Komi Language - Komi-Zyrian

Komi-Zyrian

The Komi-Zyrian language (Коми кыв - Komi kyv) or simply Komi, Zyrian or Zyryan, is spoken by the Komi-Zyrians in Komi Republic and some other parts of Russia. It is disputed whether Zyrian is a separate language or a Komi dialect, because of its affinity to the Komi-Permyak language. In 1994, Komi-Zyrian had about 285,000 speakers.

It was written in the form of Old Permic language for liturgical purposes as early as the 14th century in the Old Permic script. Said alphabet was replaced by the Cyrillic script in 17th century. A tradition of secular works of literature in the modern form of the language dates back to the 19th century.