personal narratives

Stalevo 4

40 (b) əmə d’ètu m’èlə nəl’ nəd’àvəhme enì təkìvə ìkəme hni mànti
but when she swept [in the house] – we put on these coveralls we call “coats”,

42 (b) vìkəm kàkə Marjònə də vɨ̀š səs ə dr’è̝škətə ìkəm ubl’akənə
I said, “Look at sister Mariona, at the dress she is wearing

43 (b) n’è̝ e səž žakèt əmi z dr’è̝škətə ubl’àkənə də ìdiš ìkəm
She has no jacket on, she’s just wearing a dress. But you [need to] see,” I said,

44 (b) č’e zə ìde bà zə ìde kà št’àlə əm da ìdiš
“that she’s going off.” “Ha, she’s going! How could she?” “Well, you’ll see –

45 (b) gl’èdəj i r’èkəh čùh pək ut kàkə irìnə də t’ɨ kàžə
just look.” And I said that I’d heard from sister Irina – I can tell you that

46 (b) ut hàsəl ut nàšijə kòr’en pək t’è sìčkit’e hòrə sə čùzdi
she’s really from our people; all the others are outsiders,

47 (b) sàm sə ublìcəli nàšte màmə si premèn’ə t’àhnətə si [unintelligible]
ours have only dressed them, [like] when Mom had dressed up their [girl],

48 (b) pò màlkə ud nehi vìkəm də znàeš č’e t’à
[the one] smaller than her (Mariona). So I say, “You should know –”. And she –

49 (b) əm dà kə št’àlu i ut’ɨ̀dəh vìkəm t’ànu znàeš li
“Yeah, sure. How could it be?” And I went – I said “Tyana, you know,

50 (b) zə ti kàžə ednò nə nə ednò t’à vìkə
I’m going to tell you something straight to the point.” And she said,

51 (b) kvò zə mi kàžeš vìkəm zə ti kàžə i də znàeš
“What are you going to tell me?” I said, “I’ll tell you – and you should know

52 (b) či e v’àrnu vìkəm nèv’àrnu jà ne prodùmvəm ni kàzvəm vìkəm
that it’s true,” I said. “I never utter, never tell, [anything] untruthful,” I said.

53 (b) m’ène d’àdu gòd’u jà n’èməm mòj si d’àdu əmə
“Grandpa Godyo [told] me – I don’t have my own grandfather, but [he’s]

54 (b) d’au nə d’àdə brətoč’èdə d’è d’àdu gòd’u təkà nə səv’ètvə
my grandfather’s cousin – Grandpa Godyo always advised us thus:

55 (b) nì lɤ̀gane nì nì təkɤ̀i ràbuti nə n’àgga də reč’èš
‘No lying! And never to say such things to anybody [as]

56 (b) ò n’èskə tvà təkòvə stànəlu tàm pək drùgu
“Oh, today such and such happened, and then this other thing –” ' ”.

Stančov Han 2

13 (b) às kətu dudòx ə d’iv’itnàese gudìni sə užènih dudòx tùkə
When I came – I married at age nineteen and came here

14 (b) i i zìmata kvòtu pr’èduxmi nəgləsìxmi zə zə təkàni
and in the winter, we got what we’d [already] spun ready for weaving.

15 (b) ə dubr’è əmə svikɤ̀rvətə kàe ɤ t’à utìdi s ufc’èti
O.K. then. My mother-in-law says – she went out with the sheep –

16 (b) pək i kàzə bùlkə zimì či gu nəvìj nə nə kluv’ɤ̀tə
and she said, “[Young] bride, you take this and wind it onto spool frame

17 (b) nə nə kəlmukànti i šə gu usnuv’èm i às rəssùkəx gu
on the spools, and [then] we’ll warp it.” And I untwisted it [and]

18 (b) nəgləsìx nə kəlmukànt’i i dud’è si dòjdi t’à
arranged it for the spools. And by the time she came back

19 (b) às i gu usnuvàx t’à kət si dud’è mɤ̀ri bùlka
I had warped it [already]. And when she came [she said] “Ah me, bride!

20 (b) štò takòə sigà kòj znài kəkvò si gu nəpràilə
What have you [done] now? Who knows what you’ve done

21 (b) də jə jərmòsəš pr’èždətə
to waste the thread?

22 (TD) kvò da napràiš pr’èždatḁ
To do what to the thread?

