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West Polesian
West Polesian
захыднёполіськая мова
Native to	Belarus, Ukraine, Poland
Region	Southwestern Belarus, northwestern Ukraine, bordering regions of Poland
Language family	Indo-European Balto-Slavic Slavic East Slavic West Polesian; ; ; ;
Early forms	Proto-Indo-European Proto-Balto-Slavic Proto-Slavic Old East Slavic Ruthenian ; ; ; ;
Dialects	Motolian;
Writing system	Cyrillic
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Glottolog	west2977

West Polesian (захыднёполіськая мова, zakhydnyopolis'kaya mova^{[citation needed]}) is the East Slavic dialect group (or variety) spoken in southwestern Belarus, in northwestern Ukraine and adjoining regions of Poland. There is controversy regarding whether West Polesian belongs to Belarusian or Ukrainian, or is a separate microlanguage (as has been proposed by linguist Aleksandr Dulichenko).

Various variants or dialects of West Polesian are used in everyday speech. Attempts were made in the 1990s by Nikolai Shelyagovich to develop a standard written language,^[1] although his efforts received almost no support and the campaign eventually ceased.^[2] In particular, writer Nil Hilevich and some others spoke against Shelyagovich, claiming that he represented a threat to the national integrity of Belarus, and labelled "Yotvingian separatism".^[3]

History

The formation of the Polesian literary language itself began in 1988 thanks to the efforts of the philologist and poet Nikolai Shelyagovich. Then the social and cultural association "Polisse" (Полісьсе) was created and the development of a written norm of a special Polesian ("Yotvingian" in the terminology of Shelyagovich and his supporters) language began. In 1990, a constituent conference was held, at which various ethnographic and linguistic problems of Polesia were discussed, and, in particular, the creation of a written Polesian language.^[4]

In the newly created literary language in 1988–1990, several inserts with the title "Балесы Полісся" (Pages of Polesia) were published in the Belarusian newspaper "Чырвоная змена" (Chyrvonaja Zmena), several rotary issues of the "information bulletin" (small newspaper) "Zbudinne" ("Awakening"). In 1990–1995, the newspaper "Zbudinne" was published every 2 weeks, was widely sold in newsstands in the Brest Region and in Minsk, and one could subscribe to it. The circulation of the newspaper averaged about 2-2.5 thousand copies. Also in this language were written several theses for the Yotvingian (Polesian) scientific-practical conference, held in Pinsk on April 13–14, 1990. The rest of the abstracts were written in Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. In 1992, a book of chess miniatures "Jitveža Šaxova mynjatjura" was published in the Western Polesian language in Shelyagovich's version.^[5]

Orthography

«Yotvingian»

In 1990, an alphabet was proposed by Nikolai Shelyagovich.

А а	Б б	В в	Г г	Ґ ґ	Д д	Е е	Ж ж	З з	И и
І і	Ы ы	Ј ј	К к	Л л	М м	Н н	О о	П п	Р р
С с	Т т	У у	Ф ф	Х х	Ц ц	Ч ч	Ш ш	Шч шч

Klimchuk's script

Belarusian dialectologist Fyodar Klimchuk [be] recorded spoken texts and wrote translations in the dialect of the author's native village (Simanavichy, Drahichyn District [be]).^[6] Among other things, he did translation of the New Testament.^[7]

References

^ Цыхун Г.А. Пра заходнепалескую літаратурную мікрамову (праект М. Шэляговіча) (retrieved July 13, 2016) First published in: Матэрыялы навукова-краязнаўчай канфэрэнцыі "Палесьсе ў ХХ ст." (1-4 чэрвеня, Беласток) / Укл. і аг. рэд. Ф.Клімука, А.Энгелькінг, В.Лабачэўская. — Менск: Тэхналёгія, 2001. — 320 с. — Наклад 320 ас. ISBN 985-458-034-2
^ Цадко О. Полесье и опыт национального конструирования (1988–1995), Палітычная сфера. Гісторыя і нацыя, no.24 (1), 2016, pp. 78-93.
^ Дынько А. Найноўшая гісторыя яцвягаў, ARCHE, no. 6 (11), 2000. Quote: "Аформілася і супрацьлежная партыя. Лідэры Таварыства Беларускай Мовы Ніл Гілевіч, Яўген Цумараў і Алег Трусаў (вось дзе гняздо беларускага фундаменталізму) узначалілі фронт змагання супраць «яцвяжскага сепаратызму» на старонках «ЛіМу», «Нашага Слова» і ў Вярхоўным Савеце, і «Збудінне» кляйміла іх выступы як «провокашыны лытвынських шовыныстив». Паэт Мікола Федзюкевіч усхвалявана выкрываў, што ягоныя дарагічынскія дзядзькі яцвяжскай мовы не разумеюць і што "асаблівую насцярожанасць выклікалі ў палескіх хлебаробаў наступныя радкі."
^ Јітвјежа: Тэзы 1990; Јітвјежа: Матырјелы 1990
^ Jітвежа шахова мынятюра / Сцяпан Давыдзюк. — Пінск; Мінск, 1992.
^ "Ф. Клімчук. Урыўкі з перакладаў на гаворку вёскі Сіманавічы Драгічынскага раёна". Archived from the original on 10 August 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2007.
^ «Арыентаваўся на мову дзеда». Навошта навуковец пераклаў Новы Запавет на заходнепалескі дыялект, Radio Liberty, December 7, 2017