Today, let's dispel the misconception that the Mişər dialect of Tatar is a "corrupted" version of the language. Contrary to the belief that it branched off from the Kazan dialect, Mişər and Kazan dialects originated independently. Linguists classify Mişər as a distinct dialect with unique phonological and morphological features, influenced by ancient Kipchak tribes, Oghuz, and Finno-Ugric elements. Despite globalization and the Kazan dialect influence, significant linguistic differences persist, challenging the idea of complete assimilation. Instead of seeing linguistic diversity as division, we should seek unity through appreciation, understanding that true unity lies in embracing and respecting linguistic richness.
❓ So, what is the Mişər dialect?
Also called the Western Dialect, the Mişər dialect may be divided into the following groups:
Ç-dialects (Southern or Ləmbrə Mişər): ç is pronounced [tɕ]
Include Temnikov, Ləmbrə, Kuznetsk, Bashkortostan and other sub-dialects.
Ts-dialects (Northern or Nijgar Mişər): ç is pronounced [ts]
Include Sergaç, Çüprəle and Bayqıbaş sub-dialects.
Mixed dialects: Çistay sub-dialect and others
The great majority of the Mişərs live outside of Tatarstan, in the Mordvinian, Chuvash, and Bashkort republics, in the oblasts of Penza, Saratov, Volgograd, Ulyanovsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Sterlitamak, and Orenburg. A comparatively small number of Mişərs can be found in Tatarstan. For example, in and around Çistay, Alekseevsk, Aqsubay and Çirmeşən districts.
A number of common features are characteristic to all Mişər dialects. In phonetics, these include:
🗣 Unrounded [a]
🗣 [y] instead of [ʉ] from Tatar literary language
🗣 In some subdialects, the unrounded [e̞] instead of [ɘ]
e.g., set (lit. söt) – milk
🗣 ı [ə] instead of the rounded o [ʊ]
e.g., ın (lit. on) – flour
🗣 Monophthongization of diphthongs:
kü (lit. köy) – melody
bələ (lit. bəylə) – tie
kurik (lit. qoyrıq) – tail
🗣 Use of velar k, g instead of uvular q, ğ of the central dialect and Tatar literary language
🗣 Using [j] instead of [ʒ] at the beginning of a word:
yəy (lit. cəy) – summer
yiñ (lit. ciñ) – sleeve
🗣 In the Ç-dialects, the use of [tɕ] instead of [ɕ]:
pıtçak (lit. pıçaq) – knife
endce (lit. ence) – pearl
🗣 In the Ts-dialects, the use of [ts] instead of [ɕ]:
pıtsak (lit. pıçaq) – knife
endze (lit. ence) – pearl
🗣 [v] instead of [j] in cases like:
sevü (lit. söyü) – to love
sevək (lit. söyək) – bone
In the field of morphology, the most characteristic features include:
📝 Expression of involuntary desire through a construction consisting of the action noun followed by -gı/-ge + keli or -ma + keli:
bargım keli / barma kelim (lit. barasım kilə) – I want to go
📝 Expression of the frequency of an action through the affix -gakla/-gəklə:
kilgəklə (lit. kilgələ) – come occasionally
ukıkla (lit. uqıştırğala) – read occasionally
📝 Adverbs of time:
kış kata (lit. qış buyı) – all winter, etc.
📝 The preservation of the more ancient form of verbs in the third person singular present indicative with -dır:
ul kiləder (lit. ul kilə) – he/she/it comes
📚 nəstə (lit. nərsə) – what
iñsə (lit. baş artı) – back of the head
sakal (lit. iyək) – chin
tanaw (lit. borın) – nose
(in some dialects)
yəyək – cheek (lit. yañaq)
yəyək sevəge (lit. yañaq söyəge) – cheekbone
taban (lit. ükçə) – heel (of a foot)
yadaw (lit. yabıq) – skinny, slim
kön (lit. qoyaş) – sun
aybagar (lit. könbağış) – sunflower
📚 aş (lit. qamır aşları) – flour products, bread
some dialects: yəymə (lit. küzikmək, qıstıbıy)
aş eçü (lit. aş aşaw) – to eat a soup
əpəy (lit. ipi) – bread
pañgı (from mord.; lit. gömbə) – mushroom
alma (lit. bərəñge), in some dialects kartuf/kartup – potato
alaşa (lit. at) – horse
kıçık/koçok (lit. et) – dog
kuçkar (lit. sarıq) – sheep
kuçat (lit. ətəç) – rooster
some dialects: ənəç is female chicken, as opposed to ətəç.
📚 yəy, yaz (lit. cəy) – summer
yaz başı (lit. yaz) – spring
some dialects: coma (lit. atna) – week
zamat (lit. zaman) – time
baryam (from pers.; lit. bəyrəm) – holiday
tenə (lit. kiçə) – yesterday
tenəge (lit. kiçəge) – yesterday’s
📚 some dialects: bertuma (lit. bertuğan) – sibling
tudıkay (lit. iketuğan) – cousin
ətəy/atay (lit. əti) – dad
inə, inəy/ənəy, inəkə/ənəkəy, anay (lit. əni) – mum
In some dialects tətə/tətəy (lit. apa) is older sister and in others tətə/tətəy (lit. əti) is dad.
📚 Adjectives for word formation (family topic):
kart (old), zur/dəw (big), abız (respected), ak (white, meaning respected) etc.
kartanay, tudık apa (abıynıñ xatını) – brother’s wife
abıztətəy, çibər tutaş (irneñ señlese/apası) – husband’s sister
📚 aru (lit. çista) – clean
bəyə (from pers.; lit. qıybat) – expensive
karsak (lit. tübən, təbənək) – low, short
kürkle (lit. söykemle, matur) – pretty
çöçö/çeçe (lit. ballı) – sweet
şadır (lit. şat) – happy
yazulı (lit. bəxetsez) – unhappy, sad
koyto/kıytı (lit. naçar) – bad
yañgız (lit. yalğız) – alone
yañlış (lit. yalğış) – wrong
📚 adya (lit. əydə) – come on, let’s
əmən (from pers.; lit. kebek) – like, as
sartın (lit. öçen) – for
📚 yəd (from pers.; lit. is) – memory
yəddən kitü (lit. istən çığu) – to forget
📚 bagu (lit. qaraw) – to look
keləw (lit. teləw) – to want
üñgərü (lit. üzgərü) – to change
añgaru (lit. añlaw) – to understand
işü (lit. işetü) – to hear
yəşü (lit. endəşü) – to say
iregü (lit. sağınu) – to miss (sb)
itenü (lit. qılanu) – to act out, to grimace
tıgızlaw (lit. qomaçawlaw) – to disturb
abdıraw (lit. aşığu) – to hurry
yüləw (lit. tegü) – to sew
sırlaw (lit. buyaw) – to paint
tınu (lit. yal itü) – to rest, to relax
📚 ü, ev (lit. öy) - home, house
kabak (lit. qapqa) – gate
urdık (lit. urındıq) – chair
yastık (lit. mendər) – pillow
dustagan/dustıgan (lit. stakan) – 1) glass 2) ladle
Also, check out this video with an example of how Mishars pronounce words 🎧
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Based on:
F. Bayazitova, Tatar Teleneñ Zur Dialektologik Süzlege (Big Tatar Language Dialect Dictionary), 2009
https://tatarica.org/tat/razdely/narody/tatary/tatarskij-yazyk/dialektlary/mishr-dialekty