Middle Dnieprian dialect


Middle Dnieprian dialect is a dialect of Ukrainian language spoken in the historical region of Dnieper Ukraine. Linguistically it belongs to the Southeastern group of Ukrainian dialects. Middle Dnieprian is spoken in southern parts of Kyiv region, southwestern parts of Sumy region, in most of the territory of Cherkasy and Poltava regions, as well as in northern parts of Kirovohrad and Dnipropetrovsk regions. The territory where the dialect is widespread borders Central and Eastern Polesian dialects in the north, Slobozhan dialect in the east, Steppe dialect in the south, as well as Podolian and Volhynian dialects in the west. Structurally Middle Dnieprian dialect is close to standard literary Ukrainian language.

Main features

  • change of unstressed vowels >, , in some varieties > ; >, ;
  • transition of original into , or : либодá , лескотáти , пагáний , ганчáр ;
  • nasalized >, > ;
  • use of prothetic consonants , , : ворáти , Гадéса, йіроплáн ; alternatively, elimination of word-initial consonants in some roots: орóх ;
  • palatalization in consonants , , , , followed by <, ;
  • presence of palatalized , , , in some varieties also , , : р’áма , гр’ад , гончáр’ , лош’а , волóч’ат’ ;
  • transition of >, but in some varieties the opposite process takes place ; > ; > ; >, , , , , ;
  • varying evolution of labial consonant + j: preservation ; loss of with palatalization of the preceding consonant or without it ; replacement of with epenthetic ;
  • change of >, >: рíмний , помішни́к ;
  • in some words >/: к’існи́й , к’íсто ;
  • in some Left-bank varieties consonants are devoiced before other unvoiced consonants or in word-final position: одказати ;
  • in some varieties nouns are declined according to rules of the "hard" group: товáришові, кон’óві, гáйом, топóл’ойу;
  • ending -и in genitive of single feminine nouns: сóли, рáдости;
  • alternative endings of feminine plural nouns in genitive: баб - бабíў, сестéр - сестри́ў, стріх - стрíхоў etc.;
  • parallel forms of pronouns та, ц’а in genitive and instrumental cases: тóйі, тéйі, тíйі - тійéйі; тíйу, тóйу, тéйу - тійéйу; forms йім, на йóму, на йій are more frequently used than ним, на ній;
  • parallel forms of possessive adjectives: мáтерини, материн’і;
  • parallel forms of infinitive: ходи́ти, ходи́т’;
  • in some varieties verbs in 3rd person present and future tense have parallel forms: хóде, хóдит’;
  • parallel forms of 1st declension verbs in 3rd person singular with -j stem: слýха, зна - слýхайе, знáйе;
  • alternative endings of verbs in plural: вóз’ат’ - вóз’ут’, тóч’ат’ - тóч’ут’;
  • two forms of future tense: бýду роби́ти, робитиму.

    Subdialects

Northern subdialects

Northern Middle Dnieprian varieties are distinguished by following features:
  • lack of transition in the etymological >: воз , кóстка . порóг , рáдост’ ;
  • lack of prothetic consonants: узóл , ýхо ;
  • prevalence of ending -у in dative of masculine single nouns: дýбу, гáйу ;
  • widespread usage of shortened adjective forms: краси́ви, молоди́ ;
  • differing accentuation in certain words: рунó, см’іт’:á.

    Eastern Poltava subdialects

Eastern Poltava subdialects have following distinguishing features:
  • change of into : чоботе ; before a stressed syllable - into : мінí ;
  • presence of alveolar : бул.á , мол.окó , ходи́л.и ;
  • endings -ім, -ix in dative and locative case of plural nouns with stress on the word stem: кóнім, на кóніх ; parallel endings -ові, -ат-ові in dative of singular nouns with t-base: тел’óві, тел’áтові ;
  • "soft" declension of adjectives: чóрн’ій, б’íл’íй, на гáрн’іх ;
  • infinitives ending with unpalatalized : ходи́т.

    Right-bank subdialects

Right-bank subdialects exhibit the following distinguishing features:
  • lack of palatalization in consonants , , , , followed by <, ;
  • differing accentuation in certain pronouns and numerals: мóго, твóго, тóго, однóго; stress on endings of verbs підé — підéм; parallel variants of accentuation in some nouns дрóва — дровá.

    Southern subdialects

Southern Middle Dnieprian subdialects are distinguished by following features:
  • differing accentuation in some words: вузóл ;
  • preservation of , , , , , in single verb forms of 1st person: вóд’ý , крут’ý .

    Lexical features

Some words typical for Middle Dnieprian dialect are:
Middle DnieprianStandard UkrainianEnglishNotes
клюйдерево дятел woodpeckerliteral translation - "peck on wood"
зборник очіпок ochipok
пшінка, пшеничка кукурудза maizein literary Ukrianian пшінка means "millet porridge" and пшеничка is a diminutive for "wheat"
лелека, лелеґа чорногуз storkthe word лелека is present in standard literary Ukrainian, but absent in most other dialects except Middle Dnieprian
парок куль Sheaf of straw used for roofing
мажáра ма́жа a big cart used by chumaksfrom Crimean Tatar macar - "Hungarian"
конóшок мала дитина a small child
гайшáн розбишака an outlaw, unruly person
вагани́ ночви a kind of trough used for washing, mixing of dough etc.
рíпа картопля potatoesin standard Ukrainian ріпа means "turnip"

In literature

Features of Middle Dnieprian dialect are present in historical and folklore sources, as well as in works by Ukrainian authors such as Ivan Kotliarevsky, Taras Shevchenko, Yevhen Hrebinka, Panas Myrny, Hryhir Tiutiunnyk and others.