Short U (Cyrillic)

Cyrillic letter Short U
The Cyrillic script
Slavic letters
А А́ А̀ А̂ А̄ Ӑ Ӓ Б В Г Ґ Д Ђ Ѓ Е Е́ Ѐ Е̂ Е̄ Ё Є Є́ Ж З З́ Ѕ И І І́ Ї Ꙇ И́ Ѝ И̂ Ӣ Й Ӥ Ј К Л Љ М Н Њ О О́ О̀ О̂ О̄ Ӧ П Р С С́ Т Ћ Ќ У У́ У̀ У̂ Ӯ Ў Ӱ Ф Х Ц Ч Џ Ш Щ Ꙏ Ъ Ъ̀ Ы Ы́ Ь Ѣ Э Э́ Ю Ю́ Ю̀ Я Я́ Я̀ ʼ ˮ
Non-Slavic letters
А̊ А̃ Ӓ̄ Ӕ Ә Ә́ Ә̃ Ӛ В̌ Ԝ Г̑ Г̇ Г̣ Г̌ Г̂ Г̆ Г̈ Г̊ Ҕ Ғ Ӻ Ғ̌ Ғ̊ Ӷ Г̡ Д́ Д̌ Д̈ Д̣ Д̆ Ӗ Е̃ Ё̄ Є̈ Ԑ Ԑ̈ Җ Ӝ Ӂ Ж̣ Ҙ Ӟ З̌ З̣ З̆ Ӡ И̃ Ҋ Қ Ӄ Ҡ Ҟ Ҝ К̣ К̊ Қ̊ Ԛ ᴫ Л́ Ӆ Ԯ Ԓ Л̈ Ӎ ᵸ Н́ Ӊ Ң Ԩ Ӈ Ҥ О̆ О̃ Ӧ̄ Ө Ө̄ Ө́ Ө̆ Ӫ Ԥ П̈ Р̌ Ҏ С̌ Ҫ С̣ С̱ Т́ Т̈ Т̌ Т̇ Т̣ Ҭ Ᲊ У̃ Ӳ У̊ Ӱ̄ Ұ Ү Ү́ Х̣ Х̱ Х̮ Х̑ Х̌ Ҳ Ӽ Х̊ Ӿ Ӿ̊ Һ Һ̈ Ԧ Ц̌ Ц̈ Ҵ Ҷ Ҷ̣ Ӵ Ӌ Ҹ Ч̇ Ч̣ Ҽ Ҿ Ш̣ ꚜ Ы̆ Ы̄ Ӹ ꚝ Ҍ Ҩ Э̆ Э̄ Э̇ Ӭ Ӭ́ Ӭ̄ Ю̆ Ю̈ Ю̄ Я̆ Я̄ Я̈ Ӏ
Archaic or unused letters
А̨ Б̀ Б̣ Б̱ В̀ Г̀ Г̧ Г̄ Г̓ Г̆ Ҕ̀ Ҕ̆ Ԁ Д̓ Д̀ Д̨ Ԃ Ꚁ Ꙣ Е̇ Е̨ Ж̀ Ж̑ Ꙃ Ꙅ Џ̆ Ꚅ Ꚅ̆ Ꙁ З̀ З̑ Ԅ Ԇ Ꚉ Ԫ Ꚃ Ꚕ І̂ І̣ І̨ Ј̵ Ј̃ Ꙉ К̓ К̀ К̆ Ӄ̆ К̑ К̇ К̈ К̄ Ԟ К̂ Л̀ Ԡ Ꙥ Ԉ Л̑ Л̇ Ԕ М̀ М̃ Ꙧ Н̀ Н̄ Н̧ Н̃ Ԋ Ԣ Н̡ Ѻ Ꙩ Ꙫ Ꙭ ꙮ Ꚙ Ꚛ П̓ П̀ П́ Ҧ П̧ П̑ Ҁ Ԛ̆ Р́ Р̀ Р̃ Ԗ С̀ С̈ Ԍ Ҫ̓ Т̓ Т̀ Ԏ Т̑ Ꚋ Т̧ Ꚍ Ꚍ̆ Ѹ Ꙋ У̇ У̨ ꙋ́ Ф̑ Ф̓ Х́ Х̀ Х̆ Х̇ Х̧ Х̾ Х̓ һ̱ Ѡ Ꙍ Ѽ Ѿ Ꙡ Ц̀ Ц́ Ц̓ Ꚏ Ꚏ̆ Ꚑ Ч́ Ч̀ Ч̆ Ч̑ Ч̓ Ԭ Ꚓ Ꚇ Ꚇ̆ Ҽ̆ Ш̀ Ш̆ Ш̑ Щ̆ Ꚗ Ꚗ̆ Ъ̄ Ъ̈ Ъ̈̄ Ꙑ Ы̂ Ы̃ Ѣ́ Ѣ̈ Ѣ̆ Ꙓ Э̨ Э̂ Ꙕ Ю̂ Ꙗ Я̂ Я̨ Ԙ Ѥ Ѧ Ꙙ Ѫ Ꙛ Ѩ Ꙝ Ѭ Ѯ Ѱ Ѳ Ѵ Ѷ Ꙟ
List of Cyrillic letters List of Cyrillic multigraphs

