Tatar language

Geographic distribution

Tatar is spoken in some parts of Europe, Russia, Siberia, China, Turkey, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia and Central Asia.

Related Topics:
Europe - Russia - Siberia - China - Turkey - Poland - Ukraine - Finland - Estonia - Central Asia

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Kazan Tatar is also native for 400,000 Bashkirs, especially those living in Ufa, and some thousands of Maris. Mordva's Qaratay group also speak Tatar. The Tatar language is an international communication language between Tatars, Bashkirs, Chuvashs, Kazakhs, Maris, Mordvins, and Udmurts.

Related Topics:
Bashkirs - Ufa - Mari - Mordva - Qaratay - Tatars - Bashkir - Chuvash - Kazakh - Maris - Mordvins - Udmurt

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Official status

Tatar is the official language of the Republic of Tatarstan. Official script of Tatar language is considered to be a Cyrillic script, but sometimes other scripts are used, mostly Latin and Arabic. All official sources in Tatarstan use Cyrillic script at their web-sites and publishing. In other cases, where Tatar has no official status, using of concrete alphabet depend only on author's desire. Guides in Tatarstan are also in two scripts.

Related Topics:
Republic of Tatarstan - Official script - Cyrillic

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The Tatar language was used as official since 1917 first after Kazan Khanate was adsorbed to Russia in 1552, but only in Tatar-Bashkir Soviet Socialist Republic. Tatar is also considered the only official language in Idel-Ural State.

Related Topics:
1917 - Kazan Khanate - Russia - 1552 - Tatar-Bashkir Soviet Socialist Republic - Idel-Ural State

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In the Soviet period the term official language wasn't in use, but the same meaning was a language could be used in trial in some republics. In Soviet epoch Tatar was a language could be used in trial in Bashkortostan, Mari El and other regions of RSFSR.

Related Topics:
Soviet - Bashkortostan - Mari El - RSFSR

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Since 1930s use of the Tatar language declined. In the 1980s it wasn't studied in city schools even for Tatar pupils. In rural schools it was used, but Tatar-speaking pupils had no chance to enter university, because all high education was only in Russian.

Related Topics:
1930s - 1980s

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In the beginning of the 1990s most Russian republics declared titular nation's language as official. In Bashkortostan Tatar population exceed Bashkir, but Tatar language hasn't official status, even though 0.5 million Bashkirs and all Bashkortostan Tatars speaks it. At the last presidential election current president Murtaza Rakhimov was supported by Tatars only because he promised to make Tatar the third official language of Bashkortostan.

Related Topics:
1990s - Russia - Titular nation - Bashkortostan - Murtaza Rakhimov

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Today the Tatar language is not viewed by some people as an endangered language, but it is viewed as a low prestige language. High education in Tatar only takes place in Tatarstan and only for humanitarian sciences. In other regions Tatar is a spoken language firstly, the number of speakers as well as quality of knowledge outside Tatarstan tends to decrease. As a written language Tatar is popular only in Tatar-speaking areas where schools with Tatar language lessons are situated. On the other hand, in pure Tatar rural districts of Tatarstan Tatar language is, in fact, the only language in use.

Related Topics:
Tatarstan - Districts of Tatarstan

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Dialects of Kazan Tatar

There are 3 main dialects of Tatar: Western (Mi?är or Mishar), Middle (Tatarstan's most popular language), and Eastern (Siberian). All of these dialects also have subdivisions.

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Mi?är

In the Western (Mi?är) dialect Ç is pronounced as {{IPA|}}, C as {{IPA|}}, {{IPA|}} sound also pronounced. There are no differences between v and w, q and k, g and ? in Mi?är dialect. So, modern Tatar Cyrillic alphabet represent Mishar pronunciation WYSIWYS, but for the main speakers of the language Cyrillic has difficult rules to pronounce right. (Cyrillic Tatar hasn't special letters for q, ? and w)

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Middle

Minzälä

In the Minzälä subdialect of the Middle Dialect z is pronounced as {{IPA|}}, as opposed to other dialects where it is silent.

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Rural or Kerä?en

In come cases Y is pronounced as C () before a consonant (rural speech). Kerä?en Tatars uses thit tendention as literary. In their alphabet Russian letter ? (zh) represent this vowel instead of ? that represent those vowel in standart Tatar Cyrillic.

Related Topics:
Russian letter - Zh

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Slang

In bilingual people's city slang there are differences between x and h, q and k, ? and g, v and w which are less stronger than earlier. This can be viewed as an influence of the use of the Cyrillic alphabet. Another version is that cities were places where Western and Middle dialects was used both.

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The influence of Russian language to slang is gigant. Russian words and phrases are used with Tatar grammar. Verbs appears originally: Russian verb + itärgä. Some English words and phrases also tend to be incorporated to slang.

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Siberian Tatar

Siberian Tatar use language, differ than literary Kazan Tatar. Kazan Tatar was used as literary writing language before 1930s, but then only Russian was used as writing language.

Related Topics:
Siberian Tatar - 1930s

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Siberian Tatars pronounce instead of ç, instead of c and sometimes and instead of b and d. Grammar also is differ, i.e. differences are within this dialect, scaterred over all Western Siberia

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Language of Chulym Tatars considered to be an idependent language, as othe "Tatar" languages to the East of them.

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Tatar in Russia

There are ~5,300,000 Tatar speakers in Russia. Only ~4,500,000 of them are Tatars. (5,500,000 in Russia). Other speakers are Bashkirs (520,000), Russians (130,000), Chuvashs (70,000), Maris (42,000), Udmurts and Mordvins. There are local Tatar language speakers in Tatarstan, this nomber includes Azeri, Armenian, Kazakh and Jewish communities.

Related Topics:
Azeri - Armenia - Kazakh - Jew

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