Erzya

Erzya is a Mordvinic language spoken by the Erzya people in the republic of Mordovia, Russia. It is one of the two official languages of Mordovia, along with Russian. Erzya is also spoken in parts of Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia and Kazakhstan. The Erzya language belongs to the Uralic language family and is closely related to the Mordvinic language family, of which it is a member. The Erzya language is divided into two dialects: the Upper Erzya dialect and the Lower Erzya dialect. The Erzya language is written using a modified version of the Cyrillic alphabet. The Erzya alphabet consists of 33 letters, of which 32 are used in the modern Erzya language. The Erzya language is spoken by about 500,000 people, most of whom live in Mordovia. However, there are also significant Erzya-speaking communities in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Udmurtia and Kazakhstan. The Erzya language has a rich oral tradition and is used in a variety of domains, including literature, music and radio. Erzya is also used as a medium of instruction in some schools in Mordovia.