The first Urum language textbook in Ukraine was presented in Kyiv

On December 23, the first Urum language textbook and literary collection in Urum language published in Ukraine were presented in Kyiv. This was reported by the press service of Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people.

The textbook Balalığım Çohrağı (The Source of My Childhood) and the literary collection Çöl’e s’evnip (Admiring the Steppe) were prepared by the public organization Nadazov Greeks: Urms and Rumis“ as part of the project ”Preserving the Languages of the Nadazov Greeks: Let’s Learn the Urum Language Together” with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.

During the presentation, the editors spoke about the difficult conditions under which the materials were collected, as all 76 settlements of Urums and Rumis in the Donetsk region are currently under Russian occupation. Most speakers of the Urum language are elderly people who remain in the occupied territories, and a significant part of the cultural heritage has been lost or destroyed.

A distinctive feature of the teaching and learning complex is the use of the Latin alphabet, which has been approved for Turkic languages. Previously, the Urum language was written using the Cyrillic alphabet, and a single standardized literary language has not yet been established. The textbook and workbook have been developed in accordance with European educational standards and contain texts, illustrations, and creative tasks that introduce readers with the culture and history of the Urums.

A separate literary collection, Çöl’e s’evnip, was presented, which includes songs, prose, and poetry in various Urum dialects with Ukrainian translations and audio supplements.

The Crimean Tatar Resource Center welcomes the creation of Ukraine’s first Urum language textbook. We wish the authors and researchers continued success, and the Urum language preservation and development.

Photo: “Suspilne Krym”