Poljane dialect

The Poljane dialect is a Slovene dialect in the Rovte dialect group. It is spoken in the watershed of the Poljane Sora River almost as far east as a line from Mount Lubnik near Škofja Loka to Črni [Vrh, Dobrova – Polhov Gradec|Črni Vrh]. Major settlements in the area include Žiri, Sovodenj, Gorenja Vas, Javorje, Poljane [nad Škofjo Loko], Lučine, and Šentjošt nad Horjulom.

Phonological and morphological characteristics

The Poljane dialect lacks pitch accent. An unusual feature of the dialect is that stress is retracted from originally circumflex long vowels and remaining short accented vowels, resulting in newly accented short vowels and unaccented vowels that retain their original length. The dialect has developed two semivowels, now expressed as e and o. In the Žiri area a new pitch accent has developed.