Belarusian ( endonym : беларуская мова , romanized : bielaruskaja mova , pronounced [bʲɛɫaˈruskaja ˈmɔva] ) is an East Slavic language . It is one of the two official languages in Belarus , alongside Russian . Additionally, it is spoken in some parts of Russia , Lithuania , Latvia , Poland , and Ukraine by Belarusian minorities in those countries.
100-495: Nasha Niva ( Belarusian : Наша Ніва , romanized : Naša Niva , lit. "Our field") is one of the oldest Belarusian weekly newspapers, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1991. Nasha Niva became a cultural symbol, due to the newspaper's importance as a publisher of Belarusian literature and as a pioneer of Belarusian language journalism, the years before the October Revolution are often referred to as
200-690: A currency unit of a number of countries in Eastern Europe closely associated with the economy of Russia . It is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system; 100 kopeks are worth 1 ruble or 1 hryvnia . Originally, the kopeck was the currency unit of Imperial Russia , the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and then the Soviet Union (as the Soviet ruble ). As of 2020 , it
300-556: A Ukrainian-language Telegram channel, so that Ukrainians could obtain independent and objective information from Belarus. On the occasion of the International Mother Language Day (February 21) in 2023, a machine-converted website edition of Nasha Niva in Łacinka (that is, the Belarusian Latin alphabet ) was launched. Nasha Niva was inspired by Iskra , a political newspaper, published by
400-597: A discussion on agrarian topics organised in 1907 – including an article entitled 'The Land Question in New Zealand' – was found 'seditious' and 'disrespectful of the government'. The editor, Alaksandar Ułasaŭ , was tried and imprisoned. On several occasions, the entire run of a particular issue was confiscated and the editors were compelled to pay fines. Subscribers and correspondents of the newspaper became central figures of national political and intellectual life, e.g. Ciška Hartny (pseudonym of Źmicier Žyłunovič ), one of
500-530: A few days, Martsinovich and Skurko were charged in a criminal case on July 14. In jail Skurko, who has achrestic diabetes, was left without medication for 13 days. There he came in contact with SARS-CoV-2 and was diagnosed with COVID-19 . In November 2021, Nasha Niva's Telegram channel and its social networks were declared extremist materials. In January 2022, the KGB declared Nasha Niva an extremist formation. Creation of an extremist formation or participation in it
600-533: A language generally referred to as Ruthenian (13th to 18th centuries), which had, in turn, descended from what is referred to as Old East Slavic (10th to 13th centuries). In the first Belarusian census in 1999, the Belarusian language was declared as a "language spoken at home" by about 3,686,000 Belarusian citizens (36.7% of the population). About 6,984,000 (85.6%) of Belarusians declared it their "mother tongue". Other sources, such as Ethnologue , put
700-486: A number of names, both contemporary and historical. Some of the most dissimilar are from the Old Belarusian period. Although closely related to other East Slavic languages , especially Ukrainian , Belarusian phonology is distinct in a number of ways. The phoneme inventory of the modern Belarusian language consists of 45 to 54 phonemes: 6 vowels and 39 to 48 consonants , depending on how they are counted. When
800-467: A number of radical changes. A fully phonetic orthography was introduced. One of the most distinctive changes brought in was the principle of akanye (Belarusian: а́канне ), wherein unstressed "o", pronounced in both Russian and Belarusian as /a/ , is written as "а". The Belarusian Academic Conference on Reform of the Orthography and Alphabet was convened in 1926. After discussions on the project,
900-458: A perception that Belarusian was a "rural" and "uneducated" language. However, the census was a major breakthrough for the first steps of the Belarusian national self-awareness and identity, since it clearly showed to the Imperial authorities and the still-strong Polish minority that the population and the language were neither Polish nor Russian. The rising influence of Socialist ideas advanced
1000-399: A possible model of relations between Belarus and other nations of the region. In 2000 Siarhiej Dubaviec resigned, Andrej Dyńko became the new editor-in-chief. In 1996, the newspaper's editorial office relocated to Minsk , Belarus. The topics covered by "Nasha Niva" shifted from literature and culture towards political and social issues. In 1999 the newspaper became a weekly once more. In 2002
1100-575: A resolution in which it asks the European Commission and the Member States, to strengthen Belarusian media outlets, including Nasha Niva. Since 1995 and especially in the 2000s, "Nasha Niva" has faced pressure from the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko . The paper was persecuted for using the traditional Belarusian orthography ( Taraškievica ). In 1998 the newspaper won a trial in court and got permission to continue using
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#17327832200091200-405: A slot under the door. The 'Upper Parliament' strived to keep the publication alive and receive fees, while the 'Lower Chamber' performed all the everyday tasks. Their articles were published under pseudonyms, all their decisions could be overridden by the 'Upper House' veto. The tense relations between the collaborators are presumably the main reason of Siarhiej Pałujan's suicide in 1910. According to
