personal narratives

Stakevci 1

29 (a) namèsto tò edìn milicionèr me zbrkà što jà ne sɤ̀m odìla

That is, a policeman confused me, because I had [never] gone there

30 (a) i ne znàm sɤs kòj rèjs da putùəm

and I didn’t know which bus to take.

31 (a) i pìtam milicionèra da mi kàže kɤdè e

So I asked the policeman to tell me where it was,

32 (a) stoì tòo rèjs štòto če da putùe za ràzgrad

[where] is the stall [for] that bus that would be going to Razgrad.

34 (a) òn mi kazà kudè e onò tàm ne è bilò

The place he told me to go was apparently not the right one,

35 (a) a jà se tegàj ukačì gdèto òn kazà

but I got on where he told me to.

37 (a) jà se ukačì i kat sèdo onò se ùkači edna kondùktorka žènska

I got on, and when I sat down this female ticket-taker got on.

39 (a) i vednɤ̀ga na mène dojdè pṛ̀va

And she came straight of to me first of all,

41 (a) i mi ednɤ̀k nàdupči bilètɤ ne mè pità

and immediately punched my ticket. She didn’t ask

42 (a) za gdè si nì pa četè u tòa

“Where are you going?” nor did she look at this …

44 (a) u bilètɤ da vìdi kɤ̀v je

… ticket to see what kind it was.

46 (a) i nelì dɤšterà mi pìše pismò i jà po pismòto putuvà

You see, my daughter wrote me a letter, and I’m traveling according to the letter

47 (a) onà mi pìše kudè kakvò če vìdim če mìnem

She wrote me [about] where [we’d travel], what I’d see on the way.

49 (a) dobrè ama jà do nègde vṛvè vṛvè i svè tekà razgledžuvà i

Fine, but I went along to a certain point, looking out at everything

50 (a) i po pismòto opazì če ne otòdim kudè sɤm pošlà

and realized from the letter that I’m not going to the place I had set out for.

52 (a) zbṛkàla sɤm tòj jà si miruvà nìšto ne kazà

I’d gotten confused. He [confused me]. I stayed quiet, and didn’t say anything.

53 (a) rèko sɤ̀k kudè sprè rèjsɤt če da

I said [to myself that] when the bus stops, I’ll …

55 (a) pìtam

… ask.

58 (a) vṛvè vṛvè i onò edɤ̀n brèk kakò na nàs

[So] I kept on going, and then there was a cliff like we [have]

59 (a) ovdèg dòle popòva.padìna edɤ̀n brèk i tùk tàm se vìdi

here down at Popova Padina. A cliff, and here and there you could see

60 (a) tekà keremìtke stṛčù onò i kako u gòru kato ulèzo

these tiles peeking up. It was like I went into the woods,

61 (a) nègde u ednu padìnu a onò kondùktorɤt i šofjòrɤt

somewhere into a pit. And [when we stopped] the driver and conductor

62 (a) jednɤ̀k slèzoše i otòše u ednà magà tekvàj pìvnica

both got off and went into – into this sort of bar.

63 (a) a onò mòs ìma tekà i onì prèz mòstɤ minàše̥

There was a bridge there, and they crossed the bridge …

66 (a) ta otòše u pìvnicutu jà pogledà tekà kò da pràim sɤ̀ga

… and went into the bar. I looked around [and thought] “What shall I do now?”

67 (a) onò edɤ̀n stàrc tekà sèdɤl na ednù pèjčicu ta sedì

when [I spied] an old man [who’d] sat down on a bench. He’s sitting there,

68 (a) i jà slèzo sɤz bagàžɤt i otò pri stàreca pa rekò

so I got off with my luggage and went over to the old man and said,

69 (a) drugàrju jà mi kažì tì kàk se kàzva tovà selò tùka

“Comrade, tell me please what is the name of this village here.”

70 (a) rèče è jà te poznàvam po prìkaskata tì si severjànka

He said, “Ah, I can tell from your speech that you are a northerner.”

72 (a) rekò abe severnjàčka sɤm severnjàčka ama

I said, “Well [yes], I’m a northerner. A northerner, but –

78 (a) ama kažì mi kàk se kàzva tovà selò

but [please] tell me what this village is called!”

80 (a) òn rèče tovà selò se kàzva ezerčè i jà si izvadì

He said, “This village is called Ezerche.” So I took out

81 (a) portmonèto ìmaše si mòlifče i si zapisà selòto

my wallet – there was a pencil [in it] – and wrote down [the name of] the village.

82 (a) rèče nèma da se bojìš tì segà kad dòjde kondùktora i šofjòra

He said, “Don’t be afraid. You just [tell] – when the driver and conductor come –

83 (a) kondùktorɤ e vinòvɤn trèbe da te taksùva obràtno

It’s the conductor’s fault. They should take you back

84 (a) bèz da plàštaš i tekà i stànu kondùktorɤ se izvinì

at no cost to you. And that’s what happened. The conductor apologized.

