The paper presents the results of diglossia research in the speech of Vranje.
This is a survey conducted through the poll of two groups of representatives
of the Vranje vernacular. Groups of final year high school students from
Vranje and teachers teaching in the same schools were selected. In this way,
social variables were monitored: origin, age, education and gender. Typical
features of Vranje speech were selected from the language variables:
consonant dz (dzindza), semi-vowel ? (dan?s), vocative in -e (strinke),
enclitic pronouns (gu, gi, ne, ni, ve, vi), the analytical declination (s
majku mi, s mene, na mene mi vika, davam na njega), present 3rd person
plural in -v, present participle, masculine, singular in -??, future forms
without infinitives (ce padnes, ce dodje), lexeme tatko. The above
categories also include additional dialectic features marked by Vranje
speech: verb forms in -n?-, possessive dative, object reduplication, express
analyticism in declination, analyticism in conjugation. The aim of the
research is to determine whether diglossive behavior is intrinsic to native
Vranje speakers and how code switching occurs in certain speech situations.
Speakers? attitudes toward dialect use were also examined. The conclusion is
that male speakers of both ages and education levels are mostly interested
in maintaining the dialect. The smallest number of speakers who are in the
care of the dialect and use the dialect in everyday conversation is in the
group of highly educated women. The majority of interviewed Vranjanians are
aware of their ability to control speech, which means that they are prone to
diglossive behavior. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data
collected revealed that young male Vranjanian people are most attached to
the dialect, and that women of higher education use dialectal elements in
speech in the least. The dialectal lines that are most amenable to
adaptation could be presented in the order of susceptibility levels:
consonant dz, semi-vowel ?, vocative in -e, present 3rd person plural in -v,
-?? form, enclitic gu, enclitic gi, enclitics ne, ni, ve, vi, lexis, the
analytical declination, infinitives. Such an analysis of the selection of
dialect features in order to adapt to the standard also points to the
possible internal development of the dialect itself. This would mean that
the most subtle lines would gradually disappear from the dialectal
structure. It is uncertain whether they will be completely lost and when
such changes will occur.
On honorification in Czech: The Czech polite forms: Theory and corpus data