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Bulgarian

A language of Bulgaria

ISO 639-3: bul

Population	7,990,000 in Bulgaria (1986). Population total all countries: 9,097,220.
Region	Also in Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Libya, Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation (Europe), Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey (Europe), Ukraine, United States.
Alternate names	Balgarski
Dialects	Palityan (Palitiani, Bogomil). Palityan dialect is functionally intelligible with Standard Bulgarian. The Pomak dialect spoken in Greece is similar to Serbian and Bulgarian; geographical dialect variation toward each.
Classification	Indo-European, Slavic, South, Eastern
Language use	National language. The Sopa are of Petecheneg origin and speak Bulgarian.
Language development	Fully developed. Bible: 1864–1923.
Writing system	Cyrillic script.
Comments	SVO. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Greece

Language name	Bulgarian
Population	30,000 in Greece (1998 Greek Helsinki Monitor).
Region	Western Thrace, 3 departments, including Xanthi.
Language map	Greece and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Dialects	Pomak (Pomakci, Pomakika).
Language use	Home. Also use Turkish [tur] or Greek [ell].
Comments	Also referred to locally as ‘Macedonian’ and ‘Vlach’. The term ‘Vlach’ is applied variously to varieties of Bulgarian, Romani, and Romanian in Romania, Greece, Albania, and Serbia. Many Greek [ell] loanwords and others from ancient Thracean [txh] and Illyrian [xil]. Viewed as Turks in Greece. Muslim.

Moldova

Language name	Bulgarian
Population	395,000 in Moldova.
Language use	68% speak it as L1.
Comments	Christian.

Romania

Language name	Bulgarian
Population	6,750 in Romania (2002 census).
Region	Romanian Banat. Palityan also in Bulgaria and Hungary.
Dialects	Palityan (Palitiani, Bogomil).
Language use	In Romania it is a recognized minority language.
Comments	Christian.

Serbia

Language name	Bulgarian
Population	60,000 in Serbia (2006) in Serbia.
Region	Dmitrovgrad and Bosiljgrad districts.

Turkey (Europe)

Language name	Bulgarian
Population	300,000 in Turkey (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). Refugees from Bulgaria.
Region	Scattered in Edirne and other western provinces.
Alternate names	Pomak
Dialects	Pomak.
Language use	Spoken by Muslim Pomaks in Turkey and Greece. Also use Turkish [tur].
Comments	Muslim (Sunni).

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

KOLGJINI, Julie May, author. 2001. Review of: Comparative syntax of Balkan languages, Maria-Luisa Rivero and Angela Ralli, editors.

MILCH, Aleksander B., author. 1986. The Bulgarian participle.

MILCH, Aleksander B., author. 1988. On the renarrative mood in Bulgarian.