Pirdop dialect
Encyclopedia
The Pirdop dialect is a Bulgarian
dialect, which is part of the Balkan
group of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. Its range includes the towns of Pirdop
, Zlatitsa
and Koprivshtitsa
, as well as several neighbouring villages. The most significant feature of the dialect, as in all Balkan dialects
, is the pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic (yat) as ʲa or ɛ, depending on the character of the following syllable. However, the Pirdop dialect also features a number of characteristics which bring it closer to the neighbouring Western Bulgarian dialects, and especially to the Botevgrad dialect
and which, in turn, separate it from the rest of the Balkan dialects
.
Most of the other phonological and morphological characteristics of the Pirdop dialect are similar to the general features typical for all Balkan dialects
, cf. article.
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
dialect, which is part of the Balkan
Balkan dialects
The Balkan dialects are the most extensive group of dialects of the Bulgarian language, covering almost half of the present-day territory of Bulgaria and slightly less than a third of the territory on the Balkans where Bulgarian is spoken. Their range includes north-central Bulgaria and most of the...
group of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. Its range includes the towns of Pirdop
Pirdop
Pirdop is a town located in South-West Bulgaria of Sofia Province in the southeastern part of the Zlatitsa - Pirdop Valley at 670 m above sea level. It is surrounded by the Balkan Range to the north, Sredna Gora Mountain to the south, and Koznitsa and Galabets saddles to the east and west,...
, Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa
Zlatitsa is a town in southern Bulgaria located in the Zlatitsa-Pirdop valley, between Stara Planina to the north and Sredna Gora to the south at 680 meters above the sea level. It is situated immediately south in the lap of the Zlatitsa -Teteven Mountain...
and Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa
Koprivshtitsa is a historic town in Sofia Province, central Bulgaria, lying on the Topolnitsa River among the Sredna Gora mountains. It was one of the centres of the April Uprising in 1876 and is known for its authentic Bulgarian architecture and for its folk music festivals, making it a very...
, as well as several neighbouring villages. The most significant feature of the dialect, as in all Balkan dialects
Balkan dialects
The Balkan dialects are the most extensive group of dialects of the Bulgarian language, covering almost half of the present-day territory of Bulgaria and slightly less than a third of the territory on the Balkans where Bulgarian is spoken. Their range includes north-central Bulgaria and most of the...
, is the pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic (yat) as ʲa or ɛ, depending on the character of the following syllable. However, the Pirdop dialect also features a number of characteristics which bring it closer to the neighbouring Western Bulgarian dialects, and especially to the Botevgrad dialect
Botevgrad dialect
The Botevgrad dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in the region of Botevgrad and Etropole in northwestern Bulgaria...
and which, in turn, separate it from the rest of the Balkan dialects
Balkan dialects
The Balkan dialects are the most extensive group of dialects of the Bulgarian language, covering almost half of the present-day territory of Bulgaria and slightly less than a third of the territory on the Balkans where Bulgarian is spoken. Their range includes north-central Bulgaria and most of the...
.
Phonological and morphological characteristics
- Vowel a for Old Church Slavonic (yus) and ъ (ə) in a stressed syllable and ъ (ə) in an unstressed syllable: маж vs. formal Bulgarian мъж (man), сан vs. formal Bulgarian сън (sleep), but мъ'жа vs. formal Bulgarian мъ'жът (the man)
- Verb ending -a instead of formal Bulgarian -ъ in a stressed syllable and a half-reduced -a in an unstressed syllable in verbs of the first and second conjugation: чет'а vs. formal Bulgarian чет'ъ (I read)
- ръ (rə) and лъ(lə) for Old Church Slavonic groups ръ/рь and лъ/ль versus formal Bulgarian ръ/ър (rə/ər) and лъ/ъл (lə/əl): дръво, слъза instead of formal Bulgarian дърво, сълза (tree, tear).
- Ending e instead of formal Bulgarian i for multi-syllable masculine nouns (българе instead of българи)
- The masculine definite article is -a in a stressed syllable and a half-reduced -a in an unstressed syllable - кра'ка (the leg)
Most of the other phonological and morphological characteristics of the Pirdop dialect are similar to the general features typical for all Balkan dialects
Balkan dialects
The Balkan dialects are the most extensive group of dialects of the Bulgarian language, covering almost half of the present-day territory of Bulgaria and slightly less than a third of the territory on the Balkans where Bulgarian is spoken. Their range includes north-central Bulgaria and most of the...
, cf. article.