- Užican speech
Infobox Language
name = Užice dialect
nativename = ужички говор
pronunciation = [ˈuʃə̆ʧkiː ˈgɔʋɔːr]
states = primarilySerbia
region =Stari Vlah (Užice )
familycolor = Indo-European
fam1 = Slavonic
fam2 = South Slavonic
fam3 = Central South Slavonic
fam4 = Štokavian
fam5 = YoungerIjekavian
extinct = suppressed by theliterary language The Užican speech (also spelled Užičan speech) or Zlatiborian speech (Serbian Cyrillic: ужички говор or златиборски говор) is a dialect in the Central South Slavonic
dialect continuum , classified amongst Eastern Herzegovinian speeches of the Štokavian super-dialect. [Павле Ивић, „Дијалектологија српскохрватског језикаndash увод и штокавско наречје“, Сремски Карловциndash Нови Сад 2001, p. 175] It is traditionally spoken by c. 500,000 peoplendash theUžičans ndash in the Zlatibor andMoravica District s in theUžice region (Stari Vlah ) in the south-western part ofSerbia . [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор“, Титово Ужице 1970, p. 74] ["The Užice region consists ofZlatibor , užička Crna gora,Stari Vlah , Soko, Požega Valley, Moravica,Polimlje and Podblaće, which comprise a region with some specific geographic, and somewhat also ethnographic characteristics within Serbia"ndash Р. Познановић, „Традиционално усмено народно стваралаштво Ужичког краја“, Посебна издања Етнографског института САНУ 30/1, Београд 1988, p. 24-25] [According to [http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/popis.htm 2002 population census in Serbia] there 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 ).]Names
One of the earliest mentions of the local dialect of
Užice region is found in Ottoman geographerEvliya Çelebi ’s record on his visit to the Užicenahiya in 1664. [Evlija Čelebi, „Putopis“, Sarajevo 1973.] In his travelogue, the language ofUžičans is called the Bosnian language. [Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама“, Београд 2002, p. 39 and 43]Today Užičans of Christian faith usually name their language Serbian, while those of the
Sunni Muslim faith (who primarily dwell in the municipalities ofNova Varoš ,Priboj ,Prijepolje , andSjenica in theZlatibor District ) name their language Bosnian or Bosniac. The nameSerbo-Croatian was also used during the Yugoslav era. [cf. the population censa inSerbia and formerYugoslavia ]Classification
The Užican speech is a Neo-Štokavian dialect of the
Ijekavian rendering of the old Slavonic vowelyat . It is characterized by an Eastern Herzegovinian accenting system consisting of four melodic accents with long vowels following accented syllables, and a case system using full declension. [Живојин Станојчић, Љубомир Поповић, „Граматика српскога језика“, Београд 2004, p. 10] Today many modern Užičans, especially in urban areas, use theEkavian rendering of yat (which is dominant in Serbia) in speech and writing, instead of the traditional Užican Ijekavian rendering. [Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама“, Београд 2002, p. 274] Nevertheless, the original Ijekavian forms of local toponyms such asBioska ,Đetinja ,Prijepolje ,Bjeluša ,Kosjerić ,Drijetanj etc., are usually preserved, as these are the names used in official documents and other publications. [as recognized by the [http://webrzs.statserb.sr.gov.yu/axd/en/index.php Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia] ] 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 includeBela Reka ,Kriva Reka ,Seništa and others, which can often be heard as "Bijela Rijeka", "Kriva Rijeka", "Sjeništa" etc. in conversation among the locals. [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.]In the Central South Slavonic
dialect continuum , the Užican speech forms a transition between the neighbouring dialects ofBosnia and Herzegovina and 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 rendering ofyat , the reduction of short unaccented vowels in speech, and other characteristics of the localphonetics , morphology, and lexis, the latter manifested primarily in many loanwords from Turkish, Persian, and Arabic languages, which are, however, suppressed and less used in the modern language. The connections between the Užice region and 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 the Church of Bosnia. [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости“, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 11]History
The local population descends from the
