Volga Tatar language: Difference between revisions
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{{ | {{dambigbox|the Volga Tatar language|Tatar language|Tatar language}} | ||
'''Volga Tatar''' or '''Kazan Tatar'''—or simply ''Tatar''—is a [[Turkic language]] spoken mainly in [[Tatarstan]] and nearby [[Russian republic]]s and ''[[oblast]]s,'' by the approximately seven million [[Volga Tatar people]], as well as some others. It is the most widely-spoken minority language in Russia.<ref>Agnes Kefeli, "[http://www.princeton.edu/~turkish/aatt/tatar.htm Tatar: The Language of the Largest Minority in Russia]," website of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic (accessed November 5, 2008).</ref> Variants are spoken from [[Finland]] and across [[Russia]] and former [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] republics. There are three dialects: Western, Central, and Eastern. [[Crimean Tatar language|Crimean Tatar]] is considered to be not a dialect but a different language. | |||
[[Kazan]] lies along the [[Volga River]] and is the capital of Tatarstan, and is also therefore the cultural center of the Tatar language. In Tatarstan and in some areas and villages outside of this autonomous republic, Tatar is the language spoken at home and in daily life, and the first language taught in schools. Most Tatars are, however, also Russian citizens and speak Russian well, sometimes better than they speak Tatar. | |||
Written Tatar may use either the [[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]] or [[Latin alphabet|Latin]] alphabets. In 2001 the Tatarstan government started to implement a Latin alphabet officially (as it was scheduled since 1999) but in 2002 the Russian Duma decided that the Cyrillic script was compulsory for all the languages in Russia.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3718174.stm BBC News]</ref><ref>For example, see the [http://www.tatar.ru/?DNSID=e0825415798e57728a2bf87d0c55986a&lang=TAT official website of Tatarstan], in Tatar and Cyrillic script.</ref> The [[Arabic alphabet]] was also used until the 9th century.<ref>Omniglot - Tatar Language, [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/tatar.htm] accessed November 5, 2008)</ref> | |||
==Footnotes== | |||
{{reflist|2}} | |||
Latest revision as of 11:54, 20 September 2013
Volga Tatar or Kazan Tatar—or simply Tatar—is a Turkic language spoken mainly in Tatarstan and nearby Russian republics and oblasts, by the approximately seven million Volga Tatar people, as well as some others. It is the most widely-spoken minority language in Russia.[1] Variants are spoken from Finland and across Russia and former Soviet republics. There are three dialects: Western, Central, and Eastern. Crimean Tatar is considered to be not a dialect but a different language.
Kazan lies along the Volga River and is the capital of Tatarstan, and is also therefore the cultural center of the Tatar language. In Tatarstan and in some areas and villages outside of this autonomous republic, Tatar is the language spoken at home and in daily life, and the first language taught in schools. Most Tatars are, however, also Russian citizens and speak Russian well, sometimes better than they speak Tatar.
Written Tatar may use either the Cyrillic or Latin alphabets. In 2001 the Tatarstan government started to implement a Latin alphabet officially (as it was scheduled since 1999) but in 2002 the Russian Duma decided that the Cyrillic script was compulsory for all the languages in Russia.[2][3] The Arabic alphabet was also used until the 9th century.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ Agnes Kefeli, "Tatar: The Language of the Largest Minority in Russia," website of the American Association of Teachers of Turkic (accessed November 5, 2008).
- ↑ BBC News
- ↑ For example, see the official website of Tatarstan, in Tatar and Cyrillic script.
- ↑ Omniglot - Tatar Language, [1] accessed November 5, 2008)