{{Infobox Language
| name            = Rusyn
| nativename      =  
| region          =  Zakarpattia Oblast (Ukraine)<br> eastern Slovakia<br> southern Poland<br> Hungary<br> northern Romania<br> Vojvodina (Serbia)
| speakers        = Estimated: At least 600,000.<ref></ref><br>
Census population: 60,000.<ref>These are numbers from national official bureaus for statistics:
*Slovakia - 24,201
**( http://www.statistics.sk/webdata/english/census2001/tab/tab3a.htm )
*Serbia - 15,626
**( http://www.statserb.sr.gov.yu/zip/esn31.pdf )
*Ukraine - 10,100
**( http://ukrcensus.gov.ua/results/general/nationality/zakarpatia/ )
*Croatia - 2,337
**( http://www.dzs.hr/default_e.htm )
*Poland - 5,800
**( http://www.stat.gov.pl/english/ )
*Hungary - 1,098
**( http://www.nepszamlalas.hu/eng/volumes/18/tables/load1_28.html )
*Czech Republic - 1,106 
**( http://www.czso.cz/csu/2005edicniplan.nsf/t/D6002FD8F5/$File/kap_I_05.pdf ).</ref>

| familycolor     = Indo-European
| fam2            = Slavic
| fam3            = East Slavic
| nation          =  Vojvodina (Serbia)<br>
| iso1            =
| iso2            = sla
| iso3            = rue}}

'''Rusyn''' (; ) is an East Slavic language (along with Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian, with which it shares a common linguistic ancestry) that is spoken by the Rusyns.  Opinions differ among linguists concerning whether Rusyn is a separate East Slavic language or a dialect of Ukrainian.<ref>[http://lists.microlink.lv/pipermail/minelres/2000-January/000398.html RFE/RL on intolerance in Belarus and Ruthenians in Ukraine<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The political implications of the dispute add to the controversy.

Rusyn is spoken in the Transcarpathian Region of Ukraine, in northeastern Slovakia, southeastern Poland (where it is often called ''łemkowski'' 'Lemko', from their characteristic word ''lem/лєм'' 'only'), and Hungary (where the people and language are called ''Ruten''). The Pannonian Rusyn language in Serbia is sometimes considered part of the Rusyn language group, although some linguists consider that language to be West Slavic. In Ukraine, Rusyn is usually considered a dialect of Ukrainian, as it is very close to the Ukrainian Hutsul dialect, but some speakers sometimes prefer to consider themselves distinct from Ukrainians.

Attempts to standardize the language suffer from its being divided among four countries, so that in each of these countries there has been devised a separate Cyrillic letters) and grammatical standard, based on different Rusyn dialects. The cultural centres of Carpatho-Rusyn are USA.

It is very difficult to count the speakers of Rusyn, but their number is sometimes estimated at almost a million, most of them in Ukraine and Slovakia. The first country to officially recognize Rusyn, more exactly Pannonian Rusyn, as an official language was former Yugoslavia. In 1995, Rusyn was recognized as a minority language in Slovakia, enjoying the status of official language in municipalities where more than 20% of the inhabitants speak Rusyn.

* The '''Rusyn language''' is divided as follows: 
** '''''Hutsul''''' is spoken in the mountainous part of Chernivtsi and Transcarpathian Oblasts), and on the northern slopes of the Carpathian Mountains. <!--Distinctive Features-->
** '''''Boyko''''' is spoken on the northern side of the Carpathian Mountains in the Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk Oblasts of Ukraine. It can also be heard across the border in the Subcarpathian Voivodship of Poland <!--Destinctive Features-->
** '''''Lemko''''' is spoken outside Ukraine in the Prešov Region of Slovakia along the southern side of the Carpathian Mountains. It was formerly spoken on the northern side of the same mountains, in what is now southeastern Poland, prior to Operation Wisła, but is being revived. <!--Destinctive Features-->
** '''''Dolinian Rusyn or Subcarpathian Rusyn''''' is spoken in the Transcarpathian Oblast of Ukraine.<!--Destinctive Features-->
** '''''Pryashiv Rusyn''''' is the Rusyn spoken in the Prešov Region (in Rusyn: Pryashiv/Pryashuv) of Slovakia, as well as by some émigré communities, primarily in the United States of America. 
** '''''Pannonian Rusyn''''' is spoken in northwestern Serbia and eastern Croatia. Also called Bačka dialect, it is one of the official languages of the Serbian Autonomous Province of Vojvodina).
Boiko, Hutsul and Dolinian are identified (and for the same speakers) as Ukrainian dialects and not Rusyn for several speakers that they are identified themselves Ukrainians.

In the introduction to the book "Slavic languages," written in 1973, ten years before glasnost, Samuel Bernshtein writes about "western Ukrainians" and the "literary language" which they "until recently [i.e., 1973]" had.

