Bulgaria: Language Situation

Abstract

Modern Bulgarian is a South Slavic language spoken by around eight million people in the central and eastern Balkans, although the Bulgarian language territory is broader then the state boundaries. Modern Bulgarian stems from Old Church Slavonic, also called Old Bulgarian, which developed from the literary tradition of SS Cyril and Methodius. In the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries the Bulgarian language changed significantly, developing an analytic grammatical structure. The modern Bulgarian literary standard was established in the late 19th century. The language preserves some variation in its dialects as well as stylistic registers for public administration, science, and education.