Prostaya mova


Prostaya mova is a colloquial term used to denote the regional varieties of the Belarusian language spoken in the borderlands of Lithuania, Belarus, and Poland. It is primarily spoken in the Vilnius Region, Hrodna Region, and the Podlaskie Voivodeship .
Speakers of prostaya mova often identify themselves as Poles or Belarusians, but refer to their native language as "simple" to distinguish it from standard literary languages.

Sociolinguistic status

The term "prostaya mova" carries a connotation of "uncomplicated," "ordinary," or "common" speech, contrasting it with "complex," "formal," or "official" languages. In the context of the Vilnius Region, these official languages are typically Polish, Lithuanian, and Russian.
According to ethnologist Yury Vnukovich, the use of the term "prostaya mova" indicates a speaker's rural, pre-modern identity rather than a specific national affiliation. While standard languages serve as markers of ethnic identity, prostaya mova represents a "linguistic anomaly" or a "liminal category."
The language is characterized by a low social prestige and is often stigmatized. Speakers may feel ashamed to use it in public spheres such as government institutions, schools, or churches, preferring to switch to "correct" languages if they know them. This phenomenon is similar to the situation of other minority languages or dialects that are perceived as "peasant" or "uneducated" varieties.

Relationship with ethnic identity

A unique feature of prostaya mova is that its speakers often do not identify as Belarusians, despite the linguistic basis of their speech being Belarusian dialects.
In the eyes of the local population, the "simple" language does not necessarily contradict a Polish identity. As noted by informants in ethnographic studies, they consider themselves Poles because of their Catholic faith and historical memory, even if they speak "in a simple way".

Linguistic features

Features of Belarusian dialects in Lithuania

Belarusian dialects in the Vilna (Vilnius) Region are a natural continuation of dialects from the territory of Belarus. Valeriy Chekman, Petras Gaučas, and Laima Grumadienė determined their area of distribution roughly from Buivydžiai in the north to Bujvydiškes and Trakai in the west, and to Kalesninkai and Eišiškės in the south of Lithuania. According to traditional division, they belong to the belt of Central Belarusian dialects, and north of Nemenčinė, they approach the North-Eastern dialect. According to the division into dialect zones, they can be attributed to the North-Western zone.
Characteristic features:
  • Non-dissimilative akanye and yakanye, although in the north, a transition from non-dissimilative to dissimilative is observed.
  • Pronunciation of only hard and hardened r.
  • Unstressed я in place of the old ять in the endings of the locative case singular of nouns: у ха́ця, у ле́ся, which indicates full yakanye.
  • Use of the lexeme фасоля in the form фасоль.
  • Form of the demonstrative pronoun with prothetic h: гэ́ны.
  • Form of the infinitive of the verb ісьці́.
  • Use of the past tense participle ending in -вшы : сын у шко́лу пае́хаўшы.
  • Lexemes that denote objects differently in other regions of Belarus: порткі, сту́дня, абру́с, кашу́ля.
  • Widespread construction of the type мне балі́ць галава́ instead of у мяне́ балі́ць галава́, which is used in other regions.
  • Presence of borrowed vocabulary from other languages:
  • * Polish,
  • * Russian,
  • * Lithuanian.

Example

Comparison of a text in prostaya mova, standard Belarusian, and Polish.
Prostaya mova Standard Belarusian Polish
Maci lubiła hladzieć na maki. Jany raśli bieraham żyta. Lubiła hladzieć na pryrodu, kali prysiadała adpaczyć na łaǔcy pad waknom. Jana zachaplałasa naszym krajawidam. Pad samym waknom było świsłaczanskaja pole i byli tyja maki. Maci piarażyła dźwie wajny i kroǔ baczyła, swaju i czużuju. Ali maki heta maki. Krasata. Mój spicz ja zaczała ad makaǔ, bo czamu nie.Маці любіла глядзець на макі. Яны расьлі берагам жыта. Любіла глядзець на прыроду, калі прысядала адпачыць на лаўцы пад вакном. Яна захаплялася нашым краявідам. Пад самым вакном было сьвіслачанскае поле, і там былі тыя макі. Маці перажыла дзьве вайны і кроў бачыла, сваю і чужую. Але макі гэта макі. Прыгожасьць. Мой спіч я зачала з макaў, бо чаму не.Mama kochała patrzeć na maki. Rosły one nad brzegiem żyta. Kochała patrzeć na przyrodę, kiedy siadała odpocząć na ławce pod oknem. Zachwycała się naszym krajobrazem. Pod samym oknem było świsłoczańskie pole i były te maki. Mama przeżyła dwie wojny i widziała krew, swoją i cudzą. Ale maki to maki. Coś pięknego. Swoje przemówienie zaczęłam od maków, bo czemu nie.