86 (a) rèče izvin’àvam se drugàrko mlògo štòto às sɤm dlɤ̀žna

She said, “Excuse me, comrade. I’m very much [at fault] because it’s my job

87 (a) da vìdim kakvò dùpčim

to see what [sort of tickets] I punch.

89 (a) əə a jà kat ne sɤ̀m vidèla segà nèma da plàštaš no

And since I didn’t look, now you won’t have to pay.

90 (a) no sàmo ednò če če si izvàdiš drùg bilèt

You just will get another ticket [on my account].

Stakevci 2

1 (a) kat otò u kubràt tàm i lènče mi gòtvi

When I went there to Kubrat, Lenche was cooking [something] for me

7 (a) dobrè ama lènče rèče màjko idì otkinì tàmo

Well anyway, Lenche said, “Mom, go pick [me some herb] over there.”

8 (a) za kakvò i trèbeše nè.znam

What she needed it for I don’t know.

14 (a) jà izlèzo nelì onà me nàredi jà izlèzo

So I went out, after all she had told me to [go get this herb], I went out …

16 (a) stovà tò u gradìnutu i stovà stovà stovà

… and I stood there in the garden. And I stood [there], and stood, and stood.

17 (c) [laughter] nè.znam kvò da vi

[laughter] I don’t know what to –

18 (a) no nè.znam sɤ̀k koè da otkìnem ne znàm kò e

But I didn’t know which one to pick. I didn’t know what it was.

19 (a) mi onà počekàla počekàla pa me nèma onà dojdè

So she waited, waited. And [when] I didn’t show up, she came and said,

20 (a) pa rèče no àjde màjko štò se bàviš rèko

and said, “Well come on, mother, what’s keeping you?” [And] I said,

21 (a) sìne onò jà tì me pràti za nèakvo ama nò

“Child, well, this – you sent me off for something or another, but, well –

22 (a) jà nè.znam tòj kakò se zovè kvò e tòj

I don’t know what it’s called. [I don’t know] what it is.”

23 (a) òx rèče àla ti si nè.znaš li kvò je

“Oh,” she said, “you silly! You don’t know that?

24 (a) pred jùrkini selìn ìma

[It’s what’s] in front of the Jurkins’ [house, where] there’s hogweed.

25 (a) no tòj selìn ama mì ga tekà zovèmo

That’s hogweed, but here we call it by this [other name].”

27 (a) tùj se tekà kazùe

Here they call it this [other name].

29 (a) a jà se ne mòk sètim

And I just couldn’t figure it out.

Stakevci 3

9 (a) i edɤ̀n pùt ə edɤ̀nijɤt unùk mi ne è si znàl uròkɤt

And one time one of my grandsons didn’t know his lesson [at school].

10 (a) i učìtelkata ga karàla da da si raskàže uròkət òn mirùe

And the teacher tried to make him recite the lesson, but he was silent.

11 (a) onà ga pàk poteràla òn si mirùe onà reklà

She prodded him again, and he remained silent. [Then] she said,

12 (a) rùmene ùmeš li da govòriš a òn rekɤ̀l če da oràtim

“Rumen, don’t you know how to talk?” And he said, “I’ll talk

13 (a) amà ako mòš tì na mèn da odgɤ̀tneš gàtankutu

but [only] if you can solve a riddle for me,

15 (a) če da o prodḷžìm ako li nè ama če pìšem jà

then I will continue. And if you can’t, then I will write down

16 (a) na tèbe pòsle dvòjku onà ženàta reklà dobrè amà dàj si belèžnika

a failing mark for you.” So the woman said, “OK, but [first] give me your school card

17 (a) da da ti pìšem dvè štò si ne znajà uròkɤt a òn rekɤ̀l

so – so I can record an “F” for you because you didn’t know the lesson." But he said,

18 (a) a òn rekɤ̀l če ti dadèm belèžnikət kat tì kakò odgɤ̀tneš na mène

But he said, “I’ll give you my school card when you solve [the riddle] for me,

19 (a) ta da ne pìšem jà na tèbe na belèžnikɤt

otherwise I’m going to put a mark for you in the school card.”

21 (a) i onà reklà dobrè kažì kakvò e a òn rekɤ̀l

And she said, “OK, tell me what it’s about.” And he said,

22 (a) če mi kàžeš kakvò e tòj kotel’àč’ i gruvel’àč’ onà ženàta

“You [need] to tell me what that [phrase] kotel’ač i gruvel’ač means.” [So] she, the woman –

26 (a) reklà dobrè kat si ošlà večertùtu u dòm i uzèla rèčnik

said, “OK.” And that evening when she went home, she got out the dictionary

27 (a) nelì tàm štò po naùčno četèla četèla četèla

so as to be, you know, more scientific about it. She said she read, and read, and read.

