Užican dialect
| Užican | |
|---|---|
| угуваачча /uguvaačča | |
| ужички говор /užički govor | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈuʃə̆tʃkiːˈɡɔʋɔːr] |
| Native to | Serbia |
| Region | Stari Vlah(Užice) |
| Extinct | Consideredmoribund,suppressed by thestandard language |
Indo-European
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | uzic1234 |
TheUžice dialectorZlatibor dialect(Serbo-Croatian:užički govor/ ужички говор orzlatiborski govor/ златиборски говор) is a subdialect of theShtokavian dialectof theSerbo-Croatianlanguage. It is part of theEastern Herzegoviniansubdialects.[1]It is traditionally spoken by c. 500,000 people – theBosniaksandSerbsof the region – in theZlatiborandMoravica Districtsin theUžiceregion (Stari Vlah) in the southwestern part ofSerbia.[2][3][4]
Names
[edit]One of the earliest mentions of the local dialect ofUžiceregion is found inOttomangeographerEvliya Çelebi's record on his visit to the Užicenahiyain 1664.[5]In his travelogue, the language ofUžicansis called theBosnian language.[6]
TodayOrthodoxpeople in the Užice region usually claim to speakSerbian,whereasMuslims(who primarily dwell in the municipalities ofNova Varoš,Priboj,Prijepolje,andSjenicain theZlatibor District) claim to speakBosnian.The nameSerbo-Croatianwas also used during theYugoslavera.[7]
Classification
[edit]| South Slavic languagesand dialects |
|---|
The Užice dialect is aNeo-Štokaviandialect withIjekavian accent.It is characterized by an Eastern Herzegovinianaccenting systemconsisting of four pitch accents with long vowels following accented syllables, and acase systemusing full declension.[8]Today many people in the Užice region, especially in urban areas, use theEkavian accent(which is dominant in Serbia) in speech and writing, instead of the traditional Ijekavian.[9]Nevertheless, the original Ijekavian forms of local toponyms such asBioska,Đetinja,Prijepolje,Bjeluša,Kosjerić,Drijetanjetc., are usually preserved, as these are the names used in official documents and other publications.[10]However, there is also a number of toponyms which were Ekavized in the written language, although their original Ijekavian forms have often survived in the spoken language. These includeDonja Bela Reka/Gornja Bela Reka,Kriva Reka,Seništaand others, which can often be heard asBijela Rijeka,Kriva Rijeka,Sjeništaetc. in conversation among the locals.[11]
In the Central South Slavicdialect continuum,the Užice dialect forms a transition between the neighbouring dialects ofBosnia and Herzegovinaand the dialects ofSerbia.Some of its characteristics are shared with either dialects, but many of them are common with the Bosnian vernacular rather than the dialects of the rest of Serbia; including the traditional Ijekavian reflex ofyat,thereductionof short unaccented vowels in speech, and other characteristics of the localphonetics,morphology,andlexis,the latter manifested primarily in many loanwords fromTurkish,Persian,andArabiclanguages, which are, however, suppressed and less used in the modern language. The connections between theUžice regionand Bosnia were even stronger in the past, as parts of this region once belonged to the mediaeval Bosnian state, and the mediaeval local population were followers of theChurch of Bosnia.[12]
History
[edit]The local population descends from theSlavswho mixed withIllyrianandCeltictribes in the earlyMiddle Ages,[13]and therefore the dialect in its earliest mediaeval form has been rather influenced by the Celtic and Illyrian languages, the remaining of which are some local toponyms of Illyrian orRomanizedCeltic etymology, such asTara Mountain,Negbina,Murtenica,Čigotaetc.,[14]or the mediaeval Užican personal nameBrajanof Celtic origin.[15]
Mediaeval records of local toponyms showIkaviancharacteristics of the local Slavonicvernacular,similarly to the mediaevalBosnian language.These toponyms includeBila Rika,Siča Rika,Biluša,and others, which are today known as Bela Reka orBijela Rijeka,Seča Reka,andBjeluša(either Ijekavian accent or Ekavized during the 19th and 20th centuries).[15]
The dialect’s vocabulary was later influenced by theOttoman Turkish language.[16]A mention of the respectable Turkish influence on Užican language and mentality is also found in the novelDošljaciby a notable Užice writerMilutin Uskoković:
The Turkish influence still remained in speech and mentality. The language... is full with Turkish words. Older Užicans are at home still very much like the Turks
— Milutin Uskoković,Došljaci(1919)
During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, theUžice regionwas mostly populated by the migrants fromHerzegovina,Montenegro,and otherDinaricregions. Most of the present-dayUžicansdescend from these settlers.[17]The local dialect was then influenced by the Younger Ijekavian dialects of Herzegovina and Montenegro, and thus became one of the Eastern Herzegovinian dialects.[18]
Characteristics
[edit]- Interrogatory pronouns arešta(what) andko(who), according to which the pronounnešta(something) is used instead of the standardnešto;andšto(why) is used with the meaning of the standardzašto.
