Middle Dnieprian dialect

Phonetics

• Like in other Southeastern dialects, і and у may be replaced with й and в respectively;
• labial consonants [p], [b], [v], [m], [f] never undergo palatalization;
• change of unstressed vowels [ɛ]>[e], [ɪ] (селó [seˈɫɔ], пóпил [ˈpɔpɪɫ], пóгриб [ˈpɔɦrɪb]), in some varieties [ɛ]>[ɐ] (тапéр [tɐˈpɛr], манé [mɐˈnɛ]); [o]>[ʊ], [u] (before stressed syllable with [i]/[ɪ], [u]: об’íд [ʊˈbʲid], муги́ла [muˈɦɪɫɐ]);
• transition of original [o] into [e], [ɪ] or [ɐ]: либодá [ɫɪboˈdɑ], лескотáти [ɫeskoˈtɑtɪ], пагáний [pɐˈɦɑnɪi̯], ганчáр [ɦɐnˈt͡ʃɑr];
• nasalized [ę]>[i] (колóдíз’ [koˈɫɔdʲizʲ]), [ě]>[o] (хрон [xrɔn]);
• use of prothetic consonants [w], [ɦ], [j]: ворáти [woˈrɑtɪ], Гадéса (Odesa), йіроплáн (aeroplane); alternatively, elimination of word-initial consonants in some roots: орóх [oˈrɔx] (standard Ukrainian pronunciation - горох [ɦoˈrɔx]);
• palatalization in consonants [d], [t], [z], [s], [n] followed by [i]<[o], [e] (except Poltava and some Right-bank subdialects);
• presence of palatalized [tʲ], [t͡sʲ], [rʲ], in some varieties also [ʒʲ], [ʃʲ], [t͡ʃʲ] (before [a]): р’áма [ˈrʲɑmɐ], гр’ад [ɦrʲɑd], гончáр’ [ɦɔnˈt͡ʃɑrʲ], лош’а [ɫɔˈʃʲɑ], волóч’ат’ [ʋoˈɫɔt͡ʃʲɐtʲ];
• transition of [d͡z]>[z] (звін [zʋʲin], зéркало [ˈzɛrkɐɫo]), but in some varieties the opposite process takes place (дз’аб [d͡zʲɑb], дзалéний [d͡zɐˈɫɛnɪi̯]); [d͡ʒ]>[ʒ] (хóжу [ˈxɔʒʊ], сижý [sɪˈʒu]); [ɡ]>[ɦ] (дзи́га [ˈd͡zɪɦɐ], гýдзик [ˈɦud͡zɪk]); [f]>[x], [kʋ], [xʋ], [p], [ʋ], [m] (квартýх [kʋɐrˈtux], хвáбрика [ˈxʋɑbrɪkɐ], хóрма [ˈxɔrmɐ]);
• varying evolution of labial consonant + j: preservation (свйáто [ˈsʋjɑtɔ], жáбйачий [ˈʒɑbjɐt͡ʃɪi̯]); loss of [j] with palatalization of the preceding consonant (жаб’ачий [ˈʒɑbʲɐt͡ʃɪi̯]) or without it (свати́й [sʋɐˈtɪi̯]); replacement of [j] with epenthetic [nʲ] (полумн’а [ˈpɔɫʊmnʲɐ], мн’акий [mnʲɐˈkɪi̯]);
• change of [wn]>[mn], [t͡ʃn]>[ʃn]: рíмний [ˈrʲimnɪi̯], помішни́к [pomʲiʃˈnɪk];
• in some words [tʲ]>[kʲ]/[c]: к’існи́й [cisˈnɪi̯], к’íсто [ˈcistɔ];
• in some Left-bank varieties consonants are devoiced before other unvoiced consonants or in word-final position: одказати [otkɐˈzɑte].

