Pannonian Rusyns

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Pannonian Rusyns
Total population
20,000 approx.
Regions with significant populations
Serbia: 15,626 (2002 census) Croatia: 2,337 (2001 census) note: some Pannonian Rusyns also declare themselves as Ukrainians
Languages
Pannonian Rusyn
Religions
Predominantly Eastern Rite Catholic (Uniate).
Related ethnic groups
Rusyns, Slovaks and other Slavic peoples

Pannonian Rusyns, or simply Rusyns or Ruthenians (Rusyn: Руснаци or Русини, Serbian and Croatian: Rusini (or Русини in Serbian Cyrillic)), is the name of a Slavic minority in Serbia and Croatia. They are officially considered a separate nationality in Serbia and Croatia, but are also considered to be a part of the northern Rusyns (Ruthenians) who live mostly in Ukraine, but also in Slovakia, Poland, and Hungary.

The main difference between Pannonian Rusyns and northern Rusyns is language: the language of the Pannonian Rusyns has more Western Slavic features than the language of the northern Rusyns.

Contents 1 Location 2 History 3 Language 4 References 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Location

The Pannonian Rusyns mostly live in the autonomous province of Vojvodina in Serbia. There are 15,626 declared ethnic Rusyns in Vojvodina (2002 census) and their language is one of the six official languages of Vojvodina province. The village of Ruski Krstur in the Kula municipality is the cultural centre of the Pannonian Rusyns. Other villages with Rusyn majority are Kucura in the Vrbas municipality and Bikić Do in the Šid municipality. Some Pannonian Rusyns also live in Slavonia (Croatia), forming majority in village of Petrovci in Bogdanovci municipality, Vukovar-Srijem county.

[edit] History

Rusyns emigrated from eastern Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia in the 18th century, along with many Lutheran Slovaks. During the time of the Austrian Empire, an intensive colonisation of the area was carried out because of low population density following the last Ottoman wars.

Other Ruthenians, together with many Slovaks, went to present-day Croatia or remained in eastern Slovakia and Carpathian Ruthenia.

[edit] Language

They speak the Pannonian Rusyn language (as opposed to the northern Rusyn), which is often considered only a microlanguage or dialect. Those considering the Pannonian Rusyns distinct from the northern Rusyns argue that their language is a Western Slavic language, as opposed to the northern Rusyn language, which is an Eastern Slavic language. However, both, the language of the Pannonian Rusyns and of the western part of the northern Rusyns (in Slovakia, Poland, etc.) is a mixture of features of Western and Eastern Slavic languages.

[edit] References

1. Ranko Bugarski, Jezici, Novi Sad, 1996.
2. Stevan Konstantinović, Priče o Rusinima, Šid, 1995.
3. Vladimir Kirda Bolhorves, Na debelom ledu, Beograd, 1996.

[edit] See also

• Pannonian Rusyn language
• Rusyns
• Ethnic groups of Vojvodina

[edit] External links

• Rusyns in Serbia
• Rusyns in Croatia
• Ruski Krstur - Руски Керестур
• Ruski Krstur - Руски Керестур
• Ruski Krstur - Руски Керестур

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