PAST VS. PRESENT

Repljana 3

6 (a) kojà pò màlko no mètrove ga sɤ̀g zovù

and the one who has less – well, now they call it meters, but then

7 (a) ma tegàj zovèšemo làkti na làk [laughter]

but back then we used to call it elbow-lengths, [measuring] by an elbow.

56 (a) vrèče vrèče sɤ̀ga zovù čuvalè tegàj ga vrèče zovèšemo

Bags, bags. Now they call them sacks, but back them we called them bags.

Salaš

225 (a) (laughter) i tè tekà dèca tè tekà smo živèli trùdno

And that’s it, children! That’s how we lived. With difficulty.

226 (a) sɤ̀ga naròda naròda ìmam čuvstvo če e stanàl mṛzelìf dalì

And people now – now I have the sense that people have gotten lazy.

227 (VZh) mɤrzì gi à

They haven’t any desire to …

229 (VZh) mɤrzì gi

They haven’t any desire …

230 (a) mṛzì gi da rabòte nèče si a bè pòl’e ìma

They haven’t any desire to work. They don’t want to! But there’s a field,

277 (a) òrata ne sɤ̀ znajàli pìsmenos [phone rings] obàče tovà sa znajàle

People didn’t know how to read and write, but they knew that.

Široka Lŭka

46 (a) zavìvala ne znàeme lèkarɤ nè znàeme na dòkturɤ da hòdɤm

and covered [me up]. We didn’t deal with doctors, we didn’t go to doctors.

47 (a) akušèrki ne znàeme sìčki č’ètiri decà sam rudìla

We didn’t deal with midwives. I gave birth to all four children [here]

Skrŭt 2

4 (b) nè segà snòšti sa a zakaràli k’i pràat čestìto

It’s not [like] now: [someone] took the girl the night before, with congratulations,

5 (b) pək k’i ìat ə drùk pàt pà svàdba nì j zakàrvaa napràvo oddòma

and they’ll do the wedding another time. They didn't take her straight from her home,

6 (b) i tàpane i kam momčèto pò pišìn nèma

[to the sounds of] drumbeats, off to the boy’s [house]. In older times, none of that!

31 (b) tavà e bìlo svàdbite krɤstènkite po dòma sìčko nèma restorànte

That’s how it was for weddings, christenings – [always] at home. No restaurants,

32 (b) nèma takvìa rabòti tàpanèto si pràat tùka bednotìa drɤ̀veni lažìci

none of these things; they [just] played drums. It was poor here – wooden spoons,

33 (b) i džilèzni kakvì ìma na sofràta

iron [spoons], whatever there was at the low common table, [to eat what was]

34 (b) uf tepcìata tùrat nèma màsi

in the [single] pan they put [there]. No [modern] tables.

35 (b) sà restorànto ako nè e ne mòže

But now, if it’s not [in] a restaurant, you can’t [do it].

36 (b) togàj beše takòva pò ùbuu pò ùbuu beše togàj

Back then it was nicer that way. It was nicer back then.

79 (b) svàdba càl dèn takvò e nèšto bè nè kət segà

The wedding [goes on] all day. Such a thing, you know? Not like now.

Skrŭt 3

4 (GK) e pa za pràznici mòže da mi kažùvaš

Well, you can tell me about holidays,

5 (GK) kàk ste vasìl’ovden jordànovden

[about] how you [celebrated] St. Basil’s day, [or] St. Iordan’s day …

6 (f) emi kato segɤ̀

Well, like now!

7 (GK) božìk

… [or] Christmas …

10 (f) i tugàj kato segà božìk bɤ̀dni.vèčer si pràim

Back then was like now. [For] Christmas, we make – on Christmas Eve we –

25 (f) sè si izlèvaa na a segà nèma takìva rabòti

everybody came out. But now they don’t do such things [any more].

