Karaim (къарай тили, Karay dili, לשון קדר‎)

Karaim is a Turkic language spoken by about 60 people in Lithuania, Poland, and in Crimea and Galicia in Ukraine. It has three main dialects: Crimea (къарай тили), Trakai-Vilnius (karaj tili) and Lutsk-Halych (karay dili). The traditional name for the language is lashon kedar (לשון קדר‎) or "language of the nomads". In Lithuania the language is spoken mainly in Trakai, a city close to Vilnius in the southeast of the country.

Karaim belongs to the Kypchak group of Western Turkic languages, and is related to Crimean Tatar, Karachay-Balkar and Kumyk. It contains loanwords from Arabic, Hebrew and Persian, which entered the language early in its history. Later on, additional words were adopted from Russian, Ukrainian and Polish

Karaim was written with the Hebrew script from the 17th century until the early 20th century. After that the Cyrillic alphabet was used to write the language in Ukraine, thought the Latin alphabet was used between 1920 and 1930, and the Latin alphabet was used in Lithuania and Poland.

Latin alphabet for Karaim (1920-1930 version)

Latin alphabet for Karaim (1920-1930 version)

Cyrillic alphabet for Karaim

Cyrillic alphabet for Karaim

Notes

Latin alphabet for Karaim (Trakai-Vilnius dialect)

Latin alphabet for Karaim (Trakai-Vilnius dialect)

Information about Karaim alphabets compiled by 이윤호

Sample text in Karaim (Hebrew script)

Sample text in Karaim (Hebrew script)

Source: http://www.berkovich-zametki.com/Nomer41/Kizilov1.htm

Download an alphabet chart for Karaim (Excel)

Sample text in Karaim (Cyrillic alphabet

СОНДРАГИ́ КЛЕГІ́М

Елсе́м, достла́р,
Болсу́н ґері́м
Кен да авла́к ерлерінде́
Укра́йнанин, ол сівімлі́м,
Кен тізлері́
Кі керінґе́й,
Ол Дніпрону́н екірмеґі
Ба́рца анда́н есітільґе́й.
Укра́йнадан
Кен тенґізґе́
Дусма́н кани́н ол ельткенде́
О́лвахтин мен — айта́м сізґе́ —
Тізні́, тавни́
Мен калдири́рм
Да Йогарги́ Тенрімізґе́
Уца́рмен мен да я́лбарирм —
Тек га́лі мен
Бі́лмейм Ати́н…
Сіз і́зніз кул буговлари́н,
Те́кніз яма́н дусма́н кани́н
Да азатла́р
Янги́ дорда́
Унутмаґайсіз сіз мені́,
Якси́ тутка́йсіз сагинцта́.

Source: http://uk.wikipedia.org/wiki/Караїмська_мова

Sample text in Karaim (Latin alphabet)

Har bir kiszi tijiszli azlychka bolalat emin kiuwiunlanmia tijiszlimie ol kiszi kibik jome azlychka, a sajlamach andi hiem fajdalanmach bajlanhan bu sajlamachbe bu kiertilikni tartmyt andan nietikli tanuwczu iszlar. Amien

Translation (Polish)

Każda osoba należąca do mniejszości ma prawo do swobodnej decyzji o traktowaniu jej jako osoby należącej bądź też nienależącej do mniejszości, a wybór taki lub korzystanie ze związanych z tym wyborem praw nie pociąga za sobą jakichkolwiek niekorzystnych skutków.

Source: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C4%99zyk_karaimski

Translation (English)

Every person belonging to a minority shall have the right to decide freely about being treated as belonging or not belonging to a minority, and the relevant choice or the enjoyment or non-enjoyment of the related rights shall not entail any adverse effects.

From article 4.1 of the Act of National and Ethnic Minorities and on the Regional Languages. Translation provided by Kenneth W. Kemp.

Sample videos in Karaim

Information about Karaim | Numbers

Links

Information about the Karaim language and people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaim_language
http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Караимский_язык
http://daugenis.mch.mii.lt/karaimai/language.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crimean_Karaites
http://karai.crimea.ua

Karaim-Russian dictionary
http://www.dnathan.com/language/karaim/dic/karaim-russian/index.html

The Torah in Karaim
http://www.torapotatarski.estranky.cz/

Turkic languages

Altay, Äynu, Azerbaijani, Bashkir, Chagatai, Chelkan, Chulym, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Dolgan, Fuyu Kyrgyz, Gagauz, Ili Turki, Karachay-Balkar, Karaim, Karakalpak, Karamanli Turkish, Kazakh, Khakas, Khalaj, Khorasani Turkic, Krymchak, Kumandy, Kumyk, Kyrgyz, Lop, Nogai, Old Turkic, Qashqai, Romanian Tatar, Salar, Shor, Siberian Tatar, Soyot, Tatar, Teleut, Tofa, Turkish, Turkmen, Tuvan, Urum, Uyghur, Uzbek, Western Yugur, Yakut (Sakha)

