Lower Prespa dialect

The Lower Prespa dialect (Macedonian: Долнoпреспански дијалект / Dolnoprespanski dijalekt) is a member of the western subgroup of the western group of dialects of the Macedonian language. This dialect is mainly spoken in the area west of Florina (Lerin), and south of Resen. This area is mainly composed of villages, such as Brajčino, Dupeni, Štrbovo, Ljubojno, western parts of the Florina Prefecture and Ovčarani and northern parts of the Kastoria Prefecture.The Lower Prespa dialect is very similar to the Upper Prespa dialect and Ohrid dialect.

Phonological characteristics

• use of E instead of YAT: цена/ cena - (price);
• use of palatal J;
• use of Ф/F and В/V instead of the Old Church Slavonic H.

Morphological characteristics

• use of the preposition OD with possessive case: внукот од брат ми/ vnukot od brat mi (My brother's nephew)
• the plural suffix -ovi is often changed with the suffix -oj: лебови> лебој (lebovi> leboj/ bread);
• personal pronoun for third person singular and plural: тој, таа, тоа, тие (toj, taa, toa, tie/ he, she, it, they).
• loss of V in Hers / His: Nivno> Nino / Nivna> Nina

Typical Vocabulary

• b'rgo or bargho opposed to rano (early)
• pepon instead of dinje (melon)
• misur (plate/dish)
• planučki (strawberries)
• kartol (potato)
• daskal (teacher)

Examples

Below is written a popular folk song from Prespa region. The song is in Lower Prespa dialect.

Ozgora idat Turcite,

mladi Ljubanki teraat,

napred mi odi Todorka.

Todorke mlada nevesto,

ostavi si go deteto

na tie ravni ledini

na tie tenki kamenja.

Todorka poču turčinot

si go ostavi deteto

na tie ravni ledini.

Mi pominal ovčarče

pa si go zema deteto,

pa si go glavil sluginče

kaj edna mlada vdovica.

kaj toj mi Osman Beg.

Devet mi godidi sluguval,

liceto ne i go videl

na taa mlada vdovica.

Poduvnal veter gornjaneni

i go duvnal feredžeto,

liceto i se otkrilo,

liceto na vdovicata.

I togaš si ovčarče zagrabil,

majčice mila majčice,

deka sisluguvaše devet godini

vo taa crna zandana.

Ah milo moje detence,

deka rasteše devet godini

vo tie crni zandani.

Togaš si majka zagrnal,

zaklal si turčin na guša

i kuḱa si napravil

so tie pari od sluguvanje