мокшень кяль

Moksha

Uralic (Mordvinic)

FamilyUralic (Mordvinic) Speakers~250K ScriptCyrillic CountriesRussia (Mordovia) Official inRepublic of Mordovia (co-official) Vitalitydefinitely endangered ISO 639-3mdf

Moksha (мокшень кяль mokshen kjal') is one of two Mordvinic Uralic languages alongside Erzya, with ~250K speakers. Both are co-official with Russian in the Republic of Mordovia (capital Saransk), but they are not mutually intelligible despite shared ancestry — they diverged before the medieval period and are now separate written languages. Moksha has more western/southern distribution than Erzya, while Erzya is more east/north. Notable for an unusual reduced-vowel /ə/ phoneme (written ъ in Cyrillic, distinct from Russian usage), 13 grammatical cases, definite/indefinite/possessive declensions, an uvular consonant series, and SOV word order. Cyrillic-based orthography with extra letters since 1922 (with a brief Latin Yañalif phase 1928-37). Literary tradition since 1920s national-revival period. UNESCO classifies as definitely endangered due to ongoing Russification.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Moksha

Water

ведь

vedʲ

Fire

тол

tol

Sun

ши

ʃi

Moon

ков

kov

Star

тяште

ˈtʲæʃtʲe

Night

ве

vʲe

Rain

пизема

pizʲemə

Snow

лов

lov

Wind

варма

varma

Earth

мода

moda

Stone

кев

kev

Mountain

панда

panda

Sea

моря

ˈmorʲa

Mother

тядя

tʲadʲa

Father

аля

alʲa

Daughter

стирь

stʲirʲ

I

мон

mon

You

тон

ton

We

минь

minʲ

Name

лем

lʲem

Person

ломань

lomanʲ

Head

пря

prʲa

Eye

сельме

sʲelʲmʲe

Ear

пиле

pile

Nose

шалхка

ˈʃalxka

Mouth

курга

kurɡa

Tooth

пей

pej

Tongue

кяль

kʲalʲ

Hand

кядь

kʲadʲ

Foot

пильге

pilʲɡe

Heart

седи

sedʲi

Bone

пакарь

pakarʲ

Blood

вер

vʲer

Love

кельгома

kelʲɡoma

Tree

шуфта

ʃufta

Dog

пине

pinʲe

Cat

катка

katka

Fish

кал

kal

Bird

нармонь

narmonʲ

Butterfly

мелав

mʲelav

Egg

ал

al

Bear

офта

ofta

Horse

лишме

ˈlʲiʃme

House

куд

kud

Milk

лофца

ˈloftsa

Honey

медь

medʲ

Salt

сал

sal

Wine

вина

vina

Iron

кшни

kʃnʲi

Wheel

шары

ʃarɨ

Silk

парьхци

parʲxtsi

Book

книга

kɲiɡa

Eat

ярхцамс

jarxtsams

Drink

симомс

simoms

Sleep

удомс

udəms

One

фкя

fkʲa

Two

кафта

ˈkafta

Three

колма

ˈkolma

Four

ниле

ˈnʲilʲe

Five

вете

vʲetʲe

Hundred

сяда

ˈsʲada

Hello

шумбрат

ʃumbrat

Thank you

сюкпря

sʲukprʲa

Good

цебярь

tsʲebʲarʲ

New

од

od

Red

якстерь

ˈjakstʲerʲ

White

акша

akʃa

Black

равжа

ˈravʒa

Green

пиже

ˈpiʒe

Blue

сенем

ˈsʲeɲem

Cuckoo

куку

ˈkuku

Computer

компьютер

kɐmˈpjuter

Sushi

суши

ˈsuʃi

Tea

чай

tʃaj

Coffee

кофе

ˈkofʲe

Sugar

захар

ˈzaxar

Orange

апельсин

apelʲˈsin

Ninety-nine

вейхксогемонь вейхксые

vʲejxksoɡʲemonʲ vʲejxksɨje

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Uralic (Mordvinic)

Meaning MokshaErzyaMeadow MariVepsHill MariKarelianUdmurt
Water ведь /vedʲ/ ведь /vʲedʲ/ вӱд /vyd/ vezi /ˈvezi/ вӹд /vʉd/ vesi /ˈvesʲi/ ву /vu/
Fire тол /tol/ тол /tol/ тул /tul/ lämoi /ˈlæmoi/ тыл /tɨl/ tuli /ˈtuli/ тыл /tɨl/
Sun ши /ʃi/ чи /tʃi/ кече /ketʃe/ päiväine /ˈpæivæine/ кечӹ /ketʃʉ/ päivä /ˈpæivæ/ шунды /ʃundɨ/
Moon ков /kov/ ков /kov/ тылзе /tɨlze/ ku /ku/ тӹлзӹ /tʉlzʉ/ kuu /kuː/ толэзь /tolezʲ/
Star тяште /ˈtʲæʃtʲe/ теште /ˈtʲeʃtʲe/ шӱдыр /ˈʃydɨr/ tähtaz /ˈtæhtaz/ шӹдӹр /ˈʃɘdɘr/ tähti /ˈtʲæhtʲi/ кизили /kizʲili/
Night ве /vʲe/ ве /ve/ йӱд /jyd/ ö /ø/ йыд /jəð/ yö /yø/ уй /uj/
Rain пизема /pizʲemə/ пиземе /pizʲemʲe/ йӱр /jyr/ vihm /ˈvihm/ юр /jur/ vihma /ˈvihmɑ/ зор /zor/
Snow лов /lov/ лов /lov/ лум /lum/ lumi /lumi/ лум /lum/ lumi /lumi/ лымы /lɨmɨ/
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