Littoral dialect group
The Littoral dialect group is a group of very heterogeneous dialects of Slovene. The Littoral dialects are spoken in most of the Slovenian Littoral and in the western part of Inner Carniola. They are also spoken by Slovenes in the Italian provinces of Trieste and Gorizia, and in the mountainous areas of eastern Friuli.
Phonological and morphological characteristics
Among other features, this group is characterized by diphthongization of yat > ie and o > uo, and late denasalization of *ę and *ǫ. The western dialects in this group have preserved pitch accent whereas the others have a non-tonal stress accent.Individual dialects and subdialects
- Resia(n) dialect ; spoken in the Resia Valley
- Soča dialect ; spoken in the Upper Soča Valley
- Torre Valley dialect ; spoken in the upper Torre Valley and in the Breginj area
- Natisone Valley dialect ; spoken in the Natisone Valley in Venetian Slovenia and in western parts of the Gorizia region
- Brda dialect ; spoken in the Brda area in Slovenia and in Italy, as well as in some suburbs of Gorizia
- Karst dialect ; spoken in the north-western parts of the Karst Plateau, in the lower Vipava Valley and in the lower Soča Valley, as well as in some suburbs of Gorizia and Trieste
- * Banjšice subdialect ; spoken on the Banjšice Plateau
- Istrian dialect ; spoken in Slovenian Istria and parts of the Italian Province of Trieste
- * Rižana subdialect ; spoken in northern Slovenian Istria and parts of the Province of Trieste
- * Šavrin Hills subdialect ; spoken in southern Slovenian Istria
- Inner Carniolan dialect ; spoken in western Inner Carniola, the upper Vipava Valley, and southern Karst Plateau, as well as in most of the Slovenian-inhabited suburbs of Trieste
- Čičarija dialect ; spoken in a few villages in Slovenian Istria on the border with Croatia