1300-602: A special place among other Belarusian periodicals. "Nasha Niva" abandoned the 'defensive strategy' and self-imposed isolation inherent to much of the Belarusian-language media of the Soviet times. The newspaper opened its pages to discussions on universal topics and published numerous translations of foreign literature. The paper discussed two topics in particular: the heritage of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and
1400-404: A wide range of political, economic, and cultural issues. Every issue included the following sections: government actions, political review, life of the countryside, life of the city, feuilletons, the newest literary works in Belarusian, correspondence, news from Russia and Lithuania, book digest, history notes, notes on agriculture, applied mechanics, personal ad. The newspaper saw as its main task
1500-599: Is a criminal offence in Belarus. On 11 May 2016, the editors office announced that Nasha Niva will concentrate on the Internet version, while the paper one will keep publishing on a monthly basis. However, the fundraising to support the paper edition didn't succeed. On 6 June 2018, the editors office announced the closure of paper runs and complete transfer to the web. According to "Nasha Niva" statistics, in May 2018 its web portal
1600-565: Is a diminutive form of the Russian kop'yo (копьё)—a spear . The first kopek coins, minted at Novgorod and Pskov from about 1534 onwards, show a horseman with a spear. From the 1540s on, the horseman bore a crown ; doubtless the intention was to represent Ivan the Terrible , the grand prince of all Russia until 1547, and tsar thereafter. Subsequent minting of the coin, starting in the 18th century, instead bore Saint George striking down
1700-399: Is found in the representation of vowel reduction, and in particular akanje , the merger of unstressed /a/ and /o/, which exists in both Russian and Belarusian. Belarusian always spells this merged sound as ⟨a⟩ , whereas Russian uses either ⟨a⟩ or ⟨o⟩ , according to what the "underlying" phoneme is (determined by identifying the related words where
1800-400: Is mostly synthetic and partly analytic, and overall quite similar to Russian grammar . Belarusian orthography, however, differs significantly from Russian orthography in some respects, due to the fact that it is a phonemic orthography that closely represents the surface phonology, whereas Russian orthography represents the underlying morphophonology . The most significant instance of this
1900-501: Is rarely used. Standardized Belarusian grammar in its modern form was adopted in 1959, with minor amendments in 1985 and 2008. It was developed from the initial form set down by Branislaw Tarashkyevich (first printed in Vilnius , 1918), and it is mainly based on the Belarusian folk dialects of Minsk - Vilnius region. Historically, there have been several other alternative standardized forms of Belarusian grammar. Belarusian grammar
2000-410: Is the currency unit of Russia , Belarus and Ukraine . The Russian kopeck is also used in two regions of Georgia , the partially recognised states (including by Russia) of Abkhazia and South Ossetia . Partially recognised Transnistria has its own kopeck. In the past, several other countries influenced by Russia and the Soviet Union had currency units that were also named kopecks. The name of
2100-512: Is the usual conventional borderline between the Ruthenian and Modern Belarusian stages of development. By the end of the 18th century, (Old) Belarusian was still common among the minor nobility in the eastern part, in the territory of present-day Belarus, of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (hereafter GDL). Jan Czeczot in the 1840s had mentioned that even his generation's grandfathers preferred speaking (Old) Belarusian. According to A. N. Pypin,
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#17327832200092200-613: The Belarusian Democratic Republic , Belarusian was used as the only official language (decreed by Belarusian People's Secretariat on 28 April 1918). Subsequently, in the Byelorussian SSR , Belarusian was decreed to be one of the four (Belarusian, Polish, Russian, and Yiddish) official languages (decreed by Central Executive Committee of BSSR in February 1921). A decree of 15 July 1924 confirmed that
2300-542: The Belarusian literary language . It was actively involved in both the creation of classical Belarusian literature and the evolution of the idea of Belarusian statehood. One of the newspaper's characteristic features was the strong interactive relationship that it built with readers. There were more than three thousand permanent and temporary correspondents who submitted information to the editor. A large number of contributors from various regions of Belarus were involved in
2400-700: The Old Church Slavonic language. The modern Belarusian form was defined in 1918, and consists of thirty-two letters. Before that, Belarusian had also been written in the Belarusian Latin alphabet (Łacinka / Лацінка), the Belarusian Arabic alphabet (by Lipka Tatars ) and the Hebrew alphabet (by Belarusian Jews ). The Glagolitic script was used, sporadically, until the 11th or 12th century. There are several systems of romanization of Belarusian written texts. The Belarusian Latin alphabet
2500-648: The RSDLP since 1901. At the BSA conference in June 1906 Belarusian journalist Anton Łuckevič announced his intention to create a party newspaper. The co-founders were his brother Ivan and Alaksandar Ułasaŭ , a landowner from the Mihaŭka estate near Minsk , who was for many years the newspaper's publisher and editor. The name for the publication was taken from a poem by Janka Lučyna "Роднай старонцы" ("To Fatherland"). The first issue
