7 million speakers 7,905,000 in Belarus, 98% of the
population (1993 Johnstone); 4,782 in Azerbaijan (1979); 183,000 in Kazakhstan;
7,676 in Kyrghyzstan; 105,000 in Latvia (1994); 63,000 in Lithuania; 1,206,000
in Russia; 5,289 in Turkmenistan; 440,000 in Ukraine; 29,000 in Uzbekistan;
10,000 in USA (1961); 2,280 in Canada; 200,000 in Poland (1985 Gunnemark
and Kenrick); 9,144 in Estonia (1993); 20,000 in Moldova; 10,200,000
speakers in all countries. Dialects: NORTHEAST BELORUSSIAN (POLOTS,
VITEB-MOGILEV), SOUTHWEST BELORUSSIAN (GRODNEN-BARANOVICH, SLUTSKO-MOZYR),
CENTRAL BELORUSSIAN. Cyrillic alphabet used. Linguistically between Russian
and Ukrainian, with transitional dialects to both. Belorussian-speaking
Tatar are Muslim.(For more informaiton, refer to Ethnologue, Barbara F.
Grimes, eds. 13th Edition)
