Erkech dialect
Encyclopedia
The Erkech dialect is a Bulgarian
dialect, which is part of the Balkan
group of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. It originates from two villages in the eastern parts of the Balkan Mountains
, Kozichino (formerly Erkech) near Pomorie
and Golitsa south of Varna
. As a result of the mass population movements that affected eastern Bulgaria during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, speakers of the dialect have established numerous colonies in the regions of Provadia, Varna
, Novi Pazar
, Balchik
, Silistra
and Pomorie
, thus significantly expanding the range of the dialect. 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.
Due to the relative isolation of the two villages in the past, the Erkech dialect has a number of idiosyncratic features that separate it from the other Balkan dialects
:
Most of the other phonological and morphological characteristics of the Erkech dialect are similar to the general features typical for all Balkan dialects
, cf. article for details.
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. It originates from two villages in the eastern parts of the Balkan Mountains
Balkan Mountains
The Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
, Kozichino (formerly Erkech) near Pomorie
Pomorie
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
and Golitsa south of Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
. As a result of the mass population movements that affected eastern Bulgaria during the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century, speakers of the dialect have established numerous colonies in the regions of Provadia, Varna
Varna
Varna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011...
, Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar
Novi Pazar is a city and municipality located in southwest Serbia, in the Raška District. According to the official census in 2011, number of inhabitants of municipality is 92,776, while the city itself has a population of 60,638...
, Balchik
Balchik
Balchik is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Southern Dobruja area of northeastern Bulgaria. It is located in Dobrich Oblast and is 42 km northeast of Varna...
, Silistra
Silistra
Silistra is a port city of northeastern Bulgaria, lying on the southern bank of the lower Danube at the country's border with Romania. Silistra is the administrative centre of Silistra Province and one of the important cities of the historical region of Southern Dobrudzha...
and Pomorie
Pomorie
Pomorie is a town and seaside resort in southeastern Bulgaria, located on a narrow rocky peninsula in Burgas Bay on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. It is situated in Burgas Province, 20 km away from the city of Burgas and 18 km from the Sunny Beach resort. The ultrasaline lagoon...
, thus significantly expanding the range of the dialect. 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.
Phonological and morphological characteristics
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...
:
- long vowels under stress, i.e. stressed i is pronounced as iː (дубиитък vs. formal добитък) and stressed o is pronounced as ɔː (коон vs. formal кон)
- Pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic (yus) and ъ as long broad е (æ) in a stressed syllable and as a slightly reduced a in an unstressed syllable - зæːп vs. formal зъп, даждæː vs. formal дъждът. The Teteven dialectTeteven dialectThe Teteven dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, which is part of the Balkan group of the Eastern Bulgarian dialects. It is spoken in the town of Teteven and several neighbouring villages and is almost completely surrounded by the Central Balkan dialect, except on the west where it borders on the...
has a similar feature, although without long vowels - Lack of consonant f which is replaced in all positions by x - кухар vs. formal куфар (suitcase), хурна vs. formal фурна (oven)
Most of the other phonological and morphological characteristics of the Erkech 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 for details.