2600-550: The Russian Academy of Sciences refused to print his submission, on the basis that it had not been prepared in a sufficiently scientific manner. From the mid-1830s ethnographic works began to appear, and tentative attempts to study the language were instigated (e.g. Shpilevskiy's grammar). The Belarusian literary tradition began to re-form, based on the folk language, initiated by the works of Vintsent Dunin-Martsinkyevich . See also : Jan Czeczot , Jan Barszczewski . At
2700-509: The "soft sounding R" ( мякка-эравы ) and "strong akanye " ( моцнае аканне ), and the South-Western dialect is chiefly characterized by the "hard sounding R" ( цвёрда-эравы ) and "moderate akanye" ( умеранае аканне ). The West Polesian dialect group is separated from the rest of the country by the conventional line Pruzhany – Ivatsevichy – Tsyelyakhany – Luninyets – Stolin . There is a high degree of mutual intelligibility among
2800-506: The 'Nasha Niva Period'. In the period between 1906 and 1915 the newspaper was published on a weekly basis. From 1991 to 1995 it appeared once a month, reverting to weekly publication in 1996 and then fortnightly in 1997–1999. In 1999 the paper became a weekly again. Nasha Niva Online (nn.by) was set up in 1997. By 2017 it had become the most frequently visited website in the Belarusian language . According to Media IQ estimation, Nasha Niva remains free of state propaganda and keeps one of
2900-431: The 1897 Russian Empire census , about 5.89 million people declared themselves speakers of Belarusian (then known as White Russian). The end of the 19th century, however, still showed that the urban language of Belarusian towns remained either Polish or Russian. The same census showed that towns with a population greater than 50,000 had fewer than a tenth Belarusian speakers. This state of affairs greatly contributed to
3000-612: The Autumn of 1914, the blank spaces appeared on its pages, left by the state censors. The last issue was published in the Summer of 1915 when the majority of the staff were called to active military service. The first attempt to revive the newspaper was made by Maksim Harecki in Vilnia in 1920. The first issue of the revived Nasha Niva , now described as a socio-political and literature daily newspaper, appeared on 28 October 1920, soon after
3100-470: The Belarusian government took a course on the liberalization of the media, following requirements of European Union. At the end of 2008 "Nasha Niva" and "Narodnaya Volya" were allowed back to the state subscription and retail via newsstands. Soon "Nasha Niva" switched from bw to colour print, its circulation grew to 6000. However, as soon as in 2010 almost half of the July print run was confiscated and destroyed by
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3200-562: The Belarusian grammar. In 1915, Rev. Balyaslaw Pachopka had prepared a Belarusian grammar using the Latin script. Belarusian linguist S. M. Nyekrashevich considered Pachopka's grammar unscientific and ignorant of the principles of the language. But Pachopka's grammar was reportedly taught in an unidentified number of schools, from 1918 for an unspecified period. Another grammar was supposedly jointly prepared by A. Lutskyevich and Ya. Stankyevich, and differed from Tarashkyevich's grammar somewhat in
3300-574: The Belarusian language is declared as a "language spoken at home" by about 40,000 inhabitants According to a study done by the Belarusian government in 2009, 72% of Belarusians speak Russian at home, while Belarusian is actively used by only 11.9% of Belarusians (others speak a mixture of Russian and Belarusian, known as Trasianka ). Approximately 29.4% of Belarusians can write, speak, and read Belarusian, while 52.5% can only read and speak it. Nevertheless, there are no Belarusian-language universities in Belarus. The Belarusian language has been known under
3400-458: The Belarusian language was spoken in some areas among the minor nobility during the 19th century. In its vernacular form, it was the language of the smaller town dwellers and of the peasantry and it had been the language of oral folklore. Teaching in Belarusian was conducted mainly in schools run by the Basilian order . The development of Belarusian in the 19th century was strongly influenced by
3500-706: The Belarusian, Russian, Yiddish and Polish languages had equal status in Soviet Belarus. In the BSSR, Tarashkyevich's grammar had been officially accepted for use in state schooling after its re-publication in unchanged form, first in 1922 by Yazep Lyosik under his own name as Practical grammar. Part I , then in 1923 by the Belarusian State Publishing House under the title Belarusian language. Grammar. Ed. I. 1923 , also by "Ya. Lyosik". In 1925, Lyosik added two new chapters, addressing
3600-522: The Belarusian, Russian, and Ukrainian languages. Within East Slavic, the Belarusian language is most closely related to Ukrainian . The modern Belarusian language was redeveloped on the base of the vernacular spoken remnants of the Ruthenian language , surviving in the ethnic Belarusian territories in the 19th century. The end of the 18th century (the times of the Divisions of Commonwealth )
3700-554: The Commission had actually prepared the project for spelling reform. The resulting project had included both completely new rules and existing rules in unchanged and changed forms, some of the changes being the work of the Commission itself, and others resulting from the resolutions of the Belarusian Academic Conference (1926), re-approved by the Commission. Notably, the use of the Ь (soft sign) before