- The dialect has youngerŠtokavianaccentuation consisting of four accents and long vowels following the accented syllables, and the fulldeclensionusing the ending-aingenitive pluraland a same form fordative,instrumental,andlocativeplural. The post-accent long vowels are more frequent in the Užican dialect than in thestandard language,appearing on allvocativeendings and thepraeteritesuffixes.
- The old vowelyatis replaced withijein long syllables andjein the short ones. Before another vowel or apalatal consonant,it is replaced withi,and after aconsonant clusteror the consonantr,it is pronounced ase.The reflex of longyat(ije) is always bisyllabic, while it isdiphthongalin some other Ijekavian dialects.
- The older Ijekavianyat reflexhas been kept in several pronouns and declension endings:ovijeminstead of the standardovim,moijeminstead ofmojim,starijemforstarimetc.
- The dialectal Ijekavianiotation(dj > đ[dʑ],tj > ć[tɕ]) has been preserved:đeforgdje,đevojkafordjevojka,đecafordjeca,međedformedvjed,lećetiforletjeti,ćeratifortjeratietc. The iotation also affects sound/s/,and to a lesser degree sounds/z/and/ts/,yielding[ɕ]or[ʃʲ]forsj,[ʑ]or[ʒʲ]forzj,and[tɕ]forcj:sjutra > śutra,posjek > pośek,cjepanica > ćepanicaetc. More archaic Ijekavian iotation affecting labial sounds (pj > plj[pʎ],vj > vlj[vʎ]) is found in the text of theProphecy of Kremnabut is, however, usually omitted.
- Several dialectal words and expressions are differently built, such as:sjutraorsjutre(that is,śutraorśutrewhen the iotation occurs) instead of the standardsutra;puštitiinstead ofpustiti;jošteinstead ofjoš;računjatiinstead ofračunati;morem, moreinstead ofmogu, može;bidemorbidneminstead ofbudem;četriinstead ofčetiri;potljeandpošljeinstead ofposlijeorposle;as well as dialectal expressionsnajvolimandnajposle.
- The ending-tis used instead of-nfor thepassive voiceof the verbs of the II, IV, V, and VIIgrammatical conjugation:napisat, napisatafornapisan, napisana;izabratforizabranand so on.
- Sounds/f/and/x/have been either lost or replaced with sounds/p/,/ʋ/,/j/,/k/,/ɡ/or/s/:ljebforhljeb,njigfornjih,kavaforkafa,orasfororah,stioforhtio,kujnaforkuhinjaetc. The sound/j/is also less used when occurs near the vowel/i/givingstariiforstariji,moiformoji,AlinforAlijin(as in toponymAlin Potok) etc.
- Severalsound changessuch assibilarization,assimilation,metathesisorelisionoccur more frequently in the Užican dialect, whilsti-mutationusually occurs less frequently. Vowel groupsaoandaehave merged intooande:rekao > reko,posao > poso,dvanaest > dvanes.
- Short unaccented vowels/i/,/ɛ/,and/u/are beingreducedin common speech, a manner of articulation that is widespread in the related dialects ofBosniaandHerzegovina.
- The dialect'slexisincludes some regional andarchaicexpressions as well as many loans fromTurkish.
Phonetics
[edit]| Part ofa serieson |
| Bosniaks |
|---|
 |
| Part ofa serieson |
| Serbs |
|---|
 |
| front | central | back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| close | i | u | |
| mid | ɛ | (ə, ə̆)[1] | ɔ |
| open | ä[2] |
| labial | dental& alveolar |
post- alveolar |
alveolo- palatal |
palatal | velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plosive | pb | td[1] | kɡ | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | (ŋ)[2] | ||
| fricative | sz[1] | ʃʒ | ɕ(ʑ)[3] | |||
| affricate | ts[1] | tʃdʒ | tɕdʑ | |||
| trill | r[4] | |||||
| approximant | ʋ | j | ||||
| lateral approximant | l(ɫ)[5] | ʎ |
- ^abcSounds/t/,/d/,/s/,/z/,and/ts/are pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the teeth rather than against thealveolar ridge,thus being moredentalthan trulyalveolar.
- ^Thevelar nasalis not aphoneme,it only occurs as anallophoneof/n/before velar consonants, e.g.[ˈbraːŋko].
- ^Thealveolo-palatalfricativesoccur when/s/or/ʃ/and/z/or/ʒ/undergoneiotation.Thevoiced alveolo-palatal fricativeis much rarer because the iotation with/z/is usually omitted.
