Solun-Voden dialect

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The Solun-Voden dialect, Lower Vardar dialect, or Kukush-Voden dialect is a South Slavic dialect spoken in parts of the Greek region of Central Macedonia, and the vicinity of Gevgelija and Dojran in the Republic of North Macedonia. It has been treated as part of both Macedonian and Bulgarian dialectology.

Dialect area

The dialect is named after Slavic toponyms for the cities of Thessaloniki (Solun), Edessa (Voden) and Kilkis (Kukush), or after the river Vardar. In terms of Macedonian dialectology, the dialect is classified as a member of the south-eastern subgroup of the Eastern and Southern group of Macedonian dialects, spoken in an area that also covers Veria, Giannitsa, and the towns of Dojran and Gevgelija in the Republic of North Macedonia.

In terms of Bulgarian dialectology, Solun dialect is a separate Eastern Bulgarian dialect, spoken in the northern part of today's Thessaloniki regional unit in Greece. Solun and Ser-Drama dialects are grouped as western Rup dialects, part of the large Rup dialect massif of Rhodopes and Thrace which are transitional between the Western and Eastern Bulgarian dialects. The dialect spoken around Voden and Kukush as well as in the region of the Lower Vardar to the west of Thessaloniki is characterized as Western Bulgarian Kukush-Voden dialect, which shows some connections with Eastern Bulgarian dialects like the reduction and absorption of unstressed vowels and retention of the sound x /x/.

Phonological characteristics

Civil War experiences

Man from Cakoni, Voden region (today Chrysa, Almopia) speaking in the Solun-Voden dialect

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• Retention of Proto-Slavic nasal vowels (Solun dialect in the region north-east of Solun): rə ̃ka (mk:raka, bg:rəka), skɤ ̃p (mk:skap, bg:skɤp), pɛ ̃tuk (mk:pɛtok, bg:pɛtək), tʃɛ ̃du (bg, mk:tʃɛdo).
• Retention of vowels ɤ (stressed) or ə (unstressed) which come from Old Church Slavonic ѫ: vəʒa (bg:vəʒɛ), vətuk (bg:vətɤk), gɤska (bg:gɤska), dəɡa (bg:dəga), zəbi (bg:zəbi), mɤka (bg:mɤka), mɤʃ (bg:mɤʒ), pɤrt (bg:prɤt), pɤt (bg:pɤt), prɤtʃki (bg:prɤtʃki), sɤbuta (bg:sɤbɔta), ɡəsɔk (bg:ɡəsɔk), ɡəsɛnitsa (bg:ɡəsɛnitsa), mɤtɛnitsa (bg:mɤtɛnitsa). Less often the vowel u occurs instead of ɤ: kuca (bg:kɤʃta, mk:kuca), kusa (bg:kɤsa), pupka (bg:pɤpka).
• Vowel ɔ replaces Old Church Slavonic ъ: bɔtʃva (bg:bɤtʃva), vɔpka, vɔʃka (bg:vɤʃka), dɔʃ (bg:dɤʒd), zɔlva (bg:zɤlva), sɔn (bg:sɤn), takɔf (bg:takɤv), vətɔk (bg:vətɤk), vɔsɔk (bg:vɔsək)(but also: vətuk, vɔsuk).
• A very important characteristic is the reduction of the wide (unstressed) vowels. This occurs most often in the middle or the beginning of words: ɔ reduces to u — udinitsa (bg:vɔdɛnitsa), mutuvilka (bg:mɔtɔvilka), tutʃilo (bg:tɔtʃilo), usnɔva (bg:ɔsnɔva), uftʃar (bg:ɔvtʃar), usten (bg:ɔsten), utset (bg:ɔtset); ɛ reduces to i — zilɛn, pitɛl, nɛbitɔ, dɛvir, ʒɛnin, molits; a reduces to ə — pəzartʃin, pəspal, kɔmər, kɔkəl, tʃɤrgəta, mandrəta. In some morphological categories this reduction develops further into absorption of the unstressed wide vowels: ɔktɔ (bg:ɔkɔtɔ), litstɔ (bg:litsɛtɔ), duvitsta (bg:vdɔvitsata), grədinta (bg:gradinata), tuvarmɛ (bg:tɔvarimɛ), tuvartɛ (bg:tɔvaritɛ), katʃmɛ (bg:katʃimɛ).
• Generally, the consonant x is retained: in the end of words — vlax, grax, urɛx, strax, sux, vərnax, kəʒax, nusix; in the middle of words — muxlɛsinu, təxtəbita, boxtʃa, sɛdɛxa, bixa, tərtʃaxa. However, in the beginning of words /x/ is often omitted: arnɔ, arman, iʎada, itʃ, ɔrɔ, lɛp.
• The palatals c, jc, ɟ, jɟ predominate over the Old Church Slavonic consonant clusters ʃt and ʒd : nɔc, cɛrka, prifacum, nejcum, lɛjca (mk:lɛca, bg:lɛʃta), sfɛjca (mk:svɛca, bg:svɛʃt), plajcaʃɛ (mk: placaʃɛ, bg:plaʃtaʃɛ); vɛɟi (mk:vɛɟi, bg:vɛʒdi), mɛɟa, saɟa, miɟu, mɛjɟa, sajɟi. In some cases, however, the diphthongs ʃt, ʒd are retained: gaʃti, lɛʃta, guvɛʒdo, prɛʒda.
• Relatively unpredictable stress. Often the stress is on the penult, but there are words which have stress placed on different syllables.

Morphological characteristics

• Definite article -ut, -u for masculine gender: vratut, dɛput, zɛtut, sɔnut, sinut, krumidut, nərodut, ubrazut; ɔginu, guʃtəru, vɛtɛru.
• Definite article -to for plural: bugərɛto, kamənɛto, tsigajnɛto, vulɔvɛto, kojnɛto.
• A single common suffix -um for all three verb present tense conjugations: ɔrum, tsɛpum, pasum, vikum, glɛdum, brɔjum.
• Suffix -m for 1st person singular present tense: pijum, stojum, jadum, ɔdum.

Other specific characteristics

• Enclitic at the beginning of the sentence: Mu gɔ klava petʃatut. Si ja goreʃe furnata.
• Single short form mu for masculine, neutral, feminine, and plural pronouns: Na baba ce mu nɔsum da jədɛ (I'll take something for my grandma to eat). Na starite mu ɛ mɤtʃnɔ (It is hard for old people). Na nih mu davum jadɛjne (I give it/him/them a meal).
• Use of the preposition u instead of the preposition vo :vo selo → u selo (in village)
• Use of the preposition ut instead of ot : ut Solun → od Solun (from/of Solun). This is because ɔ in ɔt when combined with the next word becomes a wide (unstressed) vowel which undergoes reduction (see Phonological characteristics).

Typical Words

• ʒarba (bg,mk:ʒaba) - frog
• ʃarino (bg,mk:ʃareno) - coloured
• kutʃja (bg,mk:kutʃɛ) - dog
• kɤʃta (bg:kɤʃta, mk:kuќa) - house
• druguʃ (bg:drug pɤt, mk:drug pat) - another time
• vɔpka

References