3800-663: The Conference made resolutions on some of the problems. However, the Lyosik brothers' project had not addressed all the problematic issues, so the Conference was not able to address all of those. As the outcome of the conference, the Orthographic Commission was created to prepare the project of the actual reform. This was instigated on 1 October 1927, headed by S. Nyekrashevich, with the following principal guidelines of its work adopted: During its work in 1927–29,
3900-443: The Russian language and literature department of St. Petersburg University, approached the board of the Belarusian newspaper Nasha Niva with a proposal that a Belarusian linguist be trained under his supervision in order to be able to create documentation of the grammar. Initially, the famous Belarusian poet Maksim Bahdanovič was to be entrusted with this work. However, Bahdanovič's poor health (tuberculosis) precluded his living in
4000-468: The South-Western. In addition, there is a transitional Middle Belarusian dialect group and the separate West Polesian dialect group. The North-Eastern and the South-Western dialects are separated by a hypothetical line Ashmyany – Minsk – Babruysk – Gomel , with the area of the Middle Belarusian dialect group placed on and along this line. The North-Eastern dialect is chiefly characterized by
4100-545: The all-Russian " narodniki " and Belarusian national movements (late 1870s–early 1880s) renewed interest in the Belarusian language (See also: Homan (1884) , Bahushevich , Yefim Karskiy , Dovnar-Zapol'skiy , Bessonov, Pypin, Sheyn, Nasovič). The Belarusian literary tradition was also renewed ( see also : F. Bahushevich ). It was in these times that F. Bahushevich made his famous appeal to Belarusians: "Do not forsake our language, lest you pass away" (Belarusian: Не пакідайце ж мовы нашай, каб не ўмёрлі ). The first dictionary of
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4200-520: The archives, in 1909 the newspaper had subscribers even in Prague , Paris , Lviv and USA . Anton Łuckevič, Alaksandar Ułasaŭ, Branisłaŭ Taraškievič , Źmicier Žyłunovič and Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski all fell victims of the Soviet repressions in the 1930s. According to some research, in the early 20th century the Belarusian language was mostly used by the peasantry and neglected by intelligence and upper classes. "Nasha Niva" introduced standards of usage into
4300-619: The beginning of Żeligowski's Mutiny . From the 4th issue, the editor-in-chief was Viačasłaŭ Znamiaroǔski. In December 1920 the newspaper was banned again, this time by the Polish military censorship. The dissolution of the Soviet Union and the rapid growth of the independence movement in Belarus made it possible for the newspaper to be re-established. The publication of Nasha Niva was relaunched by journalist Siarhiej Dubaviec in Vilnius in May 1991. The revived newspaper came to occupy
4400-584: The beginning of the 1860s, both the Russian and Polish parties in Belarusian lands had begun to realise that the decisive role in the upcoming conflicts was shifting to the peasantry, overwhelmingly Belarusian. So a large amount of propaganda appeared, targeted at the peasantry and written in Belarusian; notably, the anti-Russian, anti-Tsarist, anti-Eastern Orthodox "Manifesto" and the first newspaper Mužyckaja prauda ( Peasants' Truth ) (1862–1863) by Konstanty Kalinowski , and anti-Polish, anti-Revolutionary, pro-Orthodox booklets and poems (1862). The advent of
4500-413: The classical orthography. "Nasha Niva" used the classical spelling until 2008; it then shifted to the spelling taught in schools in order to 'improve communication between intellectuals and the public', as an editorial on the topic made clear at the time. In 2005 the authorities banned distribution of the newspaper through the Belarusian postal system and the official distribution agency which delivered
4600-496: The climate of St. Petersburg, so Branislaw Tarashkyevich , a fresh graduate of the Vilnya Liceum No. 2 , was selected for the task. In the Belarusian community, great interest was vested in this enterprise. The already famous Belarusian poet Yanka Kupala , in his letter to Tarashkyevich, urged him to "hurry with his much-needed work". Tarashkyevich had been working on the preparation of the grammar during 1912–1917, with
4700-544: The coin of Azerbaijan comes from the word kopeck – gapik , ( Azerbaijani : qəpik , 1 ⁄ 100 manat ). No country's kopeck is currently subdivided, although the denga (½ kopeck) and polushka (¼ kopeck) were minted off and on for centuries, until the fall of the Romanov dynasty in February 1917 (O.S.) / March 1917 (N.S.). The word kopek , kopeck , copeck , or kopeyka (in Russian: копейка , kopeyka )
4800-401: The combinations "consonant+iotated vowel" ("softened consonants"), which had been previously denounced as highly redundant (e.g., in the proceedings of the Belarusian Academic Conference (1926)), was cancelled. However, the complete resolution of the highly important issue of the orthography of unstressed Е ( IE ) was not achieved. Kopeck The kopeck or kopek is or was a coin or
4900-437: The consolidation of a Belarusian political nation. It was also – as was observed at the time – the first source of information to be free of government interference. The editors office also strived to preserve and promote Belarusian culture. National civil society rallied around the newspaper; numerous agricultural initiatives, youth groups and publishing houses used it as a voice to promote their activities. In 1911 its circulation