Morphology

• in some varieties nouns are declined according to rules of the "hard" group: товáришові, кон’óві, гáйом, топóл’ойу;
• ending -и in genitive of single feminine nouns: сóли, рáдости;
• alternative endings of feminine plural nouns in genitive: баб - бабíў, сестéр - сестри́ў, стріх - стрíхоў etc.;
• parallel forms of pronouns та, ц’а in genitive and instrumental cases: тóйі, тéйі, тíйі - тійéйі; тíйу, тóйу, тéйу - тійéйу; forms йім, на йóму, на йій are more frequently used than ним, на ній;
• parallel forms of possessive adjectives: мáтерини, материн’і;
• parallel forms of infinitive: ходи́ти, ходи́т’;
• in some varieties verbs in 3rd person present and future tense have parallel forms: хóде, хóдит’;
• parallel forms of 1st declension verbs in 3rd person singular with -j stem: слýха, зна - слýхайе, знáйе;
• alternative endings of verbs in plural: вóз’ат’ - вóз’ут’, тóч’ат’ - тóч’ут’;
• two forms of future tense: бýду роби́ти, робитиму.

Northern subdialects

Northern Middle Dnieprian varieties are distinguished by following features:

• lack of transition in the etymological [o]>[u]: воз [ʋɔz], кóстка [ˈkɔstkɐ]. порóг [poˈrɔɦ], рáдост’ [ˈrɑdosʲtʲ] (standard literary Ukrainian - віз [ʋʲiz], кістка [ˈkʲistkɐ], поріг [poˈrʲiɦ], радість [ˈrɑdʲisʲtʲ]);
• lack of prothetic consonants: узóл [ʊˈzɔɫ], ýхо [ˈuxɔ] (standard Ukrainian - вузол [ˈwuzɔɫ], вухо [ˈwuxɔ]);
• prevalence of ending -у in dative of masculine single nouns: дýбу, гáйу (in other Middle Dnieprian varieties forms дубові, гаєві are prevalent);
• widespread usage of shortened adjective forms: краси́ви, молоди́ (standard Ukrainian - красивий, молодий);
• differing accentuation in certain words: рунó, см’іт’:á.

Poltava subdialects

Poltava subdialects have following distinguishing features:

• change of [ɪ] into [e]: чоботе [ˈt͡ʃɔbote]; before a stressed syllable - [e] into [i]: мінí [mʲiˈnʲi] (standard Ukrainian - чоботи [ˈt͡ʃɔbɔtɪ], мені [meˈnʲi]);
• presence of alveolar [l]: бул.á [bʊˈlɑ], мол.окó [moloˈkɔ], ходи́л.и [xoˈdɪlɪ] (standard Ukrainian - була [bʊˈɫɑ], молоко [moɫoˈkɔ], ходили [xoˈdɪɫɪ]);
• lack of palatalization in consonants [d], [t], [z], [s], [n] followed by [i]<[o], [e] (він ньіс — нести, but ніс — носа);
• endings -ім, -ix in dative and locative case of plural nouns with stress on the word stem: кóнім, на кóніх (standard Ukrainian - коням, на конях); parallel endings -ові, -ат-ові in dative of singular nouns with t-base: тел’óві, тел’áтові (standard Ukrainian - теляті);
• "soft" declension of adjectives: чóрн’ій, б’íл’íй, на гáрн’іх (standard Ukrainian - чорний, білий, на гарних);
• infinitives ending with unpalatalized [t]: ходи́т (in other Middle Dnieprian varieties - ходити, ходить);
• preposition від is more frequently present in the form од;
• use of dual number: два качура.

Right-bank subdialects

Right-bank subdialects exhibit the following distinguishing features:

• lack of palatalization in consonants [d], [t], [z], [s], [n] followed by [i]<[o], [e];
• differing accentuation in certain pronouns and numerals: мóго, твóго, тóго, однóго; stress on endings of verbs підé — підéм; parallel variants of accentuation in some nouns дрóва — дровá.

Southern subdialects

Southern Middle Dnieprian subdialects are distinguished by following features:

• differing accentuation in some words: вузóл [wʊˈzɔɫ] (standard Ukrainian - вýзол [ˈwuzoɫ]);
• preservation of [d], [t], [s], [z], [zd], [st] in single verb forms of 1st person: вóд’ý [woˈdʲu], крут’ý [krʊˈtʲu] (standard Ukrainian - воджу [woˈd͡ʒu], кручу [krʊˈt͡ʃu]).