Laslov Čopej (Csopey) was the first in modern history to attempt creating a literary language based on the Rusyn vernacular. His 1883 dictionary laid the foundation for later works. The dictionary still serves as a valuable source for Rusyn literary production (e.g. having been used in the creation of I. Kerča’s dictionaries).

The author’s publications evoked a negative reaction from his contemporaries, who by and large espoused Russophile views on language. Čopej himself saw the Rusyn language as a part of Ukrainian (see foreword) – nonetheless he aimed to create a separate literary language for the Rusyns of Hungary. The criticism eventually made him stop working in that direction.

See also:

Hollós Attila. Zhyzn’ i trudy Laslo Chopeya (Csopey László élete és művei), 2004.

Kerča, Igor’. Slovnyk rusyns’ko-rus’kŷj (Rusinsko-russkii slovar’), 2007.

Kerča, Igor’. Slovnyk rus’ko-rusyns’kŷj (Russko-rusinskii slovar’), 2012.