Komi language

Komi (коми кыв, komi kyv, IPA: [komi kɨv] ), also known as Zyran, Zyrian or Komi-Zyryan (зыран коми кыв, zyran komi kyv), is the native language of the Komi (Zyrians). It is one of the Permic languages; the other regional varieties are Komi-Permyak, which has official status, and Komi-Yazva. Komi is spoken in the Komi Republic and other parts of Russia such as Nenetsia and Yamalia. There were 285,000 speakers in 1994, which decreased to 160,000 in 2010. It was formerly written in the Old Permic script created by Stephen of Perm for liturgical purposes in the 14th century, though very few texts exist in this script. The Cyrillic script was introduced by Russian missionaries in the 17th century, replacing it. A tradition of secular works of literature in the modern form of the language dates back to the 19th century.