Balachka

Balachka (балачка – conversation, chat) is a Ukrainian dialect spoken in the Kuban and Don regions, where Ukrainian settlers used to live. It was strongly influenced by Cossack culture.

The term is derived from the Ukrainian term (балакати), which colloquially means "to talk", "to chat".

Some linguists characterize Balachka vernacular as a dialect or group of dialects. Balachka does not appear as a separate language on any language codes. Nevertheless, some Cossacks consider it to be a separate language and at least one academic case has been made in this regard.

History
The most significant instance of the Cossack dialects is the Kuban subdialect. Originally starting as a central Ukrainian dialect used by the Black Sea Cossacks who moved to the Kuban in 1792.

Over the years the language began to acquire more Russian vocabulary, coinciding with the rising literacy rates in the late 19th century. The Kuban Cossack Chorus artistic director Viktor Zakharchenko points to the local folk songs dating to early and mid-19th century, where those that originated in the Kuban would have their own unique literary flavour and differ from those in standard Russian and Ukrainian.

During the 1897 Russian census the dialect was classified as Little Russian (the Imperial-era Russian name for Ukrainian) language rather than Great Russian (Russian).

In modern times the everyday usage of Balachka is declining.

Public usage
It is not known how widespread the use of Balachka is. Education and strict requirements of the Russian Academy of Sciences mean that local press such as TV and radio adhere to standard Russian, with a notable exception for historical films (particularly those involving Cossacks) and Folk music groups and ensembles, such as the Kuban Cossack Chorus.

As a result, there has been a gradual erosion in the use of authentic dialects and accents, with unique terms being slowly replaced by standard Russian ones. This is particularly noticeable in the younger generations. At the same time, beginning in the early 1990s, the re-awakening of the Cossacks movement was often done with rekindling of old traditions. It is thus not surprising that many Cossacks use Balachka (or some of its elements) in their speech to punctuate their Cossack heritage and/or affiliation.

As of 2010 the everyday usage of Balachka is declining. Some attempts are being made by local communities to preserve the dialect. It was proposed to teach Balachka in the schools and universities of Krasnodar Krai by students and teachers of Kuban State University. This attempts found no support from the federal administration.

Political aspects
Political aspects have played a direct role in the classification of the Kuban Balachka. Although this Balachka was initially officially classified as a dialect of the Little Russian language (the official term in pre-revolutionary Russia for the Ukrainian language), and some Ukrainian sources actively support the idea of Balachka being a dialect of the Ukrainian language, this is being contested by some Russian linguistic research, and some of the Kuban Cossacks themselves, who point out that already by the 1860s there was a separate dialect that morphed out of Ukrainian and Russian.

Varieties
There 3 varieties of Balachka: Kuban, Don and Mountainous subdialects. The most widespread variety is Kuban subdialect which was originally used by the Cossacks of Black Sea Host.

Examples
Examples of Balachka written in accordance to Russian and Ukrainian orthographies with translation in English.

Known speakers

 * Aslan Tkhakushinov — Circassian public figure, former head (2007–2017) of Adyghea, worked on the repatriation program for Circassian people to return from the forced exile.
 * Mykola Riabovil — Ukrainian political figure, chairman of the Kuban Legislative Council (1918) and the chairman of the Kuban Military Council (1919).
 * — Ukrainian writer and poet from Krasnodar Krai, a member of Hromada, Ukrainian national movement and left-wing secret society.
 * — appointed otaman (leader) of Azov Cossack Host (1851–1852) and Black Sea Cossack Host (1852–1856), Kuban literature classic, a friend of Taras Shevchenko.
 * — Ukrainian singer and public figure, hailing from the resort town of Anapa.