==Alphabet==
{| border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" style="text-align:left;border:1px solid #ccc; white-space:nowrap;" summary="Rusyn letters"
|+ style="font-weight:bold;font-size:90%;background:#ccc;" | Letters and symbols of the Carpatho-Rusyn alphabet
|- valign="top" style="font-size:90%;background:#ccc;"
! align="left" width="10%" style="font-weight:normal" | Capital !! align="left" width="10%" style="font-weight:normal" | Small !! align="left" width="10%" style="font-weight:normal" | Name !! align="left" width="10%" style="font-weight:normal"| Translit. !! align="left" width="10%" style="font-weight:normal" | Pronunciation !! align="left" width="20%" style="font-weight:normal" | Notes
|- valign="top"
| А || а || a || a ||  ||
|- valign="top"
| Б || б || бы || b ||  ||
|- valign="top"
| В || в || вы || v ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Г || г || гы || h ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ґ || ґ || ґы || g ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Д || д || ды || d ||  ||
|- valign="top"
| Е || е || e || e ||  ||
|- valign="top"
| Є || є || є || je ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| | ё || ё || jo ||  || not present in [[Pannonian Rusyn language|Pannonian Rusyn
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ж || ж || жы || ž ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| З || з || зы || z ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| И || и || и || y ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| | і || i || i ||  || not present in [[Pannonian Rusyn language|Pannonian Rusyn 
|- valign="top"
| | ы || ы || y ||  || not present in [[Pannonian Rusyn language|Pannonian Rusyn
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ї || ї || ї || ji ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Й || й || йы || j ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| К || к || кы || k ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Л || л || лы || l ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| М || м || мы || m ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Н || н || ны || n ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| О || о || o || o ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| П || п || пы || p ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Р || р || ры || r ||  ||
|- valign="top"
| С || с || сы || s ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Т || т || ты || t ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| У || у || у || u ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ф || ф || фы || f ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Х || х || хы || x, ch ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ц || ц || цы || c ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Ч || ч || чы || č ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Ш || ш || шы || š ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Щ || щ || щы || šč ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| | ѣ || їть || ||  || Used before [[World War II
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;"
| Ю || ю || ю || ju ||  ||
|- valign="top" style="background:#eee;" 
| Я || я || я || ja ||  ||
|- valign="top" 
| Ь || ь || мнягкый знак (ірь) || ′ ||  || marks preceding consonant's palatalization
|- valign="top" 
| | ъ || твердый знак (ір) || ′ || || not present in [[Pannonian Rusyn language|Pannonian Rusyn 
|}

==See also==

* Old Ruthenian
* Pannonian Rusyn
* Rusyns
* Pannonian Rusyns
* Alexander Duchnovič's Theatre
* Metodyj Trochanovskij, Lemko Grammarian

{{taal
 | Naam in Nederlands = Roetheens
 | Naam in taal       = Rusin (русин)
 | gesproken          = Oblast Transkarpatië (Oekraïne), oostelijk Slowakije, zuidelijk Polen, Hongarije, noordelijk Roemenië, Vojvodina 
 | uitgestorven       =
 | sprekers           = 600.000
 | rang               =
 | taalfamilie        = Indo-Europees 
*Slavische talen 
**Oost-Slavische talen 
***Roetheens
 | dialecten          =
 | creolen            = 
 | alfabet            = Cyrillisch
 | officieelin        = Vojvodina, Slowakije (als minderheidstaal)
 | organisatie        = [http://www.rusyn.org World Academy of Rusyn Culture]
 | 639-1              = 
 | 629-2              = sla
 | SIL                = rue
}}
'''Roetheens''' is een Oost-Slavische taal gesproken door de linguïsten over of het Roetheens een aparte taal is of een dialect van het Oekraïens. [http://lists.microlink.lv/pipermail/minelres/2000-January/000398.html] De politieke achtergrond van de kwestie geeft extra gewicht aan deze discussie.

Roetheens wordt gesproken in de Oekraïense regio Transkarpatië, het noordoosten van Slowakije, het zuidoosten van Polen (waar het ook wel ''łemkowski'' genoemd wordt, van het woord ''lem/лєм'' wat "enige" betekent) en Hongarije. Soms wordt Pannonisch tot het Roetheens gerekend, maar sommige taalkundigen beschouwen het Pannonisch als een West-Slavische taal. In Oekraïne wordt Roetheens meestal als een dialect van het Oekraïens beschouwd, omdat het zo dichtbij het dialect van de Hoetsoelen ligt, die een dialect van het Oekraïens spreken.

Pogingen om een Roetheense standaardtaal te ontwikkelen, worden bemoeilijkt doordat de taal verdeeld is over vier landen. In elk van deze landen bestaat een andere spelling en grammatica, gebaseerd op verschillende Roetheense dialecten. De culturele centra van het Karpaten-Roetheens zijn Prešov in Slowakije, Oezjhorod en Mukacheve in Oekraïne, Krynica Zdrój en Legnica in Polen en Boedapest in Hongarije. Er wonen ook heel wat actieve Roethenen in Canada en de Verenigde Staten. 

Het is erg moeilijk om een goede schatting van het aantal sprekers te geven. Sommige schattingen komen uit op bijna één miljoen. 

Het Roetheens is een officiële taal in Vojvodina, Servië. Onlangs is de taal in Slowakije erkend als minderheidstaal in gemeenten waar meer dan 20% van de bevolking Roetheens spreekt.