Puneet Varma (Editor)

Skopje Veles dialect

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Skopje-Veles dialect

The Skopje-Veles dialect (Macedonian: Скопско-велешки дијалект, Skopsko-veleški dijalekt) is a member of the central subgroup of the Western group of dialects of the Macedonian language. The dialect is spoken by a larger group of people in the cities Skopje and Veles and in the surrounding villages: Volkovo, Katlanovo, Petrovec and Čaška among others. This dialect is of historical importance of the Macedonian language as is considered by many to be a prestige dialect. On August 2, 1945, the Skopje-Veles dialect, together with the other dialects of the central group was officially regulated as a basis of the standard Macedonian language. Many Macedonian writers and linguists were writing on this dialect and considered it to be the standard Macedonian language. One of them was Krste Petkov Misirkov and in his book For Macedonian affairs wrote that this dialect should be the standard Macedonian language. He has been writing on Skopje-Veles dialect and on Prilep-Bitola dialect

Contents

Internal migration to the capital Skopje in the 1950s and 1960s led to the development of a new, urban slang where newly arrived people attempted to incorporate elements of the Skopje-Veles dialect into their own speech, often confusing local elements with those from Serbo-Croatian. Language contact with Serbo-Croatian, then a more prestigious language in SFR Yugoslavia, also reached its height during this period. This variety has been described as a "creolized form of Serbian" (cf. also Surzhyk in Ukraine, Trasianka in Belarus) and is distinct from the 'authentic' Skopje-Veles dialect.

Phonological characteristics

  • use of /v/ instead of the archaic /x/: страх (strah) > страв (strav; fear);
  • emphasis on the antepenultimate syllable;
  • use of the hard (palatal) l ;
  • use of intervocal /v/: човек (čovek; man);
  • use of the hard sound њ (nj) (in the other dialects of the central group this sound is soft);
  • use of the letter ќ and ѓ (in the others dialects of the central group the cluster јќ and јѓ is found): куќа (kuḱa) - кујќа (kujḱa; house).
  • Morphological characteristics

  • use of the preposition во (vo) or в (v);
  • use of the grammatical construction have + past participle: имам работено (imam raboteno; I have worked);
  • use of three articles.
  • Examples of the Skopje-Veles dialect

    The poem "A voice from Macedonia" by Kole Nedelkovski is probably one of the most famous texts written in the Skopje-Veles dialect.

    Skopje dialect

    И кога о́тишол та́му, прет ку́ќата и́мало еднаја́бука. И сека́чил на ја́буката. Ииско́чило ла́мн’ичето и ви́ка: „И, ма́мо, ка́коф сра́шен ју́нак има на ја́буката“. „Ка́ко гија́де, ќе́рко, ја́буките, а́ли сосвели́стот, а́ли ѓио́дбира“? „Неѓио́дбира, не́“. „Е, нее сра́шен зана́с, ви́книгова́му“. Коагови́кнале та́му, ио́на ту́рила сла́ма даза́пали о́ѓин дамуна́прави ве́чера, и муви́ка: „Наве́днисеју́наче“. Он сена́веднал ио́на гога́лтнала. Ии́сто исофто́ријот бра́т та́ка. И ќе́лчо че́кал, че́кал, бра́ќава ѓине́ма. Ќи́нисал даи́де и о́н. Игосре́тнал симиџи́јата и муви́ка: „Ка́де, бреќе́лчо“? „Уто́ва се́ло и́ма еднала́мн’а, ќи́дам дајауте́пам...

    Veles dialect

    Еден та́тко сии́мал тро́јца си́нови. Сино́вите ре́кле: „Та́тко, ве́днага са́каме данеже́ниш“. Он имре́кол: „Зе́мете пое́дно ста́пче, фрлете одри́дот, и нако́ја ку́ќа ќевипа́дне, отту́ка не́веста ќезе́мете“. Фрли ста́риот, уа́рна ку́ќа мусепо́годи; фрли среѓниот, ине́му та́ка, анама́лиот мо́ре. Два́јцата бра́ќа би́ле сре́ќни, аво́ј на́јмалиов не́среќен. Се́днал накра́ј намо́рето имука́жује наго́спода: „Го́споди, што́ ќезе́мам одмо́ре, цел све́т дамисесме́е“. Бра́ќата сигизе́доја неве́стите исе́а ќео́дат дави́дат шо ќезе́ме ма́лиот. Оти́доа домо́ре игипу́штија чинѓе́лите засони́м не́што даизма́кнат. Во мо́рето и́мало еднама́јка иќе́рка. Ма́јката сијаче́шла ќе́рката и муви́ка насвато́вите: „Кре́нетесиги чинѓе́лите, несместа́сани“...

    References

    Skopje-Veles dialect Wikipedia