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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Europe > Russian Federation (Europe) > Karelian

Karelian

A language of Russian Federation (Europe)

ISO 639-3: krl

Population  35,000 in Russian Federation (1993 Salminen). Population total all countries: 45,000.
Region  Karelia, Tver (Kalinin), St. Petersburg, and Murmansk Oblasts. Also in Finland.
Language map  European Russia
Alternate names   Karel’skiy Jazyk, Karelian Proper, Karely, Severno-Karel’skij, Sobstvenno-Karel’skij-Jazyk
Dialects  Northern Karelian, Southern Karelian, Novgorod, Tver (Kalinin). Ludian [lud] and Livvi-Karelian [olo] are separate languages.
Classification  Uralic, Finnic
Language use  Many also use Russian, but those over 50 have difficulty understanding it. Some also use Finnish [fin].
Language development  Dictionary. Bible portions: 1820–2006.
Writing system  Cyrillic script, no longer in use. Latin script.
Comments  Primer recently produced in Tver Karelian. Agriculturalists; animal husbandry; wood industry.

Also spoken in:

Finland

Language name   Karelian
Population  10,000 in Finland (1994).
Region  Oulu Province, Russian border area, Northern Karelian; Southern Karelian scattered.
Language map  Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
Alternate names  Karelian Proper, Karely
Dialects  Northern Karelian, Southern Karelian, Norgorod, Tver (Kalinin).
Language use  Northern Karelian is traditionally spoken in Oulu, though decreasingly. Southern Karelian speakers were resettled from areas ceded to the former USSR from 1940 and 1944. All are now apparently completely competent in Finnish [fin] (1988 T. Salminen).
Language development  Literacy rate in L1: 75%–100%. Literacy rate in L2: 75%–100%.