26 (f) nì vilìgden’ se znàe kogà e nì bužìk kòj kogà nàe

People don’t even know when Easter is, or Christmas. Whenever anyone finds [something],

27 (f) togàa edè i mrɤ̀fki i jàjca i sìčko togàj biše

he eats it right then – meat and eggs and everything. But back then it was –

31 (f) pà takà sàa štò sàa ni znàim nìšto

and the same again. [But] what now? Now we don’t know anything.

32 (f) narèt je sìčko kòj kogà nàe

Anything goes. People [eat] whatever they find [whenever they want].

33 (GK) mlàdite ne znàjat vìe mòže da pàzite

The young people don’t know. [But] you [all] can keep [the fasts].

34 (f) nèkoj òšte pàzet nèkade ama rètko tì ako pàziš drùgio ne pàzi

Some people still keep [the fasts], but rarely. If you keep one, another won’t keep it,

35 (f) i takà a togàj semèjno sìčko se pòsti sìčkoto semèjstvo

and so on. But back then [it was a] family [affair]. All fasts kept, [by] the entire family.

38 (f) na kokòški li e izmìem panìci̥te togàj nèmaše pràx s pèpel

or the chickens. Then we wash the pans, with ash – there was no detergent powder then.

82 (f) i sèkakvi takòva igràat pròsat sàa ni pròsat da ti go kàža

in all sorts of ways, and dance, and beg. [But] now they don’t beg, to tell you the truth.

89 (f) i decàta òdea po sùrva ne sè pràeja malènki

The children went out on the New Year’s “surva”. The little ones didn’t,

90 (f) sàa se pràat e takvìa

but now they do as well.

92 (f) malènki a tugàj sàmo stàrite si

The little ones. But back then only the older ones.

Srebŭrna 1

79 (a) i tɤ̀j b’ù̟wəše enò wr’ème

Anyway, that’s how it used to be in the old days.

113 (a) kəkò ìmə jurgàn:t’ȅ ìmə ràkli idnò vr’ème ni bèše kat segà

what [there is]. There are quilts, there are chests – Back then it wasn’t like now

114 (a) garderòpi ama ràkla sɤndɤ̀k tɤ̀j kàktu̥ e

[when you have] wardrobes, but a chest, something like a trunk.

Srebŭrna 2

2 (c) dà sə srigɤ̀t əmə nə vr’èm:tu ufc’ète vɤ̀lnəta b’è skɤ̀pə b’è

Yes, people shear [them], but in the old days wool brought a good price, you know!

3 (c) sigà jnò k’ilò vɤ̀l’nə də prodəd’èš zə pidisè stutìnki

Now a kilo of wool [only] brings you fifty stotinkas.

7 (c) nìštu nì jə zɤ̀mət tùrcitȅ minòət uttùkə i vìkət

They don’t pay anything for it. These Turks come through here and call out,

8 (c) àjde vɤ̀lna vɤ̀lna zɤ̀məm òr’evi zɤ̀məm i nìštu nè jə plàštət

“Hey there, we buy wool! Wool! We buy walnuts!” but they don’t pay anything for it,

9 (c) pək pr’ədì

whereas before …

11 (c) mi sə srùvə pərɤ̀tə l’i b’èše pò mnògu kəkò b’èši̥ p’èt l’èvə

… it seemed to me that money was worth more. How much was it then? Five levs?

12 (c) əmə s’à p’èt l’èvə pidisè stutìnki l’i sə be tò srəmutà

But now five levs are worth only fifty stotinkas, right? Well, I tell you, that’s a disgrace.

14 (c) i kəkwò jə prirəbòtuə pək sià n’àə kòj də jə prirəbòtuə li

And as for processing the wool, well there’s nobody to do that now,

15 (c) kəkò èj ut tùj xòrtə vèk’e sə utkàzuwə ut t’ès ufc’è

and I guess that’s why people here have already quit keeping sheep –

16 (c) štòtu nìštu ni plàštət vɤ̀lnətə

because nobody pays anything for the wool.

