Rusyn (was: General)

 --- Joseph Fatula skrzypszy:

> > Last, what is the dialect/language called "Rusyn"?
>
> I can't help you with any Russian dialects, but Rusyn is something I know a
> little about.  In English it is often known as "Ruthenian".  It is spoken
> around the area of the old kingdom of Ruthenia, an area centered around the
> part of Ukraine just touching Slovakia.  It is most closely related to
> Ukranian, but has borrowed a great deal of Slovak and Polish.  Apparently
> the easternmost Slovak dialects share some innovations with Rusyn, such as
> the change of t' > c.  [tj > ts]  Sometimes it is called Carpatho-Rusyn or
> Carpatho-Ruthenian.
>
> Any experts on this, please correct me.  Rusyn is just something I came
> across while I was researching eastern Slovak, so I'm certainly not an
> authority on this.
Well, I'm not exactly an expert, but I have been doing research to the
Ukrainian minority in Poland and of course during that process I often stumbled
upon the Rusyns.
What you write is basically correct. There are a few things I can add:

The name "Ruthenian" has its roots in the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, where it
was used to designate all Ukrainians. Hence, the term is at least ambiguous,
and I prefer to call it "Rusinian". In Poland they call themselves "Rusini", in
Slovakia "Rusnaky". Other names for the language are: "Carpatho-Rusyn",
"Carpatho-Ukrainian".

There are three major groups/dialects:
- the Lemkos (ca. 50,000 in Poland, a number I don't remember in Slovakia);
- the Boikos (East of the Lemkos; some in Poland, most in Ukraine);
- the Hutsuls (further South, close to Romania).

Language or dialect?
I've heard claims that Rusinian is the Slavic language closest to Proto-Slavic,
and that it can be understood by any other Slav. I've never been able to try
this personally. However, I doubt it. Like many mountaineers' languages, the
Rusinian dialects are very archaic, but looking closely at them, I tend to
agree with those who classify them as "Ukrainian peripheric mountain dialects".

National consciousness
Various. Some consider themselves Ukrainians, others Rusinians. There is a
minority current among Lemkos to consider themselves Lemkos (i.e. having
nothing in common particularly with other Rusinians). And many consider
themselves "tutejszy" (locals); they identify themselves rather with the place
where they live than with their language or religion.
A difference between the Lemkos and the other Ukrainians in Poland is that the
Lemkos are in majority Orthodoxe, while the Ukrainians are Greek Catholic.

Jan

=====
"Originality is the art of concealing your source." - Franklin P. Jones

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Everything you'll ever need on one web page
from News and Sport to Email and Music Charts
http://uk.my.yahoo.com