Boyko dialect

Phonetics

• Lack of distinction between [o] and [u] in unstressed position before syllables with close vowels;
• pronunciation of stressed [a] before [u̯] as [ɑ]: даў [dɑu̯], лáўка [ˈlɑu̯kɐ], зáўтра [ˈzɑu̯trɐ];
• lack of palatalization before word-final [i] in verbs like бьíоті [ˈbɨti], ходи́тî [xoˈdɪti];
• palatalization of consonants before [i] deriving from original [o], [e]: н’іч [nʲit͡ʃ], сн’іп [sʲnʲip], с’іл’ [sʲilʲ], с’ім [sʲim];
• palatalization of [t͡s], [s] in compounds -ський, -зький;
• distinction between [ɛ], [ɪ] in unstressed syllables;
• dialectal varieties of [е], [o] before palatalized consonants and [u̯]: тêпêр’ [tɪˈpɪrʲ], отиць [oˈtɪt͡sʲ]; ôс’ін’ [ˈʊsʲinʲ], бôўкати [ˈbʊu̯kɐte];
• transition of [ɪ] into [ɨ], [ɯ]: быкьí [bɨˈkɨ], хыжа [ˈxɯʒɐ]; in some varieties [ɪ] is replaced with [o] o [ɐ]: боў [bou̯], хáжа [ˈxɐʒɐ] (standard Ukrainian - бики [beˈkɪ], був [buu̯], хижа [ˈxɪʒɐ]);
• frequent palatalization of sibilants;
• frequent use of affricate [d͡ʒʲ]: йідж’ [jid͡ʒʲ], дождж’ [dɔʒd͡ʒʲ], мéдж’и [ˈmɛd͡ʒʲɪ], чудж’и́й [t͡ʃʊˈd͡ʒɪi̯];
• transition of word-initial [z] into [dz]: дзвізда;
• transition of [l] into [u̯] after vowels in some varieties: віў [ʋʲiu̯], ст’іў [sʲtʲiu̯], орéў [oˈrɛu̯], горíўка [ɦɔˈrʲiu̯kɐ];
• transformation of cluster [ʃk] into [t͡ʃʲk]: чькола;
• partial devoicing of word-final consonants;
• neutrum nouns in nominative case end with -ьа: весьільа, житьа (standard Ukrainian - життя);
• replacement of [nʲ] with [j] before [k]: старéйкый [stɐˈrɛi̯kɨi̯], малéйкый [mɐˈlɛi̯kɨi̯];
• transition of [b], [v] into [m] when followed by [n]: др’імньíй [drʲimˈnɨi̯], р’íмний [ˈrʲimnɪi̯];
• loss of [j] in intervocal and word-final positions: мôá [mʊˈa], вóс’ко [ˈʋɔsʲkɔ], злы [zlɨ];
• lack of epenthetical [l] after labial consonants: л’ýбйу ['lʲubjʊ], ўхôпйу [wxopˈju];
• different variants of [l] sound: alveolar [l] is most widespread in Boyko varieties spoken in Transcarpathia;
• presence of palatalized [t], [t͡s], [r], [ʃ], [ʒ], [z]: пастирь, шьапка, жьаба, близький;
• stress is commonly preserved in the word root: кáжу — кáжеш — кáже, прóшу — прóсиш, бýла — бýли, нéсла — нéсло — нéсли.

Grammar and morphology

• Prevalence of ending [a] in genitive case of masculine nouns: стáва, с’н’íга; feminine nouns with former -j- base in genitive have endings [ɪ], [e]: до цер’кви, цер’кве;
• prevalence of ending -ови among masculine and neutral nouns in dative: брáтови, селови;
• endings of single feminine nouns and corresponding adjectives and pronouns in instrumentative - -оў, -еў: межéў, сóлеў, землéў, крýчеў; the common endings of masculine nouns with -ец’, as well as neutral with stem ending with -ц in instrumentative case is -ом (пáл’ц’ом, сóнц’ом);
• presence of masculine plural forms of nouns such as братове, сынóве, столóве, вóўци;
• masculine and neutral plural nouns in dative can have endings -ом, -ум, -ім: сватóм, сéлом, вóлум, брáт’ім, л’ýд’ім, кýр’ім;
• plural nouns in instrumentative case frequently have the ending -ма (-ома): кíн’ма, гроши́ма, кін’ц’óма, братóма, пал’ц’óма, пóл’ома; in certain varieties endings of the type з быкьí, зі ставьí have been preserved;
• in locative case of plural masculine and neutral nouns forms -ох, -ах, -ix prevail: у гос’ц’ох, на л’уд’ох, на сан’іх;
• shortening of personal forms in verbs of 1st declension: знáу, знáут, читáу, читáут, знаш, читаш, пи́таш, бíгаш, знат, чи́тат, бíгат;
• prevalence of complex future forms with infinitive: буду ходити;
• prevalence of ending -ме in present-tense verbs in 1st person single: йдемé, беремé, нóсиме; in imperative mood verbs in 1st person plural take the forms -ме, -іме: ход’íме, стáн’ме; in 2nd person plural - -те, -іте: нес’íте, пиш’íте ;
• use of past forms мáўім, знáўім, писáўім;
• shortened forms of personal pronouns in genitive and dative: н’а, т’а, ми, ти;
• use of directional pronouns нон, нонá, нонó, той, тотá, тотó, in instrumental case plural - ноньíма, тьíма, тотьíма;
• presence of unshortened adjective endings дóбрийі, зльíйі;
• reverse order of formation in numerals: два двáдц’ат’ = 22, три сорок = 43;
• comparative adjective forms are created with the adverb ще: ш’ч’е л’іпш’ий, ш’ч’е гірш’ий, ш’ч’е л’іпш’е, ш’ч’е гірш’е.

Lexicon

Among archaic terms present in Boyko dialect are words such as бýкарт [ˈbukɐrt] or пожали́ўник [poʒɐˈlɪu̯nɪk] - "bastard", "illegitimate child", вíблиц’а [ˈʋiblɪt͡sʲɐ] - "long pole", дереви́ш’ч’е [dereˈʋɪʃt͡ʃe] - "coffin", дот’áмл’у [dʊˈtʲɑmlʲʊ] - "(I) remember", жали́ва [ʒɐˈlɪʋɐ] - "nettle", змíткы [ˈzmʲitkɨ] - "old shoes", зáк’іл’ [ˈzakʲilʲ] - "yet", з’вір’ [zʲʋʲirʲ] - "ravine", лужáнка [lʊˈʒɑnkɐ] - "forest clearing", н’ай [nʲɑi̯] - "let", "let it be" (particle); пáртиц’а [ˈpartɪt͡sʲɐ] - "ribbon", потурайкьí [potʊrɐi̯ˈkɨ] - "currant", рубáт’а [rʊˈbɑtʲɐ] - "underwear", ýб’іч’ [ˈubʲit͡ʃʲ] - "mountain slope", ўтêрáник [wtɪˈrɑnɪk] - "towel", шáт’а [ˈʃɑtʲɐ] - "clothes", чêл’ад’ [ˈt͡ʃɪlʲɐdʲ] - "people", чêл’ади́на [t͡ʃɪlʲɐˈdɪnɐ] - "person", чêл’áн:ик [t͡ʃɪˈlʲanːɪk] - "man".