Slavs who mixed with Illyrian and Celtic tribes in the earlyMiddle Ages [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор“, Титово Ужице 1970, p. 73] , 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 or Romanized Celtic etymology, such asTara Mountain ,Negbina ,Murtenica ,Čigota etc. [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости“, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 6] , or the mediaeval Užican personal name Brajan of Celtic origin.Ахмед С. Аличић, „Турски катастарски пописи неких подручја западне Србијеndash XV и XVI век“, Чачак 1984]Mediaeval records of local toponyms show
Ikavian characteristics of the local Slavonicvernacular , similarly to the mediaevalBosnian language . These toponyms include "Bika Rika", "Siča Rika", "Biluša", and others, which are today known asBela Reka or "Bijela Rijeka",Seča Reka , andBjeluša (either Ijekavian or Ekavized during the 19th and 20th centuries).The dialect’s vocabulary was later influenced by the
Ottoman Turkish language . [Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама“, Београд 2002, p. 140] A mention of the respectable Turkish influence on Užican language and mentality is also found in the novel "Došljaci" by a notable Užican writerMilutin Uskoković :During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, the Užice region was mostly populated by the migrants from
Herzegovina ,Montenegro , and other Dinaric regions. Most of the present-dayUžičans descend from these settlers. [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости“, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 50] The local dialect was then influenced by the Younger Ijekavian speeches of Herzegovina and Montenegro, and thus became one of the Eastern Herzegovinian speeches. [Similarly to other Serbo-Croatian dialects that were influenced by the settlers from Herzegovina, and today are classified under Eastern Herzegovinian speeches. TheDubrovnik dialect was originallyČakavian Ikavian but today is HerzegovinianIjekavian , and the dialects ofLika were originallyIkavian but today are mostly Eastern HerzegovinianIjekavian . BothDubrovnik andLika , likeUžice , were settled by migrants from Herzegovina during the Ottoman rule over theBalkans .]Characteristics
* Interrogatory pronouns are "šta" (what) and "ko" (who), according to which the pronoun "nešta" (something) is used instead of the standard "nešto"; and "što" (why) is used with the meaning of the standard "zašto".
* The dialect has youngerŠtokavian accentuation consisting of four accents and long vowels following the accented syllables, and the fulldeclension using the ending "-a" in genitive plural and a same form for dative, instrumental, and locative plural. The post-accent long vowels are more frequent in the Užican dialect than in thestandard language , appearing on all vocative endings and the praeterite suffixes.
* The old vowelyat is replaced with "ije" in long syllables and "je" in the short ones. Before another vowel or apalatal consonant , it is replaced with "i", and after aconsonant cluster or the consonant "r", it is rendered as "e". The reflex of longyat ("ije") is always bisyllabic, while it isdiphthong al in some other Ijekavian dialects.
* The older Ijekavian yat reflex has been kept in several pronouns and declension endings: "ovijem" instead of the standard "ovim", "moijem" instead of "mojim", "starijem" for "starim" etc.
* The dialectal Ijekavianiotation ("dj > đ" IPA| [ʥ] , "tj > ć" IPA| [ʨ] ) has been preserved: "đe" for "gdje", "đevojka" for "djevojka", "đeca" for "djeca", "međed" for "medvjed", "lećeti" for "letjeti", "ćerati" for "tjerati" etc. The iotation also affects sound IPA|/s/, and to a lesser degree sounds IPA|/z/ and IPA|/ʦ/, yielding IPA| [ɕ] or IPA| [ʃʲ] for "sj", IPA| [ʑ] or IPA| [ʒʲ] for "zj", and IPA| [ʨ] for "cj": "sjutra > śutra", "posjek > pośek", "cjepanica > ćepanica" etc. More archaic Ijekavian iotation affecting labial sounds ("pj > plj" IPA| [pʎ] , "vj > vlj" IPA| [vʎ] ) is found in the text of the Prophecy of Kremna but is, however, usually omitted.
* Several dialectal words and expressions are differently built, such as: "sjutra" or "sjutre" (that is, "śutra" or "śutre" when the iotation occurs) instead of the standard "sutra"; "puštiti" instead of "pustiti"; "jošte" instead of "još"; "računjati" instead of "računati"; "morem, more" instead of "mogu, može"; "bidem" or "bidnem" instead of "budem"; "četri" instead of "četiri"; "potlje" and "pošlje" instead of "poslije" or "posle"; as well as dialectal expressions "najvolim" and "najposle".
* The ending "-t" is used instead of "-n" for thepassive voice of the verbs of the II, IV, V, and VIIgrammatical conjugation : "napisat, napisata" for "napisan, napisana"; "izabrat" for "izabran" and so on.