5000-545: The distribution of Nasha Niva in the city 'was inappropriate'. On 29 April 2006, 300 activists organized a rally in support of Nasha Niva at the Oktyabrskaya square, 10 people were arrested. In March 2008 the police attacked and arrested journalists Syamyon Pechanko and Andrei Lyankevich, while they were reporting from a rally in Minsk. Pechanko was accused for organization of the rally and received 15 days in prison. In 2008
5100-414: The editors office included six permanent employees – Łuckevič brothers, Alaksandar Ułasaŭ, Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski, Janka Kupała and Jadvihin Š. . In the Summer of 1909 they were joined by Siarhiej Pałujan . However, the group was divided into two parts. Łuckevič brothers and Ułasaŭ were the so-called 'Upper House of Parliament', they used the separated room and communicated to others by notes that were put through
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#17327832200095200-538: The educational system. The Polish and Russian languages were being introduced and re-introduced, while the general state of the people's education remained poor until the very end of the Russian Empire. In summary, the first two decades of the 19th century had seen the unprecedented prosperity of Polish culture and language in the former GDL lands, and had prepared the era of such famous Polish writers as Adam Mickiewicz and Władysław Syrokomla . The era had seen
5300-526: The effective completion of the Polonization of the lowest level of the nobility, the further reduction of the area of use of contemporary Belarusian, and the effective folklorization of Belarusian culture. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 19th century "there began a revival of national pride within the country ... and a growth in interest [in Belarusian] from outside". Due both to the state of
5400-427: The emancipation of the Belarusian language even further ( see also: Belarusian Socialist Assembly , Circle of Belarusian People's Education and Belarusian Culture , Belarusian Socialist Lot , Socialist Party "White Russia" , Alaiza Pashkevich , Nasha Dolya ). The fundamental works of Yefim Karsky marked a turning point in the scientific perception of Belarusian. The ban on publishing books and papers in Belarusian
5500-552: The figure at approximately 3.5 million active speakers in Belarus. In Russia , the Belarusian language is declared as a "familiar language" by about 316,000 inhabitants, among them about 248,000 Belarusians, comprising about 30.7% of Belarusians living in Russia. In Ukraine , the Belarusian language is declared as a "native language" by about 55,000 Belarusians, which comprise about 19.7% of Belarusians living in Ukraine. In Poland ,
5600-656: The first leaders of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, or Branisłaŭ Taraškievič, political leader in the Western Belarus and author of the first printed grammar of the Belarusian language. One of the major figures behind the formulation of the newspaper's political goals was Ivan Łuckevič from Minsk , founder of the famous Belarusian Museum in Vilnius and sponsor of numerous political and cultural projects. Working alongside him
5700-516: The focal point for the independent cultural and social projects that grew up around it. Since 1907 the editors office has been engaged in book publishing. "Nasha Niva" performed the coordinating function of a publishing centre. Especially popular were the annual Belarusian Calendars, almanacs in which readers could find not only the usual kind of day-to-day information but also literary works. The publishing centre also published books, both original and in translation. A satirical magazine 'Krapiva' (Nettles)
5800-467: The foreign speakers' task of learning these paradigms; on the other hand, though, it makes spelling easier for native speakers. An example illustrating the contrast between the treatment of akanje in Russian and Belarusian orthography is the spelling of the word for "products; food": Besides the standardized lect , there are two main dialects of the Belarusian language, the North-Eastern and
5900-457: The government that was at war because such opposition could be perceived as unloyalty to the state. The newspaper published articles and reports on patriotic actions of ordinary Belarusians, but its editorial position didn't demonstrate any support to the Russian military. The Russian army was described as alien as the German one. With the outbreak of war Nasha Niva issues halved in volume. Since
6000-512: The government. The censored issue had an article on Russian NTV documentary 'The Godfather' about Alexander Lukashenko which was considered a 'propaganda strike' against the Belarusian president. In December 2010 the editors office was searched by the KGB, all office equipment had been confiscated. The searches were also done in Andrej Skurko apartment. By 2010 the web-portal Nasha Niva became
6100-558: The help and supervision of Shakhmatov and Karskiy. Tarashkyevich had completed the work by the autumn of 1917, even moving from the tumultuous Petrograd of 1917 to the relative calm of Finland in order to be able to complete it uninterrupted. By the summer of 1918, it became obvious that there were insurmountable problems with the printing of Tarashkyevich's grammar in Petrograd: a lack of paper, type and qualified personnel. Meanwhile, his grammar had apparently been planned to be adopted in
