Masovian Dialect

Masovian Dialect

Mazovian (Masovian) dialects of the Polish language are characteristic of Mazovia and historically related regions, in northeastern Poland. They are the most distinct of Polish dialects and the most expansive.

They emerged in the process of mixing the Polish and the Mazovian language existing as a separate language well until 20th century, according to various scholars. Mazovian dialects may exhibit such features as mazurzenie, liaison (nieudźwięczniająca) (ubezdźwięcznienie) consonants before vowels in nagłosie next word), and asynchronous palatal pronunciation of labial consonants (softened). The Kurpie region has some of the most distinctive phonetic features due to isolation. Characteristics include:

• ke, ge → kie, gie; kę, gę → ke, ge (e.g. nogie, rękie, kedy, kerować);
• No palatalization of L (e.g. lytr, lysa, lymuzyna);
• the instrumental plural form –mi is pronounced –my;
• developed alveolar consonants: sz, ż, cz, di into s, z, c, dz
• harder pronunciation in the frontal position: instead of lipa -> lypa
• -oju ending in masculine singular Dative
• change of y into i: dim, ribi, sin, bik, if it is followed by a consonant, the consonant remains hard
• the double-number -wa ending remains in use in plural verbs relating to plural,
• no difference between soft and hard k and g, including ki and gi; ch in chy is always soft while in che or chę that is not always the case;
• e and o are pronounced as a joint sound of e with i and o with u
• nasal vowels developed as u instead of ą and a instead of ę;
• -eli ending in plural of the past tense
• change of a into e in words beginning with ra-, ja-, -ar- in the middle of a word -ar- in past verb tenses. Also, in words such as powjedać, wjetrak, zawjesy, śnijedańe;
• accomplished articulating of the following consonants: p, b, w, f, m into pj, bj, wj, fj, mj or pś, bź, wź, fś sometimes simplified into ńasto "miasto", kańeń "kamień" (ona) ńała "miała" which is changed at times for soft n. In company with labials the following forms are common: śfyńa, śfat, śfeca, ćfartka, ńedźweć, -amy in plural instrumental case and in pronouns like me "mnie" and my "mi"

Masovian dialects also contain certain vocabulary that is distinct from the standard Polish language and shares common characteristics with the Kashubian language language.