* Sounds IPA|/f/ and IPA|/x/ have been either lost or replaced with sounds IPA|/p/, IPA|/ʋ/, IPA|/j/, IPA|/k/, IPA|/g/ or IPA|/s/: "ljeb" for "hljeb", "njig" for "njih", "kava" for "kafa", "oras" for "orah", "stio" for "htio", "kujna" for "kuhinja" etc. The sound IPA|/j/ is also less used when occurs near the vowel IPA|/i/ giving "starii" for "stariji", "moi" for "moji", "Alin" for "Alijin" (as in toponymAlin Potok ) etc.
* Severalsound changes such as sibilarization,assimilation , metathesis orelision occur more frequently in the Užican dialect, whilsti-mutation usually occurs less frequently. Vowel groups "ao" and "ae" have merged into "o" and "e": "rekao > reko", "posao > poso", "dvanaest > dvanes".
* Short unaccented vowels IPA|/i/, IPA|/ɛ/, and IPA|/u/ are being reduced in common speech, a manner of articulation that is widespread in the related dialects of Bosnia andHerzegovina .
* The dialect’s lexis includes some regional and archaic expressions as well as many loans from Turkish.Phonetics
#
Schwa is anallophone of IPA|/i/, IPA|/u/ or IPA|/ɛ/, which are reduced in mid-word position when not stressed.
#Theopen back unrounded vowel may also occur as an allophone of IPA|/a/.#Sounds IPA|/t/, IPA|/d/, IPA|/s/, IPA|/z/, and IPA|/ʦ/ are pronounced with the tip of the tongue against the teeth rather than against the
alveolar ridge , thus being more dental than truly alveolar.
#Thevelar nasal is not aphoneme , it only occurs as anallophone of IPA|/n/ before velar consonants, e.g. IPA| [ˈbraːŋko] .
#The alveolo-palatal fricatives occur when IPA|/s/ or IPA|/ʃ/ and IPA|/z/ or IPA|/ʒ/ undergoneiotation . Thevoiced alveolo-palatal fricative is much rarer because the iotation with IPA|/z/ is usually omitted.
#Thealveolar trill can be syllabic in some words.
#Thealveolar lateral approximant is usually velarized in this dialect.Literature
The significant portion of the Užican
vernacular literature consists of localanecdote s andproverb s, as well as the epic and lyric 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 . [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор“, Титово Ужице 1970, p. 74] The hero of all Užican anecdotes is called Ero (another name for an Užičan, also spelled "Era"), who is portrayed as a most clever, witty, and hospitable person, although he is just a simpleZlatibor ian peasant. 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 and Serbian nobility, the police, etc.). [Bulletin of the Ethnographic Institute SASA, vol XLVI, Belgrade 1997: Десанка Николић, „Анегдотаndash израз ерског менталитета“] Characters similar to smart and clever Ero are found in anecdotes across theBalkans : in the stories about Nasredin Hodža, of oriental origin, orKaragiozis in the Greek and Turkish literatures. [Р. Ангелова, „Любими геори на хумористичните приказки и анегдотите у някои славянски и неславянски народи“, Език и литература XXVIII/3, София 1973, p. 16-17]The written literature, on the other hand, usually stuck to the
standard language ; that isOld Church Slavonic andChurch Slavonic in theMiddle Ages , and later the standardSerbian language . The first Užican printed book, "Rujansko četvorojevanđelje " (the Gospels ofRujno ), was printed in Church Slavonic in 1537. [Милисав Р. Ђенић, „Златибор у прошлости“, Титово Ужице 1983, p. 10] Other Church Slavonic books printed in the Užice region include "Psalter " printed inMileševa monastery in 1544, and "Evangelion" and "Pentecostarion " printed in Mrkša’s Church in 1562 and 1566, respectively. [Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама“, Београд 2002, p. 44-47] After the printing centres in Užican monasteries were demolished by the Ottoman Turks, amanuscript culture arose in theRača monastery . The manuscripts produced in Rača were written in Church Slavonic, but they contained many elements of the Užican vernacular. [Љубомир Симовић, „Ужице са вранама“, Београд 2002, p. 53 – 57] The first works compiled in the local dialect by literate Užičans appeared in the 19th century. They include Miladin Radović’s chronicle "Samouki rukopis ", and the "Prophecy of Kremna" which was told byZechariah Zaharić , theprotopope ofKremna .Examples
References
See also
*
Užice
*Užičans
*Serbian language
*Bosnian language
*Central South Slavic diasystem External links
* [http://slavistika.blogspot.com/2007/08/blog-post.html The history of the traditional dialect of Užice]
* [http://slavistika.blogspot.com/2007/08/kratka-istorija-starovlake-knjievnosti.html Kratka istorija starovlaške književnosti]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.