See also: Rusyn language.
Iazychie (Ukrainian: Язичіє|translit=Yazychiie; Язычіє|translit=Yazŷchiie) was an artificial literary East Slavic language used in the 19th century and the early 20th century in Halychyna, Bukovina, and Zakarpattia in publishing, particularly by Ukrainian and Carpatho-Rusyn Russophiles (Moskvophiles).[1] [2] It was an unsystematic combination of Russian with the lexical, phonetic and grammatical elements of vernacular Ukrainian and Rusyn, Church Slavonic, Ruthenian, Polish, and Old Slavic.[1] [2]
The term was introduced by Ukrainophiles, who used it pejoratively.[3] Nikolay Chernyshevsky called "Iazychie" a mutilation of the language and sharply condemned it.[1] Ivan Franko and other representatives of the contemporary territories of today's Western Ukraine's progressive intelligentsia also opposed "Iazychie".[1] The proponents of the language themselves called it the "traditional Carpatho-Rusyn language".[4] Russophiles saw it as a tool against Polish influence and a transition to Russian literary language, considering local dialects to be a "speech of swineherds and shepherds".[5]
Що єсть тепло и свѣтло — того дово̂дно оучени̂ єще не знаютъ. Но безъ свѣтла и тепла нїяка изъ нашихъ пашниць не може оудатися. — '''Свѣтло,''' здаеся, возбуджае въ рослинахъ силу, которою они оуглянный квасъ, амонїякъ, воду, и другое поживлѣнье розкладаютъ на части, зъ ıакихъ тїи рѣчи повстаютъ, — и — потребное въ себе вживаютъ, остальное же назадъ воздухови о̂тдаютъ. На пр. оугляный квасъ розкладаютъ они на єго части, на квасородъ и оуглеродъ, и оуглеродъ вживаютъ въ себе, квасородъ же о̂тдаютъ воздухови, и тымъ способомъ воздухъ все о̂тсвѣжуютъ. Но все то дѣеся '''лишь днемъ при свѣтлѣ солнечно̂мъ,''' ночїю же нѣ; и также днемъ при захмарено̂мъ небѣ робота тая оуже имъ складно не иде, а для того въ хмарнїи роки овощи николи не буваютъ смачни̂ та тревали̂. (1875)