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#17327832200096200-453: The highest ratings in journalism ethics among Belarusian media. Being in open opposition to Alexander Lukashenko 's regime, the newspaper was cracked down by the government numerous times, received huge fines and was excluded from state circulation. The editors and journalists were arrested, questioned and beaten by the police and KGB officers. As of 2020 the editor-in-chief is Jahor Marcinovič , who succeeded Andrej Dyńko . On July 8, 2021,
6300-424: The issue it promoted education in Belarusian and advocated people's right to use their native language in schools and in church. Issues from 1906 to 1912 used both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets simultaneously (with the subheading: Printed weekly in Russian and in Polish letters (in Latin script: Wychodzić szto tydzień ruskimi i polskimi literami)). The newspaper became the centre of intellectual life, it acted as
6400-504: The language was known in English as Byelorussian or Belorussian , or alternatively as White Russian . Following independence, it became known as Belarusian , or alternatively as Belarusan . As one of the East Slavic languages, Belarusian shares many grammatical and lexical features with other members of the group. To some extent, Russian, Ukrainian , and Belarusian retain a degree of mutual intelligibility . Belarusian descends from
6500-823: The modern Belarusian language authored by Nasovič was published in 1870. In the editorial introduction to the dictionary, it is noted that: The Belarusian local tongue, which dominates a vast area from the Nioman and the Narew to the Upper Volga and from the Western Dvina to the Prypiac and the Ipuc and which is spoken by inhabitants of the North-Western and certain adjacent provinces, or those lands that were in
6600-459: The most popular internet resource in the Belarusian language . According to statistics drawn up by Google Analytics, in 2017 monthly visitors of NN.by exceeded 600,000, more than 7,000,000 pages were viewed. Approximately 84% of the visits were from Belarus, 49% are from Minsk . In 2011, Źmicier Pankaviec was appointed editor of the weekly paper edition. "Nasha Niva" had circulation around 8000, 50% were distributed by subscription. On 11 April 2011,
6700-488: The newspaper had to be distributed by volunteers. For this reason, the newspaper switched to A4 format, so it would be easier to put into bags and envelopes. "Nasha Niva" has been tried in court and fined on many occasions, with the KGB conducting searches both in the newspaper's office and the journalists personally. In 2006 the newspaper's Chief Editor, Andrej Dyńko was arrested and spent 10 days in prison. After his arrest Minsk authorities issued an official statement that
6800-493: The newspaper helped Ihnat Bujnicki form the first Belarusian theatre company. More than 1 mln copies of the newspaper were published between 1906 and 1915. The scale of the work accomplished by "Nasha Niva" has allowed historians and researchers of culture to define early 20th century Belarusian culture as the 'Nasha Niva period' when referring to the quantitative and qualitative changes in the development of modern culture and society. In 1914 Nasha Niva could no longer criticize
6900-434: The newspaper's website was blocked by the authorities. The editor-in-chief Jahor Marcinovič and editor Andrej Skurko were detained, their homes and the office being searched. On July 13 the publication announced its closure in Belarus due to growing pressure from the authorities. The employees were advised to move abroad. The editor's office claimed that they would try to re-launch the newspaper outside Belarus. The new website
7000-428: The newspapers, both investigations ended with 14 mln Belarusian roubles fines to the publications. According to BAJ deputy director Andrej Bastuniec, since 2012 the situation with freedom of speech and media in Belarus stagnated on a very low level. In 2012 Andrej Dyńko was banned from travelling abroad, only after six formal complaints to the authorities he was excluded from the blacklist. In 2017 "Nasha Niva" became
7100-462: The nine geminate consonants are excluded as mere variations, there are 39 consonants, and excluding rare consonants further decreases the count. The number 48 includes all consonant sounds, including variations and rare sounds, which may be phonetically distinct in the modern Belarusian language. The Belarusian alphabet is a variant of the Cyrillic script , which was first used as an alphabet for
7200-528: The orthography of compound words and partly modifying the orthography of assimilated words. From this point on, Belarusian grammar had been popularized and taught in the educational system in that form. The ambiguous and insufficient development of several components of Tarashkyevich's grammar was perceived to be the cause of some problems in practical usage, and this led to discontent with the grammar. In 1924–25, Lyosik and his brother Anton Lyosik prepared and published their project of orthographic reform, proposing
7300-482: The paper to shops and newsstands. The circulation dropped from 3500 to 2000 copies. Only in 2006 the publication received four official warnings for not indicating the legal address. In fact, four different leaseholders broke the contracts with the editors office without any notification or explanation as soon as "Nasha Niva" notified the Information Ministry about their agreements. Between 2006 and 2008
7400-422: The particularities of different Belarusian dialects. The scientific groundwork for the introduction of a truly scientific and modern grammar of the Belarusian language was laid down by the linguist Yefim Karsky. By the early 1910s, the continuing lack of a codified Belarusian grammar was becoming intolerably obstructive in the opinion of uniformitarian prescriptivists. Then Russian academician Shakhmatov , chair of
