Shumen dialect

Phonological and morphological characteristics

• The reflex of Old Church Slavonic ѣ in a stressed syllable is я before a hard syllable and broad е before a soft syllable. In an unstressed syllable, the reflex is, however, only я : врме'на vs. formal Bulgarian време'на
• Complete loss of x in all positions. It is replaced by either f or v: фулера vs. formal Bulgarian холера
• The masculine definite article is о and у instead of formal Bulgarian –ът/ъ
• Preserved traces of Old Bulgarian ы : сын vs. formal Bulgarian син. This makes the Shumen dialect extremely archaic as is considered to be the original pronunciation of Old Church Slavonic ы
• Transition of a into e after a soft consonant and before a soft syllable: шапка-шепки vs. Standard Bulgarian шапка-шапки
• Large number of o reflexes of Old Church Slavonic ъ in a suffix position and subsequent reduction of o into у: напредук vs. Standard Bulgarian напредък
• Labialisation of и into ʲу: пʲупер vs. Standard Bulgarian пипер
• Elision of syllables, vowels and consonants, usually in frequently used words: рапта vs. Standard Bulgarian работа
• A large number of lexical peculiarities, e.g. жерка vs. common Bulgarian воденица