Mansi Memes

Read in: Русский | Esperanto

Mansi Memes is a project about creating memes in the Mansi language — one of the endangered Indigenous languages of Siberia.

Why?

Memes are a simple and lively way to share thoughts and emotions. With funny pictures, I want to support interest in a language and culture that are at risk of disappearing.

How does it work?

I study scans of old dictionaries and textbooks, write down words into my own vocabulary list, and then use templates I like to create memes — with translations into English, Russian, and Esperanto!

Esperanto?...

I translate memes into English, Russian, and Esperanto so that both Russian speakers and people interested in linguistics and endangered languages can understand them. Esperanto is my way to make the project accessible to the world.

Dictionaries and textbooks I use:

• Short Mansi–Russian Dictionary — Chernetsov, Chernetsova, 1936 (4,000 words)
• Mansi–Russian Dictionary — Balandin, Varkhushev, 1958
• Mansi–Russian and Russian–Mansi Dictionary — Rombandeyeva, Kuzakova, 1982 (4,000 words)
• Primer in the Mansi (Vogul) Language — Cherentsova, 1983
• Mansi–Russian Dictionary (Konda dialect) — Kuzakova, 2001
• Russian–Mansi Dictionary — Rombandeyev, 2005 (11,000 words)
• Practical Course of the Mansi Language. Part 2 — Skribnik, 2007
• Mansi–Russian Dictionary (Upper Lozva dialect) — Bakhtiyarova, Dinislamov, 2016 (2,000 words)
• Short Mansi–Russian Dictionary (for grades 1–4) — Kumaev, 2019 (800 words)
• Illustrated Phraseological Dictionary of the Mansi Language — Dinislamova, 2020
• Toponymic Dictionary of the Mansi Language — Slinkina, 2024

Do you have other Mansi language books? Send them to me: beeressence@gmail.com!

Gallery

"Me and who?" / "Я и кто?" / "Mi kaj kiu?"

"Why" / "Почему" / "Kial"

Data structure

Each meme is described in a JSON format and includes:

• id
• phrase
• dialect
• language level
• tags
• image
  • file name
• translations into English, Russian, and Esperanto

How to support?

If you:

• are interested in endangered languages;
• are learning Mansi;
• or just want to support an unusual cultural project

Then you can help:

• Give a star ⭐
• Share an idea in issues
• Help with translation
• Suggest your favorite meme template
• Learn Mansi with me!

Copyright

Images
Most memes use popular internet templates, whose authors might be unknown.
If you're the author of an image and want it removed or changed, please contact me.

Texts and translations
All texts and translations in the memes belong to avyscriptum
and are licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.