Mishar Tatar dialect

Mishar Tatar or Western Tatar (Мишәр, Mişär / Mişər, Мишәр Татар, Mişär / Mişər Tatar, көнбатыш татар, könbatış tatar) is a dialect of Tatar spoken by Mishar Tatars, mainly in Penza, Ulyanovsk, Orenburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Samara, Volgograd, and Saratov oblasts of Russia, in Tatarstan, Bashkortostan, Chuvashia and Mordovia, and also in Finland and Estonia.

Some linguists (Radlov, Samoylovich) think that Mishar belongs to the Kipchak-Cuman group of languages rather than to the Kipchak-Bulgar group. Especially the regional dialect of Sergachsky district (Nizhny Novgorod) is said to be faithfully close to the ancient Kipchak language. Increased contacts with Kazan Tatars have lessened these differences.

Mishar is the dialect spoken by the Tatar minority of Finland. The origins of the Tatar community living in Finland rest upon the merchants coming from the villages of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast (then-Governorate).