7500-567: The past settled by the Kryvic tribe , has long attracted the attention of our philologists because of those precious remains of the ancient Ruthenian language that survived in that tongue. In 1891, in the preface to the Belarusian Flute , Francišak Bahuševič wrote, "There have been many peoples, which first lost their language… and then they perished entirely. So do not abandon our Belarusian language, lest we perish!" According to
7600-509: The people's education and to the strong positions of Polish and Polonized nobility, it was only after the 1880s–1890s that the educated Belarusian element, still shunned because of "peasant origin", began to appear in state offices. In 1846, ethnographer Pavel Shpilevskiy prepared a Belarusian grammar (using the Cyrillic alphabet) on the basis of the folk dialects of the Minsk region. However,
7700-470: The political conflict in the territories of the former GDL, between the Russian Imperial authorities, trying to consolidate their rule over the "joined provinces", and the Polish and Polonized nobility, trying to bring back its pre-Partitions rule (see also Polonization in times of Partitions ). One of the important manifestations of this conflict was the struggle for ideological control over
7800-431: The publication of both journalistic pieces and literary works. This provided a unique opportunity to re-establish the literary language by establishing norms of usage that were the most widespread throughout the country as a whole. The newspaper thereby played an invaluable role in fixing the orthography, grammar and word-formation patterns of the modern Belarusian language. Jakub Kołas , a classic of Belarusian literature ,
7900-605: The resolution of some key aspects. On 22 December 1915, Paul von Hindenburg issued an order on schooling in German Army-occupied territories in the Russian Empire ( Ober Ost ), banning schooling in Russian and including the Belarusian language in an exclusive list of four languages made mandatory in the respective native schooling systems (Belarusian, Lithuanian , Polish , Yiddish ). School attendance
8000-517: The state Ministry of Internal Affairs. On March 15, 2022, Marcinovič and Skurko were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for estimated material damage of 10,000 Belarusian rubles ($ 3000). According to the investigators, in May 2017 they opened offices in Skurko's apartment but kept paying for electricity as individuals, while Belarusian law obliges legal persons to pay increased rates. Belarusian language Before Belarus gained independence in 1991,
8100-415: The terrorist bombing took place at a Minsk Underground. "Nasha Niva" covered the events and the aftermath. Later the publication was accused of making false statements by the Information Ministry. The editors office, private apartments of the staff were searched, the journalists were questioned the general prosecutor's office, and the Belarusian security service, known as the KGB. "Nasha Niva" wrote that one of
8200-444: The third among most popular media in Belarus and launched Nasha Nina web project for female audiences (the title is based on a wordplay – Nina is a female name). On 1 March 2017, chief editor Andrej Skurko resigned, his position was taken by Jahor Marcinovič. Skurko remained deputy editor-in-chief. By 2018, the editors office included 12 journalists. Nasha Niva on paper was published monthly in 3000 print runs. The price of one newspaper
8300-413: The unpaid domains go up for auction on the next day after payment expiry. The newspaper continued operating at Nashaniva.by web address. The original domain was restored on 30 June 2020. Like many other independent media websites, NN.by was shut down on 8 August 2020, when the presidential elections in Belarus took place. During the anti-Lukashenko riots in Minsk "Nasha Niva" journalist Natalla Łubnieǔskaja
8400-468: The victims was left in the station up to late evening, the authorities considered that information to be false and compromising. On 27 April 2011, the Ministry of Information instituted legal proceedings to close "Nasha Niva" and Narodnaya Volya newspapers. The International resonance forces the authorities to close the cases in early June. The Ministry initiated claims on administrative offences against
8500-414: The volume increased from 12 to 16 pages weekly, and in 2005 to 24. At its peak the print run reached 8,000. Following pressure from the state and denial of access to the national press distribution system, "Nasha Niva" changed to a pocket format and increased the number of pages to 48. The circulation decreased to 2,200 copies. In 2006 "Nasha Niva" decided to expand its online version, Andrej Skurko headed
8600-421: The vowel is being stressed or, if no such words exist, by written tradition, mostly but not always conforming to etymology). This means that Belarusian noun and verb paradigms, in their written form, have numerous instances of alternations between written ⟨a⟩ and ⟨o⟩ , whereas no such alternations exist in the corresponding written paradigms in Russian. This can significantly complicate
8700-484: The web department, Andrej Dyńko became the new chief of the paper edition. In the 1990s work began on the production of a facsimile edition of the issues of the newspaper that appeared in the years between 1906 and 1915. At the same time material has been collected for the compilation of a dictionary of the language used in those early years of "Nasha Niva". On July 31, 2023, the European Parliament passed
