Alphabets[105]
CapitalSmallNameRomanizationPronunciation
ALABGNEuroIDSISO
Ааaaaaaa/a/
Бббыbbbbb/b/
Вввыvvvvv/v/
Гггыhhhhǧ/ɦ/
Ґґґыggggg/ɡ/
Дддыddddd/d/
Ееeeeeee/ɛ/
Єєєi͡ejeje/'ejeê/je, ʲe/
Ё [a][b]ёёëjojo/'ojoô/jo, ʲo/
Жжжыz͡hžžžž/ʒ/
Зззыzzzzz/z/
І [b]іiiiiiì/i/
Ї [a]їїïjiji/'iïï/ji, ʲi/
И [c]ииi/yyîii/ɪ/
Ы [b]ыыŷyyy/ŷy/ɨ/
Йййыĭjjjj/j/
Кккыkkkkk/k/
Лллыlllll/l/
Мммыmmmmm/m/
Ннныnnnnn/n/
Ооoooooo/ɔ/
Пппыppppp/p/
Рррыrrrrr/r/
Сссыsssss/s/
Тттыttttt/t/
Уууuuuuu/u/
Фффыfffff/f/
Хххыk͡hchchchh/x/
Цццыt͡scccc/t͡s/
Чччыchčččč/t͡ʃ/
Шшшыs͡hšššš/ʃ/
Щщщыshchščščščŝ/ʃt͡ʃ/
Юююі͡ujuju/'ujuû/ju, ʲu/
Яяяi͡ajaja/'ajaâ/ja, ʲa/
Ь [d]ьмнягкый знак
(English: soft sign)
or ірь
'/ʲ/
Ъ [b][e]ътвердый знак (ір)"

Usage notes

  1. 1 2 Not used in Lemko.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Not used in Pannonian Rusyn.
  3. 1 The Pannonian Rusyn alphabet places this letter directly after з, like the Ukrainian alphabet.According to ALA–LC romanization, it is romanized i for Pannonian Rusyn and y otherwise.
  4. 1 "Soft Sign": marks the preceding consonant as palatalized (soft)
  5. 1 "Hard Sign": marks the preceding consonant as NOT palatalized (hard).
  6. In Ukraine, usage is found of the letters о̄ and ӯ.[106][107][108]
  7. Until World War II, the letter ѣ (їть or yat') was used, and was pronounced /ji, ʲi/ or /i/ . This letter is still used in part of the articles in the Rusyn Wikipedia.
  8. The letters о̂ and ӱ are used formally.[109]

Number of letters and relationship to the Ukrainian alphabet

The Prešov Rusyn alphabet of Slovakia has 36 letters. It includes all the letters of the Ukrainian alphabet plus ё, ы, and ъ.

The Lemko Rusyn alphabet of Poland has 34 letters. It includes all the Ukrainian letters with the exception of ї, plus ы and ъ.

The Pannonian Rusyn alphabet has 32 letters, namely all the Ukrainian letters except і.

Alphabetical order

The Rusyn alphabets all place ь after я, as the Ukrainian alphabet did until 1990. The vast majority of Cyrillic alphabets place ь before э (if present), ю, and я.

The Lemko and Prešov Rusyn alphabets place ъ at the very end, while the vast majority of Cyrillic alphabets place it after щ. They also place ы before й, while the vast majority of Cyrillic alphabets place it after ш, щ (if present), and ъ (if present).

In the Prešov Rusyn alphabet, і and ї come before и, and likewise, і comes before и in the Lemko Rusyn alphabet (which does not have ї). In the Ukrainian alphabet, however, и precedes і and ї, and the Pannonian Rusyn alphabet (which does not have і) follows this precedent by placing и before ї.

Sample text

Lemko Rusyn
Того року одбыла ся уж друга стрича габурскых родаків, котрых на Сільському уряді в Габурі 8. липця 2006, на ридни земли привитав староста села М. Ющік. Щиры слова подякы і гордости за шыриня доброй славы свого села, витаня медже довго невидженыма родаками, спомины давных часив, Габури, родини і традициї были не лем на стричи родаків, але і на цілим дводньовим культурно-суспільним і спортовим сьвяті, яке ся одбыло під назвом «Габура співає і спортує».

Prešov Rusyn
Того року ся одбыла уж друга стріча габурскых родаків, котрых на Сельскім уряді в Габурі 8. юла 2006, на роднім ґрунті привитав староста села М. Ющік. Слова до душы, подякы і гордости за шыріня доброго хыру о своїм селі, витаня довго невидженых родаків, споминаня на давны часы, на Габуру, на родину і традіції мали свій простор нелем на стрічі родаків але і на цілій двадньовій културно-сполоченьскій і шпортовій акції, яка ся одбывала під назвом: «Габура співає і шпортує.»

Pannonian Rusyn
Того року ше одбуло уж друге стретнуце габурчанох по походзеню, хторих у Валалским уряду, у Габури 8. юлия 2006. року, на родней груди привитал староста валалу М. Ющик. Щири слова, подзековносц, пиха и гордосц пре добри глас о своїм валалу, витаня длуго нєвидзеней родзини, здогадованя на давни часи, на Габуру, на родзину и традицию, мали свойо место нє лєм на стретнуцох родзини, алє и на цалей дводньовей културно-уметнїцкей и спортовей програми хтора ше одбувала под назву: «Габура шпива и шпортує».

Standard Ukrainian
Того року відбулася друга зустріч габурських земляків, котрих на Сільському уряді в Габурі 8 липня 2006 року, на рідній землі привітав староста села М. Ющік. Щирі слова подяки й гордості за поширення доброї слави свого села, вітання довго не бачених земляків, спомини давніх часів, Габури, родини і традицій мали місце не лише на зустрічі земляків, але й на дводенному культурно-суспільному і спортивному святі, яке відбувалася під назвою «Габура співає і займається спортом».

See also

Newspapers

  • Amerikansky Russky Viestnik (defunct)
  • Besida, a Lemko journal
  • Karpatska Rus'
  • Lem.fm,[110] Gorlice, Poland
  • Lemko, Philadelphia, US (defunct)
  • Narodnȳ novynkȳ (Народны новинкы)
  • Podkarpatská Rus (Подкарпатська Русь)
  • Ruske slovo (Руске слово),[111] Ruski Krstur, Serbia
  • Rusnatsi u Shvetse (Руснаци у Швеце)[112]
  • Rusynska besida (Русинська бесіда)

Notes

References

Sources

External links