Mokcha (langue)

Moksha (мокшень кяль, lmɔkʃənj kjælj) is a Mordvinic language of the Uralic family, with around 130,000 native speakers in 2010. Moksha is the majority language in the western part of Mordovia. Its closest relative is the Erzya language, with which it is not mutually intelligible. Moksha is also possibly closely related to the extinct Meshcherian and Muromian languages. Mordovka There is very little historical evidence of the use of Moksha from the distant past. One notable exception are inscriptions on so-called mordovka silver coins issued under Golden Horde rulers around the 14th century. The evidence of usage of the language (written with the Cyrillic script) comes from the 16th century. The Moksha language is divided into three dialects: Central group (M-I) Western group (M-II) South-Eastern group (M-III) The dialects may be divided with another principle depending on their vowel system: ä-dialect: Proto-Moksha *ä /æ/ is retained: śeĺmä /sjeljmæ/ "eye", t́äĺmä /tjæljmæ/ "broom", ĺäj /ljæj/ "river". e-dialect: Proto-Moksha *ä is raised and merged with *e: śeĺme /sjeljme/ "eye", t́eĺme /tjeljme/ "broom", ĺej /ljej/ "river". i-dialect: Proto-Moksha *ä is raised to /e/, while Proto-Moksha *e is raised to /i/ and merged with *i: śiĺme /sjiljme/ "eye", t́eĺme /tjeljme/ "broom", ĺej /ljej/ "river". The standard literary Moksha language is based on the central group with ä (particularly the dialect of Krasnoslobodsk). Moksha is one of the three official languages in Mordovia (the others being Erzya and Russian). The right to one's own language is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Mordovia Republic. The republican law of Mordovia N 19-3 issued in 1998 declares Moksha one of its state languages and regulates its usage in various spheres: in state bodies such as Mordovian Parliament, official documents and seals, education, mass-media, information about goods, geographical names, road signs. However, the actual usage of Moksha and Erzya is rather limited. Before 1917 about 100 books and pamphlets mostly of religious character were published.