8800-437: The workers' and peasants' schools of Belarus that were to be set up, so Tarashkyevich was permitted to print his book abroad. In June 1918, he arrived in Vilnius , via Finland. The Belarusian Committee petitioned the administration to allow the book to be printed. Finally, the first edition of the "Belarusian grammar for schools" was printed ( Vil'nya , 1918). There existed at least two other contemporary attempts at codifying
8900-415: Was 2.5 Belarusian roubles. The newspaper extensively covered the months of nationwide protests after the 2020 Belarusian presidential election . On July 8, 2021, the newspaper's website was blocked by the authorities. The editor-in-chief Yahor Martsinovich and editor Andrey Skurko were detained, their homes and the office were searched. Martsinovich was beaten during the arrest, he suffered head injury. In
9000-403: Was about 3,000. Up to October 1912, the newspaper was printed both in Cyrillic and Latin scripts. From the 43 issue of 24 October 1912, the publication completely switched to the Cyrillic alphabet. A subscription for a year cost 5 roubles, the price for one issue was 5 kopecks . The newspaper's defence of national interests provoked attacks by the Russian censorship throughout its existence. Even
9100-414: Was an active contributor to "Nasha Niva". It was also "Nasha Niva" that discovered the works of Maksim Bahdanovič and Źmitrok Biadula . It published the writings of many prominent intellectual figures, including Janka Kupała , Anton Łuckevič , Maksim Bahdanovič and Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski . Nasha Niva realised the unpopularity of the Belarusian language among rural populations. As the main step to improve
9200-693: Was his brother, Anton Łuckevič , whose ideas were decisive in the formation of the programme of the Belarusian Socialist Party (Hramada). He would eventually become the Prime Minister of the Belarusian People's Republic . Vacłaŭ Łastoŭski , another future Prime Minister of the Belarusian People's Republic, became secretary of the newspaper in 1909 and in the years 1912—1913 acted as its de facto editor. He
9300-566: Was in charge of the historical agenda, which was one of the main topics in Nasha Niva . Janka Kupała , a famous poet, became the newspaper's editor in March 1914. The editors office located on Wileńska street [ be ] , 14. Kupała continued in this role until the Autumn of 1915 when Vilnius was occupied by the Germans and normal life in Belarus came to a standstill. By early 1909
9400-421: Was launched on July 29, 2021; the content was uploaded from the publication's social networks and Telegram channel. On January 27, 2022, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Belarus declared Nasha Niva 'an extremist formation'. On March 15, 2022, Marcinovič and Skurko were sentenced to 2.5 years in prison for estimated material damage of 10,000 Belarusian rubles ($ 3000). On August 15, 2022, Nasha Niva launched
9500-584: Was not made mandatory, though. Passports at this time were bilingual, in German and in one of the "native languages". Also at this time, Belarusian preparatory schools, printing houses, press organs were opened ( see also: Homan (1916) ). After the 1917 February Revolution in Russia, the Belarusian language became an important factor in political activities in the Belarusian lands ( see also: Central Council of Belarusian Organisations , Great Belarusian Council , First All-Belarusian Congress , Belnatskom ). In
9600-462: Was officially removed (25 December 1904). The unprecedented surge of national feeling in the 20th century, especially among the workers and peasants, particularly after the events of 1905, gave momentum to the intensive development of Belarusian literature and press (See also: Nasha Niva , Yanka Kupala , Yakub Kolas ). During the 19th and early 20th century, there was no normative Belarusian grammar. Authors wrote as they saw fit, usually representing
9700-542: Was published in Vilnia in 1912, and the agricultural department of Nasha Niva grew into the independent 'Sacha' (Wooden Plough) magazine published in Minsk from the end of 1913. Under the newspaper's auspices one of "Nasha Niva" founders, Ivan Łuckevič , began to collect artefacts for the future Belarusian National Museum. Most of it is currently stored in the National History Museum of Lithuania. Staff of
9800-425: Was published on 23 November 1906, under the editorship of titular counselor Zigmund Volsky. Since the fifth issue from 8 December 1906, the chief editor was Alaksandar Ułasaŭ . In the first three years, the newspaper published 960 reports from 489 areas, 246 poems by 61 authors, and 91 articles by 36 special reporters. Only in 1910 "Nasha Niva" published 666 various correspondence from 427 people. "Nasha Niva" covered
9900-435: Was shot with a rubber bullet by the police. Jahor Marcinovič was arrested on 11 August on his way home from the protests rally in Minsk. During the questioning he was severely beaten by law enforcement officers. As of September 9, 2021, Yahor Martsinovich was imprisoned and faced criminal charges under the article 216 part 2 (Asset Damage without Stealing). On January 27, 2022, Nasha Niva was declared 'an extremist formation' by
10000-403: Was visited by 475,000 unique users, 7.1 mln of pages were read. The audience mostly consisted of people of age 25–35, 60% of NN.by visitors were male. In February 2018 the website was attacked by bots, in March 2019 "Nasha Niva" social media accounts were attacked from Belarusian IP address. In June 2020 "Nasha Niva" lost its domain name nn.by to the delay in payment. According to the state's law,
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