- ^Thealveolar trillcan be syllabic in some words.
- ^Thealveolar lateral approximantis usuallyvelarizedin this dialect.
Literature
[edit]The significant portion of the Užicanvernacular literatureconsists of localanecdotesandproverbs,as well as theepicandlyric poems,both of which are usually sung according to a common metric system consisting of ten units (ten syllables in a verse), and often performed withgusle.[2]The hero of all Užican anecdotes is calledEro(another name forUžicans,also spelledEra), who is portrayed as a most clever, witty, and hospitable person, although he is just a simpleZlatiborianpeasant. In these short anecdotes, he always succeeds to trick the others at the end, even though they hold a higher position in the society or are often considered smarter than him (priests, Ottoman andSerbian nobility,the police, etc.).[19]Characters similar to smart and clever Ero are found in anecdotes across theBalkans:in the stories aboutNasredin Hodža,of oriental origin, orKaragiozisin the Greek and Turkish literatures.[20]
The written literature, on the other hand, usually stuck to thestandard language;that isOld Church SlavonicandChurch Slavonicin theMiddle Ages,and later the standardSerbian language.The first Užican printed book,Rujansko četvorojevanđelje(the Gospels ofRujno), was printed in Church Slavonic in 1537.[21]Other Church Slavonic books printed in the Užice region includePsalterprinted inMileševamonastery in 1544, andEvangelionandPentecostarionprinted inMrkša’s Churchin 1562 and 1566, respectively.[22]After the printing centres in Užican monasteries were demolished by theOttoman Turks,amanuscript culturearose in theRača monastery.The manuscripts produced in Rača were written in Church Slavonic, but they contained many elements of the Užican vernacular.[23]The first works compiled in the local dialect by literate Užicans appeared in the 19th century. They include Miladin Radović's chronicleSamouki rukopis,and theProphecy of Kremnawhich was told byZechariah Zaharić,theprotopopeofKremna.
References
[edit]- ^Павле Ивић, „Дијалектологија српскохрватског језика – увод и штокавско наречје “, Сремски Карловци – Нови Сад 2001, p. 175
- ^abМилисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор “, Титово Ужице 1970, p. 74
- ^The Užiceregionconsists ofZlatibor,užička Crna gora,Stari Vlah,Soko,Požega Valley,Moravica,PolimljeandPodblaće,which comprise a region with some specific geographic, and somewhat also ethnographic characteristics within Serbia– Р. Познановић, „Традиционално усмено народно стваралаштво Ужичког краја “, Посебна издања Етнографског института САНУ 30/1, Београд 1988, pp. 24–25
- ^According to2002 population census in Serbiathere were 313,396 people living in theZlatibor District(the capital of which isUžice) and 224,772 people settled in theMoravica District(the capital of which isČačak).
- ^Evlija Čelebi, „Putopis “, Sarajevo 1973.
- ^Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “, Београд 2002, p. 39 and 43
- ^cf. the population censa inSerbiaand formerYugoslavia
- ^Живојин Станојчић, Љубомир Поповић, „Граматика српскога језика “, Београд 2004, p. 10
- ^Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “, Београд 2002, p. 274
- ^as recognized by theStatistical Office of the Republic of SerbiaArchived2009-02-19 at theWayback Machine
- ^cf. Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор “; Љубиша Р. Ђенић, „Златиборски летопис “; Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “and other works that nonetheless mention them in their original Ijekavian forms.
- ^Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости “, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 11
- ^Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор “, Титово Ужице 1970, p. 73
- ^Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости “, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 6
- ^abАхмед С. Аличић, „Турски катастарски пописи неких подручја западне Србије – XV и XVI век “, Чачак 1984
- ^Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “, Београд 2002, p. 140
- ^Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости “, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 50
- ^Similarly to other Serbo-Croatian dialects that were influenced by the settlers from Herzegovina, and today are classified under Eastern Herzegovinian dialects. TheDubrovnikdialect was originallyČakavianIkavianbut today is HerzegovinianIjekavian,and the dialects ofLikawere originallyIkavianbut today are mostly Eastern HerzegovinianIjekavian.BothDubrovnikandLika,likeUžice,were settled by migrants from Herzegovina during theOttomanrule over theBalkans.
- ^Bulletin of the Ethnographic InstituteSASA,vol XLVI, Belgrade 1997: Десанка Николић, „Анегдота – израз ерског менталитета “
- ^Р. Ангелова, „Любими геори на хумористичните приказки и анегдотите у някои славянски и неславянски народи “, Език и литература XXVIII/3, София 1973, pp. 16–17
- ^Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости “, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 10
- ^Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “, Београд 2002, pp. 44–47
- ^Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама “, Београд 2002, pp. 53–57
