Podolian dialect

Podolian or Podillian dialect () is a dialect of Ukrainian language spoken in the historical region of Podolia (, Podillia) in central-western areas of Ukraine. It is usually classified as part of Southwestern Ukrainian dialects and is the easternmost dialect in the group.

History

Podolian dialect formed in the historical lands of the Rus' Principality of Terebovlia and the latter Podolian and Bratslav Voivodeships of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Main features of the dialect were first described by Ivan Vahylevych in 1845.

Area

The territory where Podolian dialect is spoken covers the southern parts of Khmelnytskyi and Vinnytsia regions, western parts of Cherkasy, Kirovohrad and Mykolaiv regions, as well as northern parts of Odesa region. This area borders Southwestern Ukrainian dialects (Dniestrian, Pokuttia-Bukovynian and Volhynian), as well as Southeastern Ukrainian dialects (Middle Dnieper and Steppe dialects).

Main features

Phonetics

• merger of vowels [e], [ɪ] and [o], [ʊ] in an unstressed position: силó [seˈɫɔ], шерóкий [ʃeˈrɔkei̯], туб’í [tʊˈbʲi], дуп’íк [dʊˈpʲik];
• lack of transition of [a] into [ɛ], [i] after palatalized consonants (except western varieties);
• lack of palatalization in [r] before vowels: бурáк [bʊˈrak], радóк [rɐˈdɔk], расни́й [rɐsˈnɪi̯], зорá [zoˈra], говóру [ɦoˈwɔrʊ] (standard Ukrainian pronunciation - буряк [bʊˈrʲak], рядок [rʲɐˈdɔk], рясний [rʲɐsˈnɪi̯], зоря [zoˈrʲa], говорю [ɦoˈwɔrʲʊ]);
• palatalization in compounds ки, хи: шпакьи [ʃpɐˈkʲe], гріхьи [ɦrʲiˈxʲe];
• in southern varieties: lack of palatalization in word-final [tÍ¡s]: хлопец [ˈxɫɔpetÍ¡s], місяц [mʲisʲɐtÍ¡s] (standard Ukrainian - хлопець [ˈxɫɔpetÍ¡sʲ], місяць [ˈmʲisʲɐtÍ¡sʲ]);
• lack of palatalization in [t], [d], [n], [s], [z], [l] before [i] that stems from etymological [o]: ніс [nis], сік [sik], стіл [stiÉ«], лій [lij] (standard Ukrainian [nʲis], [sʲik], [sʲtʲiÉ«], [lʲij]);
• insertion of [lʲ], [nʲ] after labial consonants: рипл’áх [repˈlʲax], здорóўл’а [zdoˈrɔʊ̃lʲɐ], мн’áсо [ˈmnʲasɔ] (standard Ukrainian репʼях [repˈjax], здоровʼя [zdɔˈrɔʊ̃jɐ], мʼясо [ˈmjasɔ]);
• transition of [v] into [m] in -vn-: рíмний [ˈrimnei̯], дамнó [dɐmˈnɔ] (standard Ukrainian рівний [ˈrʲiu̯nei̯], давно [dɐu̯ˈnɔ]);
• insertion of consonants [w], [ɦ] before word-initial vowels: госінь [ˈɦɔsʲinʲ], восінь [ˈwɔsʲinʲ], горати [ɦoˈrate], ворати [woˈrate];
• lack of gemination in consonants: нас’íн’а, кор’íн’а, жит’á;
• lack of palatalization of word-final [t] in verbs: рóбит, нóсит, рóбл’ат, нóс’ат, роб’íт, нос’íт;
• lack of dental consonant transition into sibilants in verb forms: хóд’у, нóс’у, крýт’у, вóд’у.

Morphology

• lack of differentiation between "soft" and "hard" stems in declination of nouns: кон’óв’і, товáришов’і, кон’óм, товáришом, земл’óйу, долóн’ойу, грýшойу, пóлʼом;
• ending of singular feminine nouns in instrumental case is -ою, but in western varieties endings of feminine single nouns in instrumental case have the form -еў or -оў, -ом: землéў, душéў, земл’óў, душóў, земл’óм, душóм;
• in southern varieties single nouns of 3rd declension in genitive have the ending -и: сóли, смéрти; certain nouns in locative case have the ending -ох: у с’íн’ох, у грýд’ох;
• shortening of feminine adjective and possessive pronouns in dative and locative cases: зелéн’і трав’í, на зелéн’і трав’í;
• lack of differentiation between "soft" and "hard" word stems in adjectives: си́ний, дáвний;
• usage of suffix -ішч for creation of comparative forms: добр’íшчий, син’íшчий;
• presence of analytical and synthetic future forms: роби́тиму, бýду роби́ти і бýду роби́ў;
• in western varieties: widespread use of complex past verb forms (роби́лис-мо, роби́лис-те); use of particle ся in pre-word position (де ся ти дíла).
• presence of archaic past tense forms -йем, -йесь, -сьмо, -сьте (ходивйем).
• 2nd declination 3rd person verbs in singular: рóбе, хóде.

Lexical features

In literature

Podolian dialect is used in works of Ukrainian authors such as Marko Vovchok, Anatoli Svydnytsky, Stepan Rudansky, Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky, as well as in ethnographic collections by Mykhailo Maksymovych and Pavlo Chubynsky.

References