Association Irӗklӗh has started a new project to help promote and facilitate equal use of both state languages in Chuvashia. The name of the project is Linguistic First Aid and its objectives are:

* to make equal opportunities for using both state languages in Chuvashia;

* to preserve and develop Chuvash language as it is the foundation of Chuvash national culture;

* to unite the people through the Chuvash language;

* to promote linguistic harmony and communication culture.

The project will help individuals and corporations linguistically. Legal consultations will be provided on how to defend Chuvash language: how to use it in signage, in trade, and other fields. Linguistic First Aid will also help to file officials complaints against those who break the Language Law of the republic. Upon demand the Aiders will also help translate documents and blanks, signboards and organization names into Chuvash.

It is worth mentioning that the Project has already helped the biggest Health Insurance Company Chuvashia-Med translate their information.

The Sixth Annual Chuvash language Camp "Haval" will take place on July 5-12. Participants willing to learn about Chuvash language, culture and traditions will camp in Surskie Zori resort in Jetӗrne (Yadrinski) rayon.

Lessons of Chuvash will be given by experienced teachers. 7 to 12-year-old kids will enjoy a special program. Classes on national embroidery, singing and dancing will also take place. Sports activities will be able to go swimming and play football or volleyball. Many other activities are planned as well.

The camping fee is only 700 roubles ($12) if you sign up before June 24, or 100 rubles if you sign up at the site. Accommodation and meals are not included. For more details, please, contact Haval: +7 8352 68 50 51 (Aleksandr).

The Council of Chuvash Autonomy of Krasnoiarsk Krai of Russia has prepared to celebrate April 25 - The Chuvash Language Day (Christian Missioner and Teacher Ivan Yakovlev's birthday anniversary).

Among other events a conference will be held in commemoration of the date, a public lesson of Chuvash will be given, and a big concert of Chuvash pop stars will take place.

The conference will be devoted to topics of language and culture preservation in Krasnoyarsk, 3rd great assembly of the Council and celebratory events of the 25th anniversary if the autonomy will also be discussed.

Address: Krasnoyarsk, Prospekt Mettallurgov, 22.

The St. Petersburg Chuvash national culture autonomy runs a fairly successful Chuvash language club.

The members of the club gather together on Wednesdays in the national literature library, among them are Chuvash expats and their children residing in St. Petersburg.

Not long ago a language festival took place in the city. Ekaterina Danilova presented Chuvash to the audience of 450 people.

The viewers observed the softness of Chuvash sounds, and the song-like melody of it. Language enthusiasts asked many questions about the Turkic influences and foreign loans in the language, about the similarity of old Chuvash script with runes and the place of traditional script-like embroidery in today's life. Ekaterina felt sorry that the hour appointed for Q&A was not enough to answer all the questions.

A special lecture devoted to the studies of Chuvash language history was read in the Chuvash National Library on February 26 by a Moscovite researcher Aleksandr Saveliev.

The young linguist explained how the Chuvash language is related to other languaged based on etymological (study of origins of vocabulary) findings. As an example he pointed to Bulgaric loanwords in Russian which could be traced back both either to Dunai or Volga Bulgarias. Also he stated that based on the absence of Kypchak loanwords in the other regional languages from the Volga Bulgarian period and the simple fact of Kypchak peoples residing in other realms he called the theory so ardently pushed forth by Tatar researches of there being Kypchak speaking people in the population of Volga Bulgaria bogus.

While explaing that some Chuvash words sound strikingly similiarly in other languages, the hail from different origin, but still pointed that the English 'girl' and 'body' could ın fact be cognates of the related turkısh words.

The lecture was taped by Iltımer Studıo and will be later publicly available.

Aleksandr Savelyev ıs a young researcher of the Chuvash Language, PhD, work in The Russian Academy of Sciences in the Lınguistics Department.