Chepino dialect
Encyclopedia
The Chepino dialect is a Bulgarian
dialect of the Rhodopean group of the Rup dialects
. Its range includes the northwestern Rhodopes, i.e. the towns of Velingrad
, Rakitovo
and Kostandovo
and the villages of Dragichevo and Dorkovo
. Its immediate neighbours are the Central Balkan dialect
and the Ihtiman dialect
to the north, the Babyak dialect
to the west and south and the Hvoyna dialect
to the east. The Chepino dialect is spoken by both Orthodox and Muslim Bulgarians in the region irrespective of religious affiliation.
For other phonological and morphological characteristics typical for all Rup or Rhodopean dialects, cf. Rup dialects
.
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 of the Rhodopean group of the Rup dialects
Rup dialects
The Rup dialects, or the Southeastern dialects, are a group of Bulgarian dialects located east of the yat boundary, thus being part of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. The range of the Rup dialects includes the southern part of Thrace, i.e. Strandzha, the region of Haskovo, the Rhodopes and the...
. Its range includes the northwestern Rhodopes, i.e. the towns of Velingrad
Velingrad
Velingrad is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, located at the western end of Chepino Valley, part of the Rhodope Mountains. It is the administrative center of the homonymous Velingrad Municipality and one of the most popular Bulgarian balneological resorts...
, Rakitovo
Rakitovo
Rakitovo is a town in the Pazardzhik Province, Bulgaria. As of 2005 the population is 8 952. It is located in the northern part of the Rhodopi mountains at 12 km to the east of Velingrad and 7 km to the southwest of the Batak Dam. There is timber industry in the town. People from the...
and Kostandovo
Kostandovo
Kostandovo is a small town in the Pazardzhik Province, southern Bulgaria. As of 2010 it has 4 342 inhabitants. It gained its town status in 2005. It is located in the Rhodope Mountains close to the Batak Dam and the town of Rakitovo....
and the villages of Dragichevo and Dorkovo
Dorkovo
Dorkovo is a village in the Rakitovo municipality, Pazardzhik Province, western Bulgaria. The population of the village is 2,955.-Geography:Dorkovo is situated in the western Rhodope Mountains on the two banks of the river Matnitsa in the north-eastern parts of the Chepino Valley...
. Its immediate neighbours are the Central Balkan dialect
Central Balkan dialect
The Central Balkan dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, which is part of the Balkan group of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. Its range includes most of north-central Bulgaria , as well as the regions of Karlovo, Kazanlak and Plovdiv in southern Bulgaria, all the way down to the northernmost ridges of...
and the Ihtiman dialect
Ihtiman dialect
The Ihtiman dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in the regions of Ihtiman, Kostenets and Septemvri in central western Bulgaria. It is transitional between the Botevgrad and Samokov dialect....
to the north, the Babyak dialect
Babyak dialect
The Babyak dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Rup or Southeastern Bulgarian dialects. It is spoken in several mountainous villages on the western fringes of the Rhodopes and is thus sandwiched between the Chepino dialect on the east and northeast and the Razlog dialect to the south and...
to the west and south and the Hvoyna dialect
Hvoyna dialect
The Hvoyna dialect is a Bulgarian dialect of the Rhodopean group of the Rup dialects. Its range includes the northern part of the Central Rhodopes and the town of Batak in the Western Rhodopes...
to the east. The Chepino dialect is spoken by both Orthodox and Muslim Bulgarians in the region irrespective of religious affiliation.
Phonological and morphological characteristics
- Broad e (æ) for Old Church Slavonic yatYatYat or Jat is the thirty-second letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet. Its name in Old Church Slavonic is jěd’ or iad’ . In the common scientific Latin transliteration for old Slavic languages, the letter is represented by e with caron: .The yat represented a Common Slavic long vowel...
in a stressed syllable and ordinary e (ɛ) in an unstressed syllable : бæл/бæли vs. formal Bulgarian бял/бели (white) but деца as in Standard Bulgarian (children). - Single definite article: -oaт, -та, -то, -тæ
- Strong palatalisation of consonants and especially of soft t and d which are sometimes transformed into soft k and g: / vs. formal Bulgarian тиква
- Merger of Old Church Slavonic big yus , little yus , ь and ъ into one vowel which is different in the four subdialects of the Chepino dialect:
- Velingrad subdialect: Merger of Old Church Slavonic big yus , little yus , ь and ъ into broad o (oa) in a stressed syllable and into semi-reduced a in an unstressed syllable: зоап but за'боaт vs. Standard Bulgarian зъп/зъ'бът (tooth/the tooth)
- Kostandovo subdialect: Merger of Old Church Slavonic big yus , little yus , ь and ъ into broad o (oa) in a stressed syllable and into u in an unstressed syllable: зоап but зу'боат vs. Standard Bulgarian зъп/зъ'бът (tooth/the tooth)
- Rakitovo subdialect: Merger of Old Church Slavonic big yus , little yus , ь and ъ into broad o (oa) in a stressed syllable and into a in an unstressed syllable: зоап but зa'боат vs. Standard Bulgarian зъп/зъ'бът (tooth/the tooth)
- Dorkovo subdialect: Merger of Old Church Slavonic big yus , little yus , ь and ъ into broad a in a stressed syllable and into semi-reduced a in an unstressed syllable: зап but зa'бат vs. Standard Bulgarian зъп/зъ'бът (tooth/the tooth)
For other phonological and morphological characteristics typical for all Rup or Rhodopean dialects, cf. Rup dialects
Rup dialects
The Rup dialects, or the Southeastern dialects, are a group of Bulgarian dialects located east of the yat boundary, thus being part of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. The range of the Rup dialects includes the southern part of Thrace, i.e. Strandzha, the region of Haskovo, the Rhodopes and the...
.