28 (a) cèlu nòč sɤm sedèla i ne sɤ̀m ne mòg da nàjdem

“All night long,” she said, “I was sitting [there reading] and I couldn’t find

29 (a) tekvòj kotel’àč i gruvel’àč

the phrase ‘kotel’ač i gruvel’ač."

32 (a) ama onà jutròto srètla mu màter išlà pa reklà lènče

But she met his mother the next morning, she came [to her] and said, “Lenče …"

34 (a) tvòja učenìk

"… your pupil …"

36 (a) ne znajà si uròkɤt

"… didn’t know his lesson …"

38 (a) i mi e zadàl nèšto

"… and he gave me this task, something …"

40 (a) da kàžem

"… that I [need to] say."

42 (a) ama jà ne mòg

"But I couldn’t …"

44 (a) da mu odgɤ̀tnem

"… figure out the answer to the riddle."

46 (a) i če mi pìše òn na mène dvè

"And [now] he’s going to write down a failing grade for me.

47 (a) dè mi kažì tàja stàk’ovska nèšto dùma ne è kubràtska

So tell me, is this some sort of Stakevtsi word? It’s not a Kubrat word.”

60 (a) tòj e stàk’ovska dùma

“That’s a Stakevtsi word.

63 (a) za tòj tì ne mòš odgɤ̀tneš nìkada

That’s why you’d never be able to guess [what it means].

65 (a) tò nelì čovèk kat pàdne òn se skotèl’a

It’s, you know, when a person falls down he gets all messed up

66 (a) i gru i se zgruvelisàl nàzɤm tè ti skotel’àč i gruvel’àč

and crashes to the ground. So you see, it [means] mess and wreckage.”

Stalevo 4

22 (b) à jà sàmu jà zapòmnih tàmkənə nè̝ e nàš čìču

Well, the only [thing] I remembered from here – it’s not my uncle –

23 (b) təkà f məhlàtə prəs trì kʌ̀šti sme

but in the neighborhood three houses away from us.

24 (b) mòjtə màjkə e prem’èn’ələ t’àhnətə dʌ̀šter’ə kugàt bəštà ni e pučɨ̀nəl

My mother had dressed up their daughter when their father died

25 (b) nə nègə sə preublìcələ i [unintelligible] se ubl’àkələ kakə velìčkə

She dressed like her father, and sister Velichka also got dressed.

26 (b) tə nèjnətə sèstrə pristànə nə əd’ɨ̀n ərgàt’ɨn vəf

And [it was] her sister [who] ran off with a hired worker in –

27 (b) tòj nè̝ č’ə b’e̝dni hòrətə imàne ìmət

He wasn’t [hired out] because [his] people were poor; [in fact] they had property.

28 (b) əmə mlògu bràt’ə̥ pòčnəl də gi c’en’àvə ərgàt’e̥ bəštàtə̥

But [there were] many brothers, so their father started hiring them out.

29 (b) i t’à pristànvə to i nìe znàehme nìe kət màl’ki s dòbrə

So she eloped. And we knew about it. My sister Dobra and I, when we were little,

30 (b) vìdehme kugàt kugà utìd’e t’à s n’è̝gə gà prɨstànə tòj

we watched when she went off with him, when she eloped. He …

32 (b) izl’èze izl’àl nə d’èt bèše ərgàtin tòj bèše u d’àdui

… left the place where he’d been a worker; he was at our grandfather’s,

33 (b) u nə mòjə d’àdu u brətoč’e̝də d’àdu gòd’u b’è̝še ərgàt’ɨn

at my grandfather’s cousin’s: he was a worker at Grandpa Godyo’s,

34 (b) əmə nìe màl’ki behme əmə s’àtəhme se če sa l’ùb’ət

We were little, but we caught on that they were in love.

36 (b) i ònijə kàkə mərjònə tòj zəmìnə od dàmə

That one, [the lover of] sister Mariona, he stepped out from behind the stable,

37 (b) i t’à mu svɤ̀rtə gləvʌ̀tə də ìdət n du pòrt’it’e càrigràtskuto šòše

she nodded to him that they [should] go to the gates [near] Tsarigrad Road.

39 (b) i tòj si obl’àkəl drѐ̝hit’ȅ i t’à kət premen’àvə premen’è̝nə

And he had put on these clothes and when she dressed up – she’d dressed up,

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personal narratives

Stakevci 1

Stakevci 2

Stakevci 3

Stalevo 4

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personal narratives

Stakevci 1

Stakevci 2

Stakevci 3

Stalevo 4

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