Slobozhan or Sloboda Ukrainian dialect (), also known as Donets dialect () is a dialect of Ukrainian language spoken in the historical region of Sloboda Ukraine. It formed as a result of interaction between speakers of Middle Dnieprian, Eastern Polesian and Podolian dialects of Ukrainian, as well Southern Russian dialects, during the settlement of the area in the 16-17th centuries. Slobozhan dialect is classified among Southeastern Ukrainian dialects.
Slobozhan dialect is characterized by a frequent presence of palatalized [táÃÂ] (þÃÂÃÂøüð, ýõÃÂÃÂøÃÂÃÂð). Like in other Southeastern dialects, àand àmay be replaced with ù and ò respectively. Consonants before [i]<[o],[e],[ÃÂ] may be palatalized or non-palatalized. Word-final phonemes [tás], [t], [r] are palatalized, but labial consonants [p], [b], [v], [m], [f] never undergo palatalization in final position. There is no distinction between unstressed vowels [e] and [ê], sometimes also between [o] and [u].
Infinitive verbs frequently end with -ÃÂÃÂ. Both simple and complex future forms exist (ñÃÂôààþôøÃÂø, àþôøÃÂøüÃÂ). 3rd person singular verbs may take the form (òÃÂý) àóôõ, ÃÂóñõ; 1st person singular verbs - àþôÃÂÃÂ, üÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ; shortened forms of 3rd person verbs (òÃÂý) ÿøÃÂð, ÿþÃÂþÿð.
Along with Poltava subdialect, Slobozhan is known to use dual number.
The dialect's vocabulary is significantly influenced by the Russian language.