23 (b) də nè jə jərmòsəm də dəlì e nəpra pràvilnu dè
To not waste it. If it was done properly, you know! Whether

24 (b) də dəlì pràvilnu səm gu nəpràilə kəd gu tùrnəhmi nət
I’d done it properly. And when we put it onto –

25 (b) na stənɤ̀ t’à kài məri bùlka tì kəd gà či li [laughter]
onto the loom, she said, “Goodness, bride, when you – it’s as if [laughter]

26 (b) stò gudìni si təkàlə [laughter] rèku ìmələ səm màjkə də mə ùči [laughter]
you’ve been weaving for a hundred years!” [laughter] I said, “I had a mother to teach me!”

Stančov Han 3

38 (c) às ìməm idnò mumčènci tɤ̀j kətu vàs sigà zəvɤ̀rši
I have a boy about your age now. He finished [school]

39 (c) ni mòi də nəm’èri ràbutə idvàm sigà sə uluvìl pəzàč
[but] can’t find work. He just barely now got [a job as] a watchman

40 (c) nə idìn ut’èl tàm za trì ìl’ədi l’èwə mu plàštət
at a hotel there [in town, for three thousand levs, [that’s what] they pay him.

41 (c) r’èku d’àdo t’è sàmu zə cigàri ni tì stìgət t’è
I said, “Grandpa’s one, that [much money] is not even enough for your cigarettes.”

42 (c) sàmu zə cigàri trì ìl’ədi l’èvə tòj pùši mud’èrnɨ cigàri
Only for cigarettes, three thousand levs! (He smokes [these] modern cigarettes.)

43 (c) i kətu sm’ètniš tò ni mù ustàvə nìštu əmə òdi tàm
And when you add it up he doesn’t have anything left. But he goes there.

44 (c) kvò də prài n’èmə kəd’è màjkə mu gu izdɤ̀ržə ùči gu
What can he do? No other way. His mother supports him, teaches him,

45 (c) prài strùvə i nə kràjə tàm nə ut’èlə vərdijànin nòšnu vr’èmi
does this and that, and in the end he’s a night watchman there at the hotel.

46 (c) un’ès sp’ɤ̀t tòj gi vàrdi
Those [others] sleep, and he keeps watch over them.

Stikŭl 1

26 (a) è tò̝jə ə ud mò̝jə bəštà nèguvijə bəštà imɛ̀šə tàm nàš kumšìjə
Well, the father of my father – there was this neighbor of ours there,

27 (a) dɤ vɤ kàžə imɛ̀šə grəmfò̝n žɤ vɤ pukàžə tugàvə
let me tell you. And he had a gramophone! I’ll show you. At that time

28 (a) təkòvə ədnò stàrček nàšijən bè̝še kəm usemdesè devedesè i dvɛ̀ gudᶤìšen
and so our old guy was upwards of eighty– he was ninety-two. And

29 (a) tugàvə vìkə təkvò i grəmfò̝nən svᶤìr’e sèjneka i tò ut sò̝fijə svᶤìr’eše nvà
he spoke thus: “That gramophone plays like this, and it was playing from Sofia!”

31 (a) [laughter] ut sò̝fijə svᶤìr’e či vᶤìkə nə star:t’em nə bəštà m nèguvijən bəštà
[laughter] Playing from Sofia! And then the old man said to my father’s father

32 (a) vᶤìkə žə dòjde vᶤìkə vrɛ̀m’ə ə tàm ə zgà dènu svᶤìr’ət
He said: “There will come a time,” he said, “when that which they now play

33 (a) i pejɔ̀ tùv žə sə gl’ɔ̀dət sàmə čə žə sə vᶤìkə golò̝pəre
and sing will be seen here. Except that,” he said, “[they] will be naked.

34 (a) kɤ̀su vᶤìkə žə nòs’ət i dò̝jdə tvà nɛ̀štu dò̝jde
They’ll wear short [skirts].” And this has come. It’s come.

36 (a) vᶤìkə etàm vᶤìkə svᶤìr’ət i p’ejɔ̀t i se vesel’ɔ̀t
And he said, “They sing and play and make merry and such over there,” he said.

37 (a) etùvə vᶤìkə že dòjde fsò etùv vìkə nà že gu gl’ɔ̀dəme
“And that will come here from Sofia,” he said. “Here, you’ll see. We’ll watch it

38 (a) pu svà pu televᶤìzijətə nəlì ezgà gu
on this – on the television.” And don’t [we have] it now?

40 (a) i pu vɛ̀snici i pu sᶤìčku [laughter]
And [that sort of thing now] in the newspapers and everywhere! [laughter]

104 (a) ìštət lɛ̀p ìštət tə təmàn gi atùkə gəlčɛ̀hme s ednɔ̀ ženà
They want bread, they want it, they just – And I was talking with a woman [who]

105 (a) vìkə če n beh vìkə i zgà mò̝jə sìn i fəf dèven
said “I wasn’t –“ she said. “Now my son is in Devin.

