Shumen dialect

The Shumen dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Moesian dialects. It is one of the best preserved Moesian dialects and is spoken in the regions of Shumen and Kaspichan.

Phonological and morphological characteristics

• The reflex of Old Church Slavonic Ñ£ in a stressed syllable is я () before a hard syllable (бѣлъ > ) and broad е () before a soft syllable (бѣли > ). In an unstressed syllable, the reflex is, however, only я ().
• Complete loss of x in all positions. It is replaced by either f or v: фулера vs. formal Bulgarian холера (cholera)
• The masculine definite article is о (stressed) and у (unstressed) instead of formal Bulgarian –ът/ъ (гърбо̀, сто̀лу instead of гърбъ̀т, сто̀лът)
• Preserved traces of Old Bulgarian ы : сын vs. formal Bulgarian син (son). This makes the Shumen dialect extremely archaic as is considered to be the original pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic ы
• Transition of a into e after a soft (palatal) consonant and before a soft syllable: шапка-шепки vs. Standard Bulgarian шапка-шапки (hat-hats)
• Large number of o reflexes of Old Church Slavonic ъ in a suffix position (as in the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects) and subsequent reduction of o into у: напредук vs. Standard Bulgarian напредък (progress)
• Labialisation of и into ʲу: пипер is /pʲupɛr/ (as if пюпер) vs. Standard Bulgarian /pipɛr/ (pepper)
• Elision of syllables, vowels and consonants, usually in frequently used words: рапта vs. Standard Bulgarian работа (work)
• A large number of lexical peculiarities, e.g. жерка vs. common Bulgarian воденица (watermill)
• The modern Bulgarian vowel ъ (from both yers and *Ç«) is pronounced as a close /ɯ/, rather than close-mid /ɤ/

For other phonological and morphological characteristics that are typical for all Moesian dialects, cf. article.

Sources

Стойков, Стойко: Българска диалектология, Акад. изд. "Проф. Марин Дринов", 2006, с. 105-106http://www.promacedonia.org/jchorb/st/st_2_b_izt_1.htm#shumenski