Gostivar dialect
[Image:Macedonian Slavic dialects.png|thumb|300px|right|The location of the Gostivar dialect among the others Macedonian dialects]
The Gostivar dialect or Upper Polog dialect is a member of the western and north western subgroup of the western group of dialects of Macedonian. The dialect is mainly spoken in the area around the city of Gostivar to the villages Brvenica and Bogovinje on north, Reka region on west, Poreče on east and Galičnik on south. The dialect is closely related with the neighbouring dialects, particularly with the Kičevo-Poreče dialect, Reka dialect and Galičnik dialect. Also in some extent, the dialect shares some similarities with the Tetovo dialect. The dialect is very well known for using masculine forms of direct and indirect objects, for male and female.
Phonological characteristics
- replacement of the letters ќ and ѓ in verbal use with ч and џ, respectively: куќа → куча ; Ѓурѓа → Џурџа
- the yat has reflexed into : цена
- the Proto-Slavic *ǫ has denazalized to
- the older has been replaced with in most words: прах → прав
- the consonant group цв- is substituted with цу-: цвет → цут
- absence of the intervocalic in the plural forms of monosyllabic nouns и, дождо
Morphological characteristics
- use of masculine direct and indirect object for males and females: Дај му ја топкава на Тони/ Дај му ја топкава на Ивона - Give this ball to Toni/ Ivona;
- three definite articles pertaining to the position of the object
- use of suffix -t for third person singular: тој пишува- тој пишуват - he writes