18 (c) a pək nìj sel’endùr:tȅ nəučèni səs vɤ̀l’n’eni čuràpi

But us simple country folk, we’ve grown up with these woolen socks,

20 (c) vɤ̀l’n’eni el’èčətə

and woolen vests,

22 (c) i nòsim tùkətɤ̀jki i sjà n’àma məšìni li n’àmə də jə prirəbòtvət

and we wear them here. None now though, and no machines or whatever to process it.

23 (c) mnògu jèftino i pək plàštət plàštət də kàem pu dvà l’èwa

It’s [all] very cheap now, they pay – let’s say they pay [the shepherd] two levs per

33 (c) əmə s’a kət n’àməmi pək ə səm duvòlnə i ut kòz’əšku̥tu

But now that we don’t have [sheep] – Still I’m happy with goat’s [milk],

100 (c) s’à kò znàet tès mlàtt’ȅ nìštu ne znàet n’àmə stàn n’àmə nìštu

What do these young people know now? They know nothing! No looms, no nothing.

155 (c) nògu rəgòski òrtə žuvèli inò wrème əma nə rəgòskətə

[and so] lots of straw mats. That’s how people lived in the old days, with straw mats.

156 (c) a pək nìj sigànkə rəgòski n’àmə əmà i nìj putkuàəme stàit’ȅ

But now there aren’t any straw mats. Now we put floorboards in the rooms,

177 (c) pu pu dɤ̀skit’ȅ č’i tɤ̀j bèši inò wrèmi tɤ̀j tɤ̀j sne živèli

on the boards. And that’s how it was in the olden days, that’s how we lived,

178 (c) amə nìj kət prəd nàs stàr:tȅ sə žuvèli kət kàzwət

like the older [generations] before us had lived, as they say.

179 (c) tòj mòju sv’èkər sè kàzvəšə̥ a vìj s’à ni ər’èsvəti

My father-in-law always said, “You don’t like [anything] now.”

180 (c) inò wrèmi màmə kàj kət svərì inɤ̀ t’èndžerə bòp

In the old days, Mom says, when she made a pan of beans,

181 (c) i t’à bəkɤ̀renə tèndžərə c’àlə nd’èl’ə edèm kàzwə nègu bòp

one of those big copper pans, we would eat that for an entire week, these beans.

182 (c) i tòj nè upràžen n’è nìštu pək s’à sə izn’èžiwme i nìj

And they weren’t fried or anything. But now even we have gotten soft.

183 (c) əmə mlàttȅ s’a pək òšte pò iznèžini i tɤ̀j təkòs b’èš’i

But the young people now are even more spoiled. So – that’s how it was.

Stakevci 4

42 (f) obùemo nèšto kvò onò odàvna smo

We put something on our feet. This or that. A long time ago we –

43 (f) pò ràno òdejmo u opɤ̀nci [laughter]

earlier we used to go about in opŭnci (folk shoes). [laughter]

93 (f) i odgòre pràimo klàšn’e i ne smò umejàli

Well, for on top we make homespun [fabric]. We didn’t know how –

94 (f) imàlo e òvce po dva.trìeset òvce e imàlo

There used to be sheep, each [one] had up to twenty or thirty sheep

95 (f) ne smò umejàli da si ispletèmo vḷnèlu

[but] we didn’t know how to knit sweaters.

96 (f) nè.znam kvì smo bilì tò glùpavi čovèci

I don’t know what sort of silly folk [we were, but]

98 (f) ne smò se setìli da si ispletèmo čeràpe smo plèli i klàšn’e

we didn’t figure out how to knit them. We did knit socks, and homespun.

129 (f) i ozgòr suknò i tòj ama nìkoj nè e umejàl

and on top, the tunic, and that’s it. But nobody knew how

130 (f) da si ispletè sɤ̀k kvè vanèle pletù ot ə vḷ̀nu

to knit for themselves. Now they knit all sorts of pullovers from wool

131 (f) tegàj nèmaše

[but] back then there weren’t any.

