Moravian dialects

Moravian language ( moravščina Moravian, Czech moravština or moravský jazyk ) is a collective term for the eastern part of the Czech Republic ( Moravia ) spoken dialects of Czech (Czech language ). The Moravian dialects differ z.T. to significantly both from the Czech standard language font Czech, Czechoslovak spisovná čeština and from the west of the Czech Republic va in Bohemia and in the larger cities of the country increasingly spoken Czech colloquial common Czech, Czechoslovak obecná čeština. For the Moravian language exist neither for debate nor for the written reproduction of binding standards, the Moravian can not therefore be considered as the default language.

Structure

The Moravian dialect region is divided into three major dialect groups: the group of Middle Moravia ( Moravian- hanakischen ) dialects, the group of East Moravia ( Moravian Slovakia ) dialects and the group of northern Moravia ( Moravian- Silesian or Lašsko ) dialects.

Central Moravian dialects are spoken in a wide strip of the area around Zábřeh and Šumperk in the north to the Austrian border in the south. Heartland is the Moravian lowlands Haná which extends between the cities of Brno (Brünn) and Olomouc.

East Moravian dialects are spoken in a strip along the Slovakian border of Vsetín in the north to the south Břeclav. The eastern Moravian dialects forming the transition from Czech to Slovak language area (Slovak language) and forms with the adjacent on Slovak territory western Slovak dialects a dialect continuum.

North Moravian dialects are spoken in a strip along the Polish border, in the area of the towns of Opava and Ostrava. The North Moravian dialects forming the transition from Czech to Polish -speaking (Polish language) and forms with the adjacent on Polish territory Silesian dialects a dialect continuum.

In areas where a German -speaking majority population there until 1945, caused by influx of many new residents from Central Bohemia and Moravia dialectal mixing regions.

Mark

The clearest indicator to distinguish the Moravian dialects is the different development of the Old Czech long vowels ú (long u) and ý (long "hard" i). Both developed in the Bohemian language area to diphthongs ( ú to ou and ý to ej ) ​​, were reduced in the Middle Moravian contrast (ie, they evolved into a long ó or é ), maintained in the eastern Moravian and North Moravian eventually shortened ( to u and y).

Another linguistic features that apply " typical Moravian " as, but not alone indicative of a dialect group can be listed:

• The inconsistent implementation of the so-called " Czech umlaut " from a to e and u i after palatal consonants. Therefore, occur in Moravian dialects, V.A. in the declension of nouns often was not the other forms, such as: ulica, stanica, v Bystrcu, dusu ( accusative ), s dušou ( Instr. ) (instead ulice, stanice, v Bystrci, Dusi, Dusi s )
• Some different verb forms: the first person singular of být ( " be " ) " I am " is Moravian su ( instead of standard lish jsem. ), the 1st pers. Sg and the 3rd pers. Pl of chtít ( "want" ) " I want" and " they want " loud chcu (instead of CHCI ) and chcou (instead chtějí ).

In addition, enter a range of lexical features (about dědina instead vesnice "village", Stolař instead truhlář " carpenter ", Bečka instead sud " barrel ", kabela instead taška "pocket", Kačena instead kachna " duck ", zavazet instead prevent překážet " " rožnout instead rozsvítit " turn on light ", etc.)

Development

The Moravian dialects are closely localized in their distribution and limited in their use to everyday use. In over regional and semi-official communication, the default language is therefore often used in contrast to the Czech language where the vernacular penetrates in the official communication. Controversial is currently in the Czech Soziolinguisitik the question whether the Moravian dialects more likely to develop in the direction of the Czech standard language, or whether there is a tendency to the formation of a larger-scale Moravian Regiolekts can be observed. An advance of the Czech vernacular on Moravian language area may va in the West Moravian transition region and are observed in major cities.