Languages written with the Arabic alphabet

Adamaua Fulfulde, Afrikaans, Arabic (Algerian), Arabic (Bedawi), Arabic (Chadian), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Gulf), Arabic (Hassaniya), Arabic (Hejazi), Arabic (Lebanese), Arabic (Libyan), Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Moroccan), Arabic (Najdi), Arabic (Syrian), Arabic (Tunisian), Arwi, Äynu, Azeri, Balanta-Ganja, Balti, Baluchi, Beja, Belarusian, Bosnian, Brahui, Chagatai, Chechen, Chittagonian, Comorian, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Dari, Dhatki, Dogri, Domari, Gawar Bati, Gawri, Gilaki, Hausa, Hazaragi, Hindko, Indus Kohistani, Kabyle, Kalkoti, Karakalpak, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khowar, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarezmian, Konkani, Kumzari, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lezgi, Lop, Luri, Maguindanao, Malay, Malay (Terengganu), Mandinka, Marwari, Mazandarani, Mogholi, Morisco, Mozarabic, Munji, Noakhailla, Nubi, Ormuri, Palula, Parkari Koli, Pashto, Persian/Farsi, Punjabi, Qashqai, Rajasthani, Rohingya, Salar, Saraiki, Sawi, Serer, Shabaki, Shina, Shughni, Sindhi, Somali, Soninke, Tatar, Tausūg, Tawallammat Tamajaq, Tayart Tamajeq, Torwali, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek, Wakhi, Wanetsi, Wolof, Xiao'erjing, Yidgha

Languages written with the Arabic script

Adamaua Fulfulde, Afrikaans, Arabic (Algerian), Arabic (Bedawi), Arabic (Chadian), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Gulf), Arabic (Hassaniya), Arabic (Hejazi), Arabic (Lebanese), Arabic (Libyan), Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Moroccan), Arabic (Najdi), Arabic (Syrian), Arabic (Tunisian), Arwi, Äynu, Azeri, Balanta-Ganja, Balti, Baluchi, Beja, Belarusian, Bosnian, Brahui, Chagatai, Chechen, Chittagonian, Comorian, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Dari, Dhatki, Dogri, Domari, Gawar Bati, Gawri, Gilaki, Hausa, Hazaragi, Hindko, Indus Kohistani, Kabyle, Kalkoti, Karakalpak, Kashmiri, Kazakh, Khowar, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarezmian, Konkani, Kumzari, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lezgi, Lop, Luri, Maguindanao, Malay, Malay (Terengganu), Mandinka, Marwari, Mazandarani, Mogholi, Morisco, Mozarabic, Munji, Noakhailla, Nubi, Ormuri, Palula, Parkari Koli, Pashto, Persian/Farsi, Punjabi, Qashqai, Rajasthani, Rohingya, Salar, Saraiki, Sawi, Serer, Shabaki, Shina, Shughni, Sindhi, Somali, Soninke, Tatar, Tausūg, Tawallammat Tamajaq, Tayart Tamajeq, Torwali, Turkish, Urdu, Uyghur, Uzbek, Wakhi, Wanetsi, Wolof, Xiao'erjing, Yidgha

Languages written with the Cyrillic alphabet

Abaza, Abkhaz, Adyghe, Aghul, Akhvakh, Akkala Sámi, Aleut, Altay, Alyutor, Andi, Archi, Assyrian / Neo-Assyrian, Avar, Azeri, Bagvalal, Balkar, Bashkir, Belarusian, Bezhta, Bosnian, Botlikh, Budukh, Bulgarian, Buryat, Chamalal, Chechen, Chelkan, Chukchi, Chulym, Chuvash, Crimean Tatar, Dargwa, Daur, Dolgan, Dungan, Enets, Erzya, Even, Evenki, Gagauz, Godoberi, Hinukh, Hunzib, Ingush, Interslavic, Itelmen, Juhuri, Kabardian, Kaitag, Kalderash Romani, Kalmyk, Karaim, Karakalpak, Karata, Karelian, Kazakh, Ket, Khakas, Khanty, Khinalug, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarshi, Kildin Sámi, Kili, Komi, Koryak, Krymchak, Kryts, Kubachi, Kumandy, Kumyk, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lak, Lezgi, Lingua Franca Nova, Lithuanian, Ludic, Macedonian, Mansi, Mari, Moksha, Moldovan, Mongolian, Montenegrin, Nanai, Negidal, Nenets, Nganasan, Nivkh, Nogai, Old Church Slavonic, Oroch, Orok, Ossetian, Pontic Greek, Romanian, Rushani, Russian, Rusyn, Rutul, Selkup, Serbian, Shor, Shughni, Siberian Tatar, Sirenik, Slovio, Soyot, Tabassaran, Tajik, Talysh, Tat, Tatar, Teleut, Ter Sámi, Tindi, Tofa, Tsakhur, Tsez, Turkmen, Tuvan, Ubykh, Udege, Udi, Udmurt, Ukrainian, Ulch, Urum, Uyghur, Uzbek, Veps, Votic, Wakhi, West Polesian, Xibe, Yaghnobi, Yakut, Yazghulami, Yukaghir (Northern / Tundra), Yukaghir (Southern / Kolyma), Yupik (Central Siberian)

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 09.01.24

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