106 (a) tə nèguvətə dəšterɛ̀ nèguvətə dəšterɛ̀ dərž’ì sklàt sklàt dərž’ì dètu dàvət brəšnò̝tu
His daughter – his daughter keeps a warehouse for the distribution of flour.

107 (a) tə vìkə zgà i brəšnò̝nu bəlò pu rəspredɛ̀l’əne dn’èske že gu dədɔ̀t
and said that supposedly this white flour was to be distributed out. Today they'll give it

108 (a) nə ədnò s’è̝lu zə fùrna ùtre že gu dədɔ̀t zə drùgu s’è̝lu
to one village for its bakery, tomorrow to another village

109 (a) zə fùrna ama vìkə zgà vìkə màmo əzgà e vìkə zɔ̀rnu
for its bakery. And she said, ‘Mom (= Granny), now’ she said, ‘[now] there’s grain.

110 (a) zɔ̀rnu sə dukàrələ vìkə ečumìk vìkə təkɔ̀f hùbəf vìkə čìs i pčenìcə
They’ve brought grain,’ she said. ‘Barley, so nice and pure, and wheat,

111 (a) vìkə mnògu čìstu zɔ̀rnu sə vìkə dukàrəlɨ tə vìkə nəkvò zgà
very pure,’ she said. ‘They’ve brought pure grain.’ And so now

112 (a) nèguvətə dəšter’ɛ̀ dərž’ì sklàdən ìde vìkə f asènuvgràd vìkə trì dèn’ə vèk’ə
his daughter runs the storehouse; [a truck] goes to Asenovgrad. ‘It’s already three days,’ she says

113 (a) kàk smə ispràtɨlɨ kulᶤìt’e i òš nèmə əmə snòš’ə behə dušlì nəh
‘since we’ve sent the cars [there] and still nothing. But last night they came –

114 (a) tùkə nəh mèn behə dušlì tə vìkə duvèčerə trɛ̀bvə də ìdem
they came here to me,’ she said, ‘and tonight we have to go

115 (a) də prenìs’əm ud ednònu ud ednònə kəm’òn nə drùgi i gu rəspredɛ̀l’ət
to shift [the grain] from one truck to the other [for them] to distribute it.’

116 (a) i enəkvò sigà sìn kàžə mə zgà kəkvò ìkəte kàžə mə zgà
And there it is.” Now son, tell me now. What do you say [about that]? Tell me now!

Stikŭl 3

79 (a) tə mìnalasa gudìna adnò mumčènce nè uttùva nè ud nàštɤ
And this last year there was a young man, not from here, not from our [people],

80 (a) etùka ut katu ut pò̝lskite səlà bešɤ màjka mu beše tùka
probably from one of the lowland villages. His mother was here

81 (a) čilɛ̀ka hi i tòj uttàm əmə bɛ̀ha dušlì etùva da žyvɛ̀at
and her husband, also from there, but they had come here to live [though]

82 (a) ne znàja kakvà kakɤ̀f srò̝t imɛ̀ha tugàva mumčèncetu
I don’t know what relation they had here. So [there’s] this young man –

83 (a) ìma tùka takòva dètu əa tuvà be dètu za za tò̝ka
and then there’s this thing here where – ah, where there’s – it’s for, for electricity.

84 (a) za tò̝ka dètu nəlì grad’ɔ̀t ednò visòku
For electricity, you know, where they build this tall –

86 (a) anəvà visò̝kunu dènu za tò̝kan i tò̝ sa gràbna i nò̝lkuva beše
That tall thing that’s for electricity. And he took hold of it. And he was this old –

87 (a) katu na petnàes šesnàes gudìni mumč’èncətu i tò fàna ta sa dràpna
a boy of maybe fifteen or sixteen years, and he went and pulled back,

88 (a) tà sa fàna i izgurɛ̀ cɛ̀lku i gu pùsnaha i pàdna
and then grabbed [it] and burnt all up. And they released him, and he fell.

89 (a) i pàdna mòmč’encètu dukàrahà gu etùka səs səs kulà gu dukàraha
The boy fell and they brought him here by – They brought him here by car.