Short U (Ў, ў) is a letter of the Belarusian Cyrillic alphabet. It is called 'non-syllabic u' (u nieskładovaje) in Belarusian, because as the semivowel equivalent of у (u) it does not form syllables. Its equivalent in the Belarusian Latin alphabet is Ŭ, ŭ.

In native Belarusan words, Ў represents the high back semivowel [u̯] in diphthongs, as in хлеў (xleŭ) 'shed' or воўк (voŭk) 'wolf'. This is similar to the w in English cow and low. Ў cannot occur before a vowel; when the grammar would require this, ў is replaced by в (v). Compare хлеў (xleŭ) 'shed' with за хлявом (za xljavom) 'behind the shed'. Also, when a word beginning with у (u) follows a vowel, so that it forms a diphthong through liaison, it is written with ў. For example, у хляве (u xljave) 'in the shed' but увайшлі яны ў хляве (uvajšli jany ŭ xljave) 'they went in the shed'.

Ў is also used to represent the labial-velar approximant [w] in foreign borrowings, such as тўід (tŭid) 'tweed' and Ўэлз (Ŭelz) 'Wales'. However, most Belarusians have trouble with the [w] sound, and tend to pronounce ў as в (v) in such words, just as they do in native words.

This letter is not used in any other Slavic language. Among the non-Slavic languages using Cyrillic alphabets, Ў is used in the Dungan language and in the Siberian Eskimo (Yuit) language. It was also used in Uzbek before adopting Latin alphabet in 1992. In few languages similar (but not the same) letters are used (see [1]) with other diacritics:

• Tajik: Ӯ (with macron);
• Altai (Oyrot), Khakas, Gagauz, Khanty, Mari: Ӱ (with diaeresis);
• Chuvash: Ӳ (with double acute);

History

The letter first appeared in Belarusian Łacinka in the 1860s or 1870s. The first Belarusian writers who introduced the letter were Jan Čačot and Vincent Dunin-Marcinkievič. But the first publication that used this distinct Belarusian letter Ŭ/ŭ as we know it today, was the first edition of Francišak Bahuševič "Dudka Białaruskaja", published in Kraków in 1891. In earlier Jan Čačot's Vilnia publications, for example in 1846 edition Da milych mužyczkoú, that letter was already used, but it was printed as a "u" with an accent mark (ú).

In the late 1890s and beginning of the 20th century the letter started appearing in Cyrillic publications in its modern shape Ў.

Monument

File:Belarus Polatsk Monument Letter U short.jpg

Monument

In September 2003, during the tenth celebration of "Days of Belarusian Literacy", the city authorities of the oldest Belarusian city Polatsk made a monument to honor the unique Cyrillic Belarusian letter Ў. The original idea for the monument came from the Belarusian calligraphy professor Paval Siemčanka who has studied Cyrillic type for many years.