Rusin

92-105

Authors: Sergey Sulyak

In the beginning Moldavia was a multi-ethnic state. Along with the two basic ethnic groups, Moldavian and Rusin, Medieval Moldavia was comprised of Bulgarians, Armenians, Poles, Jews and others. Many place names are of non- Moldavian origin (Rusin, South Slavic, Tartar, Great Russian, Little Russian, etc.). Several of them are ethnotoponymic. Anthroponymic names also demonstrate the multinational composition of Moldavia. The Rusin-Vlach (Moldavian) synthesis led to many borrowings from Rusin material and spiritual culture. Many of the inhabitants of Moldavia, in the early centuries of its existence, were bilingual. Up to the 18th Century the Rusin (Western Rus’) language was the official language of the Moldavian Princedom. Many of the minority groups blended into the Moldavian culture. Moldovanization continues today.