Bulgarian language

BULGARIAN LANGUAGE:

Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group. Bulgarian is the official language in the Republic of Bulgaria. It demonstrates severallinguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages, such as the elimination of case declension, the development of a suffixed definite article, the lack of a verb infinitive, andthe retention and further development of the Proto-Slavic verb system. Estimates of the number of people around the world who speak Bulgarian fluently range from about 9 to 12 million. The addition ofBulgaria to the European Union was official in 2007.

HISTORY:

Bulgarian was the first Slavic language to be written; it started to appear in writing during the 9th century in the Glagoliticalphabet, which was gradually replaced by an early version of the Cyrillic alphabet over the following centuries.

At the end of the 18th century the Russian version of Cyrillic or the "civil script" ofPeter the Great (1672-1725) was adapted to write Bulgarian as a result of the influence of printed books from Russia. During the 19th century a number of versions of this alphabet containing between28 and 44 letters were used. In the 1870s a version of the alphabet with 32 letters proposed by Marin Drinov became widely used.

DIALECTS:


- Eastern Bulgarian dialects:

• Moesian dialectso Shumen dialect
• Balkan dialects
o Central Balkan dialect
o Kotel-Elena-Dryanovo dialect
o Panagyurishte dialect
o Teteven dialect
o Subbalkan dialect
o Transitional Balkan dialects
• Rupdialects
o Strandzha dialect
o Thracian dialect
o Chepino dialect
o Zlatograd dialect
o Smolyan dialect
o Pomak dialect (Greece)
o Babyak dialect
o Serres-Nevrokop dialect
o Solun dialect
-Western Bulgarian dialects:
• Northwestern Bulgarian dialects
o Byala Slatina-Pleven dialect
o Vidin-Lom dialect
• Southwestern Bulgarian dialects
o Botevgrad dialect
o Vratsa dialect
o...