90 (a) màjkata beše etùva n dàduha da gu vìd’ət pak edìn čuvɛ̀k
His mother was here [but] they didn’t allow her to see him. However one man

91 (a) ut nàštə imɛ̀še imɛ̀ edìn čuvɛ̀k ud nàšɤte ta utìd tə gu vìd’e
of our [people], there was this one man of ours [who] went and saw him [and he was]

92 (a) sìčku izgurèlku̥ izgurèlu̥ šù tàm žə ìmə aku nə sɔ̀ zaklàlɨ
all burned up – completely burnt! That’s what’ll happen if they haven’t done the sacrifice,

Stojkite 1

1 (a) e ednò vrème gà se gàlehme nìe sas mòjas čulɛ̀k
Well, back in the old days when my man and I were courting –

2 (a) tòj beše š’ɛ̀fer àz beh š’ɛ̀ferka kugàtu pòčnahme da sa l’ùbim
he was in a wedding party, and so was I, when we began to fall in love.

3 (a) i zagàlihmɨ̀ sa gàlihmɨ̀ sa trì gudìni tòj utìdi vujnìk
We began courting, and we courted for three years. He went off to do his military service,

4 (a) rasɔ̀rdi mì sa srèštam jɛ̀ ednà ùtrɤna sɤs mòmɤ sɤs kumpànija
and got angry at me. I meet one morning with a girl, with a group –

5 (a) jɛ̀ sam tɔ̀rnala sas takvò nastrojɛ̀nie di gi sr’ɔ̀šna i ma por’ùka
I’d set out with such anticipation to meet them. And he called me,

6 (a) àjde vìka nax nàs če dušɔ̀l svàtəd g’òrgi i jɛ̀ si vìkam
“Come to our [place], our [ritual] kin Georgi has come. And I say,

7 (a) vɔ̀r si vìkam tì jɛ̀ d ìda da sa st’ɔ̀gna u nàs
“You go ahead,” I say, “I’ll go and get dressed up here,

8 (a) i tugàva ža dòjda tugàva tɔ̀rnah uttàm am vìka
and then I’ll come”. So I set out from there. “But,” he said,

9 (a) u nàs ìma mòmi i junàcɤ ta gl’ɔ̀daj vìka
“there’s [many] girls and ‘heroes’ (= boys) at our place. Make sure,” he said,

10 (a) kàk ža vlɛ̀zeš òti svàta mi g’òrgi gu nìkuj nè e vìg’el
“that you enter [properly, as did Georgi], because nobody saw my ritual kin Georgi

11 (a) gà e dušɔ̀l i jɛ̀ tugàva uttàm nadòlu vəz adnì šᶤìpki
when he came. And I – from there downhill into some rose-hip bushes,

12 (a) pud adnᶤì lyvàdɤ vəz adnɔ̀ der’ɔ̀ pu terlìcɤ utìduh i skrìh se
around some meadows, into a riverbed, [all] in my socks: I went and hid,

13 (a) i nìkoj ma ne vìg’e hùbavu ama gà vlɛ̀zuh kàk da flɛ̀za
and nobody saw me. Fine, but when I went to go in, how can I go in?

14 (a) tò trì gudìnɨ sɤ sme nè vìdvɤlɤ mèn me hèm sràm hèm stràh
We hadn’t seen each other for three years. I was both ashamed and frightened.

15 (a) tugàva utìduh u s’èstra mu i tà mɤ fɤvèdɤ
So I went to his sister’s, and she took me in.

16 (a) kàk se sme zdravòvɤlɤ nemòj pìta utèkuha m učìte ut sràm
Don’t ask me how we greeted each other. My eyes were swollen up from shame.

Šumnatica 2

54 (a) gɤ̀rcijə e kəpùt nàči še nəpàdət nətàtək dubrè əmə às ìməm
“and Greece is ‘kaput’!” Well, that means they’ll attack in that direction. OK, well, I have

55 (a) pəg bràt rəzbìš li dòjdəh si às tùkə pùsnəə nə màlku
a brother, you know. And I’d come here – they’d let us out a bit,

56 (a) nə pučìfkə ednà sèdmicə da si nəpràime ə dòjdeh si nə pučìfkə
[given us] a week of leave to sort things out, and I came here on leave

57 (a) às mu vìkəm nə m bràt mi slùšaj be mnògu ùbəvi pərì
and I said to my brother, “Listen here, there’s really good money

58 (a) dàvət germàncite ùbəvə rənà dàvət vìkəm vàr tì nə bràt mi
to be had from the Germans, and good food. Go for it!” I said to my brother.

59 (a) e ne jàs strà mə ə vìkə še sə pòčnət vujnà
“Ah, I’m afraid,” he said. “They’ll start a war

60 (a) i nàmi še učùkət
and they’ll kill us as well.”

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Comments and questions may be addressed to bdlt@berkeley.edu.

Recommended Model for Citations

Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)
Babjak 1: 13-15. In: Bulgarian Dialectology as Living Tradition [2016] (http://www.bulgariandialectology.org, visited on 1 March 2016)

by Dr. Radut