Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Categories: Jewish languages | Turkic languages | Karaite Judaism | Endangered languages | Turkic peoples | Khazars
Karaim language
The Karaim language is a Turkic language with Hebrew influences, in a similar manner to Yiddish or Ladino. It is spoken by some ethnic Turkic adherents of Karaite Judaism (Karaim or Qaraylar) in Lithuania and Crimea, Ukraine. It has very few remaining active speakers.
The Lithuanian dialect of Karaim is spoken mainly in the town of Trakai (also known as Troki) by a small community. Trakai is a former capital of Lithuania, and Karaites were brought there by Grand Duke Vytautas in 1397-1398 to defend the castle. There is a chance the language will survive in Trakai as a result of official support as well as its appeal to tourists. Currently in Trakai there is a museum about the Karaite community, as well as a Karaite cuisine restaurant. People from the community take part in some special holidays held in Trakai, and sometimes it is interpreted that the new coat of arms of Trakai depicts a Karaite.
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