Simple speech ( uk, проста мова, prosta mova, pl, mowa prosta, po prostu, be, про́стая мова; па простаму, prostaya mova; "(to speak) in a simple way"), also translated as "simple language" or "simple talk", is an informal reference to various uncodified vernacular forms of Ukrainian and

Belarusian Belarusian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Belarus * Belarusians, people from Belarus, or of Belarusian descent * A citizen of Belarus, see Demographics of Belarus * Belarusian language * Belarusian culture * Belarusian cuisine * Byelor ...

in the areas historically influenced by

Polish culture The culture of Poland ( pl, Kultura Polski ) is the product of its geography and distinct historical evolution, which is closely connected to an intricate thousand-year history. Polish culture forms an important part of western civilization and ...

. This term has been commonly used, e.g., as a reply to the question about the

mother tongue A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tongu ...

or language spoken at home by the Tutejszy in the historical region of '' Kresy'', which covers parts of modern Ukraine, Belarus,

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

and a bit of

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

. It also refers to the vernacular form of Ukrainian before its codification ("Old Ukrainian" of 16th–18th centuries).СТАРОУКРАЇНСЬКА “ПРОСТА МОВА” ХУІ – ХУІІІ СТ. В КОНТЕКСТІ ФОРМУВАННЯ НАЦІОНАЛЬНОЇ ЛІТЕРАТУРНОЇ МОВИ
Old Ukrainian "Simple language" of the 16th–18th century in the context of the formation of a national literary language. Dr V.A. Perediyenko (2001) In 16th century the chancellery language of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania was Old Ruthenian ("руска мова", commonly called "simple speech" ("проста мова".). According to Christian Stang, it was based on the Ruthenian dialects of the region around Vilnius. Also, the Podlachian microlanguage is referred to by locals as "our speech" (Своя мова), "simple speech" (проста мова), or "local speech" (тутейша мова) (cf. " Tutejszy").svoja.org
a website dedicated to "our speech" The term "simple" refers to the speech of "simple people", as a distinction to the "high style" of official and written language of the time and region:

Church Slavonic Church Slavonic (, , literally "Church-Slavonic language"), also known as Church Slavic, New Church Slavonic or New Church Slavic, is the conservative Slavic liturgical language used by the Eastern Orthodox Church in Belarus, Bosnia and Herzeg ...

in the case of Old Ukrainian of 16th–17th centuries and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania,В. В Калугин, Язык и письменность Древней Руси: лекции по истории русского литературного языка XI-XVII веков, 200
p. 177
/ref> and the Polish language in the case of '' Kresy''. The versions of "simple speech" differ depending on the region. Polish linguist Mirosław Jankowiak reported in 2015 that most people in rural areas of Vilnius Region who declare themselves as

Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, who share a common history, culture, the Polish language and are identified with the country of Poland in Ce ...

speak Belarusian "simple speech". He notes that it is difficult to explain the discrepancy between the declared ethnicity and language: the locals can be either Polonized Belarusians, or Belarusianized Poles, or even Belarusianized Lithuanians who later became Polonized. He also notes a linguistic puzzle on how "simple speech" survived without codification and formal education despite 200 years of

Russification Russification (russian: русификация, rusifikatsiya), or Russianization, is a form of cultural assimilation in which non-Russians, whether involuntarily or voluntarily, give up their culture and language in favor of the Russian cultur ...

and tens of years of Polonization. Jankowiak also notes that

Bronisław Taraszkiewicz Branislaw Adamavich Tarashkyevich, russian: Бронисла́в Ада́мович Тарашке́вич, lt, Bronislavas Taraškevičius, pl, Bronisław Adamowicz Taraszkiewicz (20 January 1892 – 29 November 1938) was a Belarusian public fi ...

who was first to codify the Belarusian language (1918, " Taraškievica") hailed from Mačiuliškės of Vilnius region, and it appears that his version of Belarusian was influenced by the "simple speech" native to him.

References

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See also

References

Further reading