Solun dialect

The Solun dialect is a South Slavic dialect spoken in the Solun neighborhood (today Thessaloniki Prefecture, Greece) best represented in the villages of Visoka [] and Suho, near Lagadin, to the north of Solun. In addition to these, similar dialect is spoken in the villages of Zarovo, [Anton Popostoilov. "Zarovo (near Solun): Historical, ethnographic, and linguistic study." (editor K. Dintcev), Sofia: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Publishers, 1979 (in Bulgarian)] Negovan, Gradobor, Ayvatovo, Novo selo, Balevits, Kirechkyoy, Kliseli. It is universaly accepted that the Solun dialect has preserved best the features of the Cyril-Methodius language.cite book |title=Българска диалектология (Bulgarian dialectology)|last=Стойков (Stoykov)|first=Стойко |authorlink=Stoyko Stoykov |origyear=1962 |year=2002 |location=София |publisher=Акад. изд. "Проф. Марин Дринов" |language=Bulgarian |url=http://www.promacedonia.org/jchorb/st/index.htm |isbn=9544308466 |oclc=53429452]

It is named after the local Slavic toponyms for the city of Solun (Thessaloniki) and is recognised as a separate dialect (govor) only in Bulgarian dialectology where it is grouped with Drama-Ser dialect in the group West-Rupian dialects which are transitory between the Western and Eastern Bulgarian dialects. In Bulgarian dialectology, the dialect spoken around Voden and Kukush, as well as in the region in the Lower Vardar, west from Solun, is characterized as a separate Western Bulgarian Kukush-Voden dialect. Macedonian dialectology does not distinguish Solun dialect from Ser-Drama-Lagadin-Nevrokop dialect, and consider this group as a transitory dialect between Macedonian and Bulgarian language. [Голомб, Зб. Два македонски говора (на Cуxo и Висока во Солунско). Jазична обработка. Мак. jазик, 1960-1961, № 1-2, 113-182; 1962-1963, № 1-2, 173-276.]

Phonological characteristic

*Retention of the Proto-Slavic ѧ schwa (IPA|ə), (ъ (IPA|ʌ), ѫ (IPA|ɜ) as in Standard Bulgarian), as opposed to its replacement with a in Macedonian: гъз/IPA|ˡɡʌs (bg:гъз, mk:газ), къшта/IPA|kʌʃta (bg:къща, mk:куќа), мънч/IPA|ˡmʌntʃ (bg:мъж, mk: ).

*Wide-spread retention of Proto-Slavic nasalism of nasal vowels [Stoilov, A.P. Remnants of nasalism in the Solun villages Zarovo and Visoka (Остатъци от назализъм в солунските села Зарово и Висока). J. Orphogr., 1901, 61:703—712 (in Bulgarian)] : ръ(н)ка/IPA|ˡrʌ(ɳ)ka (bg:ръка, mk:рака), гъмба/IPA|ɡʌɱba (bg:гъба), дъмп (bg:дъб), ръмп (bg:ръб), скъмп (bg:скъп), съ мбута (bg:се бута), вънзил (bg:възел), вънжи (bg:въже), кънт (bg:кът), мънч (bg:мъж), мъндру (bg:мъдро), мънка (bg:мъка), съ мънчиш (bg:се мъчиш), прънт (bg:прът), прънчка (bg:пръчка), грèнда (bg:греда), клèнтфа (bg:клетва), пент’ (bg:пет), пèнтук (bg:петък), èндру (bg:едро), жèнтфа (bg:жетва), чèнду (bg:чедо).

*Vowel ê (soft e) replaces Old Church Slavonic ѣ (Yat) after hissing consonant [Stoilov, A.P. Yat pronunciation in the Zarovo-Visoka speech (near Lagadin). (Изговор на ѣ в Заровско-висошкия говор (Лъгадинско)). J. Bulg. Acad. Sci., 1914, 8:159—164.(in Bulgarian)] and in some cases replaces Proto-Slavic ѧ (schwa), which is an archaic feature of the dialect: д’ềду (bg:дядо), зв’ềзда (bg:звезда), л’êп (bg:хляб), л’ềту (bg:лято), с’ềнка (bg:сянка), чув’ềк (bg:човек); чềша (bg:чаша), чềйут (bg:чаят), шềрка (bg:шарка), шềйка (bg:шайка); куч’ềнта (bg:кучета), м’ềсу (bg:месо), съ ус’ềкнувам (bg:се секна).

*Vowel ъ replaces Old Church Slavonic ы: бъл (bg:бил), въм’а (bg:виме), кътка (bg:котка), мъшка (bg:мишка), пътъм (bg:питам), плътку (bg:плитко), сън (bg:син).

*Soft consonants (', ь, j: sign for softness) at the end of words: сол’ (bg:сол), ден’ (bg:ден), кàмен’ (bg:камък), зент’ (bg:зет), пент’ (bg:пет), пънт’ (bg:път), дèсит’ (bg:десет).

*Retention of diphtongs шт, жд as in Standard Bulgarian, as opposed to *tj, *dj in Serbian, Macedonian, and some Western Bulgarian dialects: къшта (bg:къща), плàштъм (bg:плащам), нуштà (bg:нужда), в’èжди (bg:вежди), миждỳ (bg:между), сàжди (bg:сажди).

*Relatively unpredictable stress. Often the stress is on the penult, but there are words, which have stress placed on different syllables; [Шклифов, Благой и Екатерина Шклифова, Български диалектни текстове от Егейска Македония, София 2003, с. 18 (Shklifov, Blagoy and Ekaterina Shklifova. Bulgarian dialect texts from Aegean Macedonia Sofia 2003, p. 18)] this results in double-accented words: цàрицàта (bg:царицата), кòшницàта (bg:кошницата), лòбудàта (bg:лободата), нèгувъ`йут (bg:неговият), глàсувèту (bg:гласовете), кàжувàха (bg:казваха).

Morphological characteristic

*Variable definite article -о (-у) in Suho dialect and -от (-ут) in Visoka dialect: м’ềсницу, кръ̀сту, чардàку, кòн’у, канàп’у, казàн’у, капàйк’у, т’ут’ун’у, дин’ò, курин’ò; врахòт, вит’арòт, казан’ут, òгнут, самàp’ут, л’ềбут, каѝшут.

*Definite article -ту for masculine plural: бр’ềгувèту, бỳтувèт̂у, глàсувèту, д’èвир’èту, кòжувèту, кòкалèту, òблац’èту, пòйасèту, сфàтувèту.

*Personal pronoun for 3d person: той, т’а, тузѝ, тус, т’е.

*Questional pronouns: кутрѝ, кутрà, кутрò, кутрè (Suho); кутръ̀й (Visoka).

*Particle за forms future tense: за кàжа, за стàни, за ти дам òште парѝ; за йàм и йàс л’ềп.

*Suffix -м for 1st person singular present tense for verbs of 1st and 2nd conjugation: бàйам, кфàс’ам, п’èрам, п’èчам и п’èкам, хòд’ам, хрàн’ам, ц’ềп’ам. Also used suffix -а: гòст’а, дèр’а, къ̀лн’а, кòс’а, крòйа, м’èт’а, пр’èнд’а, с’èча, хòд’а.

Other specific characteristics

Typical Words

References