This thesis is an examination of the factors which have led to the standardisation of several variants of the Rusyn language in central and eastern Europe since 1989. It includes an assessment of aspects of the linguistic and extra-linguistic language planning activities carried out within and between the different Rusyn standard languages. The thesis considers the development of Rusyn standard languages with particular focus on those created for the Rusyns of the Prešov Region of Slovakia and the Lemkos of Poland, with reference to the language situation in the Transcarpathian Region of Ukraine and that of Vojvodina Rusyn in Serbia and Croatia. It also considers factors which have facilitated and militated against the creation of standard languages in the regions concerned and sets the development of Rusyn standardisation in the context of the development of regional and minority languages elsewhere and as an element of identity construction and assertion. A study is made of the prospects for the so-called Rusyn koiné, an auxiliary standard proposed for use across all Rusyn groups
