Crișana dialect

The Crișana dialect (subdialectul / graiul crișean) is one of the dialects of the Romanian language (Daco-Romanian). Its geographic distribution covers approximately the historical region of Crișana, in western Transylvania.

Classification

The Crișana dialect is part of the group of relatively fragmented Transylvanian varieties, along with the Maramureș dialect. As such, the Crișana dialect is a member of the northern group of Romanian dialects, which also includes Moldavian and Banat, and shares with them a large number of characteristics, as opposed to the Wallachian dialect.

As with all other dialects of Romanian, the one of Crișana is distinguished primarily by its phonetic features and to a lesser degree by its morphological, syntactic, and lexical features. However, in the context of the more fragmented Transylvanian speech varieties, these characteristics are less distinct than those of other dialectal areas. As a consequence, in some classifications the Crișana dialect is not individualized, such as those of Gustav Weigand, Alexandru Philippide, Iorgu Iordan and Emanuel Vasiliu. Other analyses, however, include the Crișana dialect in their classifications of four or five dialects (the fifth would be the even less distinct Maramureș dialect); this view is supported particularly by more recent studies, such as those of Romulus Todoran, Emil Petrovici, and Ion Coteanu. This divergence is a matter of definition.

Geographic distribution

The Crișana dialect has its name from the historical region of Crișana, although the dialectal area and the historical region only partially overlap. More precisely, the dialect is spoken in the following Romanian counties: Bihor, Sălaj, Satu Mare, Alba (north-western part), Cluj (western half), Arad (northern half, delimited by the Mureș river), Hunedoara (northern part), Maramureș (south-western part).

Subdivisions

Several varieties can be further distinguished within the Crișana dialect, specifically those of Bihor, Țara Moților, the area of the Someș River, and Țara Oașului.

Particularities

Phonetic features

Morphological and syntactical features

Lexical particularities

Sample

Crișana dialect: [aˈtunt͡ʃ jar o jeˈʃɨt ʃɨ so ujˈtat ‖ am rədʲiˈkat ˈbrɨŋka ‖ ʃɨ ˈdomnu o zɨs ‖ ˈɨŋkaʃa nã vəˈzut ˈkɨnʲe ‖ ʃaˈtunt͡ʃ ˈkɨnʲile o vint ku ˈwə.ile ʃɨ so ujˈtat la ˈminʲe t͡ʃej maj spun ‖ kə jel o ʃtʲiˈut kəj maj spun t͡ʃeˈva]

Standard Romanian: Atunci iar a ieșit și s-a uitat. Am ridicat mîna. Și domnul a zis: Așa cîine încă n-am văzut. Și-atunci cîinele a venit cu oile și s-a uitat la mine [așteptînd să vadă] ce-i mai spun. Că el a știut că-i mai spun ceva.

English translation: "The it went out again and watched. I raised my hand. And the gentleman said: I've never seen a dog like this. And then the dog brought the sheep back and looked at me [waiting to see] what else I was going to say. Because it knew I was going to say something again."

Notes

  1. Matilda Caragiu-Marioțeanu, Compendiu de dialectologie română, Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică, 1975, p. 159 (Romanian)

Bibliography

See also

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