133 (f) mì ùmemo da si pletèmo ama nìkoj se nè e sečàl

We know how to knit, but nobody ever figured it out.

134 (f) nìkoj ne nòseše

[So] nobody wore [anything other than rough fabric clothing].

Stalevo 2

17 (IV) tugàva burkàni ìmaše li

Were there jars back then?

20 (a) n’èmə

[No,] there weren’t.

21 (GK) n’àmaše burkàni

There weren’t any jars.

22 (a) tugàvə sùhi ràbut’i̥

[Back] then [we had] dried things.

Stančov Han 1

31 (a) è s tәkòvә i sә ublìčәmi pәk ìnәči s’èki d’èn si nòs’әt

That’s what we put on. Otherwise, for every day they dressed

32 (a) kàktu si i tɤ̀j sә ublìčәmi

like we dress now.

51 (a) b’èli xùbәvi tò sigà e mlәd’èžә n’è znài dә prid’è

nice and white. But now young people don’t know how to spin,

52 (a) n’è dә pri plit’è dè [laughter] r’àtku sә d’èt si znàjәt [laughter]

nor to knit. [laughter]. It’s rare [laughter]. that any [of them] know [laughter].

60 (a) dà tɤ̀j b’èši i sìčku i sigà i pàk pridɤ̀t dè

Yes, that’s how it was. Everything. People spin now too, you know.

61 (a) kòjtu ìmә ufc’è pàk pridɤ̀t pàk si pridɤ̀t dàvәd gu

Those who have sheep still spin. They still spin. [Sometimes] they give it out

68 (a) dà ìmә è gu è tàm ud mòjә ednì nə təkòs

Yes. There are. See over there [what’s left] of mine. Some –

69 (a) i upàški ustànәə drùgətə jә nәr’àzәә nə zə dәrvà [laughter]

[some of the] frame beams remained, and the rest they cut up for firewood. [laughter]

Stančov Han 2

11 (b) tugàs n’àməše tòpki kɤt sigà də fɤ̀rl’əmi tòpkiti də

Back then there weren’t balls, like we all throw balls around now [for play],

12 (b) də tugàs ùrkətə ùrkətə i šə prid’èš i šə təčèš i

to – Back then it was the distaff. The distaff, and you’ll spin and you’ll weave and –

28 (b) əm či màjkə mi me ùči̥ ə sigà kugàtu gi gl’èdəm

Well [of course] my mother taught me. But now when I look at them

29 (b) tò ne ulàv’ə ə ràbutə s’è tòpkətə

they don’t [even] start working. Always [throwing] balls!

Stančov Han 3

4 (c) tùkə imòt tùkə uvòšneni drəfčètə nə vrèmitu

In the old days you had here estates, with fruit trees [or]

6 (c) ud ùbəvi pò ùbəvi bəščìnki s’èki si b’èši ubzəv’èl nəgləsìl

with little gardens each nicer than the other. Everyone had equipped his, set it up –

7 (c) nəpràiə dizis’è nəpràiə blòkuvi

[but then] they built the state farms, amalgamated the land,

8 (c) kàrəə pràiə lɤ̀gɤɤ kràdiə nàj pudìr’e fəlìrə sìčkutu

drove [everything off], did [all that], told lies, stole – and finally it all went bankrupt.

9 (c) i sià sìčku zəpustè nìštu kɤ̀rištə n’è sə kusì

and now it’s all gone to waste. Nothing. The fields neither get mown

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PAST VS. PRESENT

Repljana 3

Salaš

Široka Lŭka

Skrŭt 2

Skrŭt 3

Srebŭrna 1

Srebŭrna 2

Stakevci 4

Stalevo 2

Stančov Han 1

Stančov Han 2

Stančov Han 3

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