Dzūkian dialect

The Dzūkian dialect, known in academic works as Southern Aukštaitian dialect, is one of the three main sub-dialects of the Aukštaitian dialect of Lithuanian language. Dzūkian dialect is spoken in Dzūkija, southern Lithuania. Its most distinctive feature is replacing t, d before i, į, y, ie and č, dž with c and dz. Another notable feature is the lengthening of vowels in closed syllables ending in sonorants, for example: tìltas becomes tyltas, bùlvė - būlvė, or pìrmas - pyrmas. Since the region borders Slavic lands, the dialect has many Slavic loanwords and barbarisms.