On Monday, 9 December 2013, on the occasion of the Day of Mari Literacy (Марий тиште кече), the Republican Centre of Mari Culture and the Institute of National Culture and Intercultural Communication of the Mari State University, with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Press and Ethnic Affairs of the Republic of Mari El, will organize the first general “Марла чын возена” (“We write Mari correctly”) dictation, Organizing Committee informs.

The event will start at 13:00 at the new teaching and laboratory building of Mari State University (Kremlyovskaya street 44, Yoshkar-Ola, entrance from Krasnoarmeyskaya street). Participants can register between 12:00 and 13:00. Applications for participation in the dictation can be submitted in advance to the following e-mail addresses:kafful@marsu.ru, elina.guseva@rambler.ru.

In arrangement with the organizers of the event it is possible to conduct the dictation in the various regions of the Republic as well.

The event aims to kindle an interest in the Mari language in the Republic of Mari El – the native and state language – and to promote the implementation of the spelling rules established in the 2011 orthographic dictionary.

We would like to invite university students, university teachers, other university staff members, pupils, school teachers, teaching methods specialists, kindergarten teachers, researchers, media representatives, state and municipal officials, and anyone else interested in this event, regardless of the level of competency in Mari.

The participation of students and employees of foreign universities involved in the research of Finno-Ugric languages is expected.

Contact information:
Tel.: 8 (8362) 45 88 51, mari-centr@mail.ru – head of the Republican Centre of Mari Culture, Valery Pombeyevich Grigoriyev (Honoured Artist of the Republic of Mari El)
Tel.: 8 (8362) 45 43 12 – deputy director of the Institute of National Culture and Intercultural communication, Cand.Phil, Ass. Elina Vitalyevna Guseva
Tel.: 8 (8362) 45 43 12 – head of the Department of Finno-Ugric and Comparative Philology , Dr.phil. Prof. Natalya Nikolayevna Glukhova.

The organizers hope this event will not only give you the chance to assess your knowledge of the Mari language, but will also help you widen your range of interests and circle of friends.