Belarus Languages: Difference between revisions

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''[[Belarus Genealogy|Belarus]]''
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==Description==
Belarus's two official languages are Russian and Belarusian. Minorities also speak Polish, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish. Belarusian, although not as widely used as Russian, is the mother tongue of 53.2% of the population, whereas Russian is the mother tongue of only 41.5%.  <ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Belarus," in ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia'', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus#Religion_and_languages#:~:text=Religion%20and%20languages, accessed 4 Aug 2021.</ref>


After World War II, the Soviets attempted cultural assimilation through language controls. They changed Belarusian grammar to conform with Russian, and eliminated Polish words in the language.  As of 1995, Belarusian and Russian are officially given equal status as the languages of Belarus. Russian is commonly spoken, is the preferred language of the media, and is the language of the genealogical sources.   Belarusian is written in Cyrillic and is closely related to both Ukrainian and Russian.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Belarus,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2002.</ref>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_language '''Belarusian'''] - one of the two official languages in the Republic of Belarus under the current Constitution and spoken at home by 23%.
 
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language '''Russian'''] - the most common language used at home, used by 70% of the population.
 
Russian is commonly spoken and is the language of the genealogical sources. Belorussian is written in Cyrillic and is closely related to both Ukrainian and Russian.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Belarus,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2002.</ref>
 
==Word List(s)==
*[[Russian Genealogical Word List]]
* Taranov, Andrey. ''Phrasebook Belarusian : the most important phrases : phrasebook + 3000-word dictionary.'' Hong Kong: T & P Books Publishing, 2016. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/1004770730 WorldCat].
* [https://www.101languages.net/belarusian/belarusian-word-list/ Belarusian Word List] - 101Languages
* [https://asjp.clld.org/languages/BELARUSIAN Wordlist Belarusian] - ASJP
* [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Belarusian_phrasebook Belarusian Phrase List] - Wiki Voyage
* [http://masterrussian.com/vocabulary/most_common_words.htm 1000 Most Common Russian Words] - Master Russian
* [https://www.russianpod101.com/russian-word-lists/?coreX=100 Russian Core 100 Ward List] - RussianPod101
 
==Alphabet and Pronunciation==
The Belarusian alphabet is a variant of the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyrillic_script '''Cyrillic script''']. The modern Belarusian form was defined in 1918, and consists of thirty-two letters. Belarusian had also been written in the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_Arabic_alphabet '''Belarusian Latin alphabet'''] and the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_alphabet '''Hebrew alphabet'''].<br>
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_alphabet Belarusian alphabet] - Wikipedia
* [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Belarusian_phrasebook#:~:text=Belarusian%20alphabet Belarusian Alphabet] - Wiki Voyage
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_language#:~:text=Alphabet Russian Alphabet] - Wikipedia
 
'''Pronunciation'''
* [https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Belarusian_phrasebook#:~:text=Pronunciation%20guide Belarusian Pronunciation Guide] - Viki Voyage
* [https://www.russianpod101.com/russian-pronunciation/ Ultimate Russian Pronunciation Guide] - RussianPod101
 
==Language Aids and Dictionaries==
'''Dictionaries'''
* Pashkevich, Valentyna. ''English-Belarusian dictionary.'' Kolas: Kolas Publisher, 2006. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/77828557 WorldCat].
* Silitski, Vitalʹ and Jan Zaprudnik. ''Historical dictionary of Belarus.'' Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/85814152 WorldCat].
* ''Pocekt English-Belarusian-Russian Dictionary.'' Minsk: Vyšéišaja škola, 1995. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/439056811 WorldCat].
 
'''Online Dictionaries'''
* [https://glosbe.com/en/be Dictionary English-Belarusian] - Glosbe
* [https://www.etranslator.ro/belarusian-english-online-dictionary.php Online Belarusian English Dictionary] - Etranslator
* [https://www.lexilogos.com/english/russian_dictionary.htm Russian-English Dictionary] - Lexilogos
* [https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english-russian/ English-Russian Dictionary] - Cambridge Dictionary
 
'''Language Aids'''
* [http://mylanguages.org/learn_belarusian.php Learn Belarusian] - My Languages.org
* [https://lmc.uiowa.edu/resources/belarusian-language-and-culture-resources Belarusian Language and Culture Resources] - Center for Language and Culture Learning
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_phonology Russian Phonology] - Wikipedia
 
==Additional Resources==
* Silitski, Vitalʹ and Jan Zaprudnik. ''The A to Z of Belarus.'' Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010. '''''Available at:''''' [https://www.worldcat.org/title/526097785 WorldCat].


== References  ==
== References  ==
{{reflist}}
For word list and help researching in Belorussian records, see:
*[[Russian Genealogical Word List]]


{{reflist}}


[[Category:Belarus]]
[[Category:Belarus]]

Latest revision as of 11:43, 20 March 2024


Belarus Wiki Topics
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Description

Belarus's two official languages are Russian and Belarusian. Minorities also speak Polish, Ukrainian and Eastern Yiddish. Belarusian, although not as widely used as Russian, is the mother tongue of 53.2% of the population, whereas Russian is the mother tongue of only 41.5%. [1]

  • Belarusian - one of the two official languages in the Republic of Belarus under the current Constitution and spoken at home by 23%.
  • Russian - the most common language used at home, used by 70% of the population.

Russian is commonly spoken and is the language of the genealogical sources. Belorussian is written in Cyrillic and is closely related to both Ukrainian and Russian.[2]

Word List(s)

Alphabet and Pronunciation

The Belarusian alphabet is a variant of the Cyrillic script. The modern Belarusian form was defined in 1918, and consists of thirty-two letters. Belarusian had also been written in the Belarusian Latin alphabet and the Hebrew alphabet.

Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Dictionaries

  • Pashkevich, Valentyna. English-Belarusian dictionary. Kolas: Kolas Publisher, 2006. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Silitski, Vitalʹ and Jan Zaprudnik. Historical dictionary of Belarus. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press, 2007. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Pocekt English-Belarusian-Russian Dictionary. Minsk: Vyšéišaja škola, 1995. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

Language Aids

Additional Resources

  • Silitski, Vitalʹ and Jan Zaprudnik. The A to Z of Belarus. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2010. Available at: WorldCat.

References

  1. Wikipedia contributors, "Belarus," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarus#Religion_and_languages#:~:text=Religion%20and%20languages, accessed 4 Aug 2021.
  2. The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Belarus,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 2002.




For word list and help researching in Belorussian records, see: