ABSTRACT
Introduction Chuvash is the nationallanguage of the Chuvash people who live in the Volga river region. The language is related most closely to Volga Bulghar and to other traees of Oghur languages. Its development from Proto-Turkie is eomplicated by aseries of sound ehanges and replaeements. Although Chuvash has retained most of the eommon Turkie morphosyntax and lexieon, these ehanges and espeeially those assoeiated with the assimilation of Mari (Cheremis) tend to obseure its Turkie eharaeter.
