The local dialect of Zaderi¿vka (Ñhernihiv region) in the east Slavic context

Abstract

Chernihiv) represents a minor segment of a larger research project devoted to the study of the local dialects spoken in the uttermost northwestern area of the region of Chernihiv. These dialects, according to a largely accepted classification, are attributed to the northeastern Ukrainian (or Polissian) dialectal territory and are more specifically known as “transitional from Ukrainian to Belarusian”. Because of the predominantly descriptive character adopted in this paper, some theoretical implications and debatable issues will not be discussed here. The most significant geo-historical facts about this rural village, in line with the dialectological practice and the methodology applied for the collection of data, are delineated in the introductory sections. Central to this study is the description and analysis of the most substantial dialectal features of this local dialect. Their characteristics are examined considering the usual linguistic parameters: phoneticphonology, derivation (to a minor extent), morphology, syntax, and lexis. The fact that Zaderi¿vka is reported (point number 65) in the Atlas Ukraїns’koї Movy [Atlas of the Ukrainian Language] favours comparison with other local varieties, and it is useful to identify recent trends and possible undergoing changes in the examined dialect. The dialectal data analyzed in this paper aim, on the one hand, to increase the already available factual material and, on the other, to foster further theoretical reflections about the origin of these border dialects. Keywords: East Slavic dialectology, North Ukrainian (East Polissian) dialects, Zaderiїvka, local dialect, border dialects