Belarusian: The language with a 32-letter alphabet

Belarusian is a Slavic language with around 9.3 million native speakers. It shares countless similarities with the Ukrainian and Russian languages. Despite the small speaking population, Belarusian is the language of many Nobel prize laureates, including the well-known writer Svetlana Alexievich.

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3 interesting facts about the Belarusian language

01
Belarusian shares many similarities with the Ukrainian language, including 84% of its vocabulary.
02
The blend of Belarusian and Russian creates an interlanguage known as "Trasyanka" and is commonly spoken in regions in Belarus.
03
Every year, Belarusian is celebrated alongside Russian on International Mother Language Day on February 21.

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Origin of the language

Did you know the Belarusian language was the official language in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a vast state encompassing Lithuania, Belarus, parts of Poland, Ukraine, and Russia? The language was first mentioned in records from the 14th century. In later centuries this Slavic language changed under Russian and Polish influences.

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History of the language

The Belarusian language initially used the Latin alphabet but later replaced it with the Cyrillic Belarusian language alphabet, which is widely used in East and some South Slavic languages. The language has many dialects, and the standard version became the official language of the Republic of Belarus in 1918. However, in recent history, the country's president, Lukashenko, elevated the Russian language to official status. Consequently, almost two-thirds of native Belarusian speakers use Russian in daily communication, endangering the future of Belarusian.

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Learning the language

An English speaker is expected to need about 1100 hours to learn Belarusian.

How to say 10 popular words and phrases in the Belarusian language

It’s not easy to learn the Belarusian language, but it only takes a few minutes to learn popular greetings and other terms and phrases. However, if you need content writing in Belarusian, you might need a professional to help you out!

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fun facts

Fun facts about the Belarusian language

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Unlike the English language, which has a 26-letter alphabet, the Belarusian alphabet has 32 letters.


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The popular game World of Tanks was translated into Belarusian by the renowned organization Warming to show its appreciation for the Belarusian language.


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Modern Belarusian has two variants: “classical” or “Tarashkevich” based on the first standardized form of Belarusian devised by the linguist Branislaw Adamavich Tarashkyevich in the early 20th century and a reformed spelling known as “Narcomovka” that came into force in 2008.


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Word Of Wisdom!

Say what you know, do what you must, come what may.

Sofia Kovalevskaya

Mathematician and Educator

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Word Of Wisdom!

Suffering makes us human. A person without suffering is just grass.

Vasil Bykaŭ

Author and Novelist

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Word Of Wisdom!

Hatred will always give birth to more and more hate, and love has the power to demolish the borders between us.

Svetlana Alexievich

Journalist, Author, and Oral Historian

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