Northern Russian Dialects

The Northern Russian Dialects are a group of dialects with their own unique phonetics, vocabulary, and phonology considered distinct from other Russian dialect groups such as the Central and Southern Dialects. Most of the Northern dialect territory spans above Novgorod. The North Russian Dialect obtains most of its identity by the unique pronunciation of vowels as well as some differences in vocabulary and phonology. In modern Russia, the Russian language has become more homogenized due to standardized education and greater access to long distance communication.

History

Early and late formations of the Russian Dialect

Old Russia or the “early formation” of the Russian language was established in the 9th century. This territory expanded east in the 16th century due to military conquests conducted by the Russian Army. This region is where the Russian language evolved and took its several dialectic forms. The line that separated Northern Russian dialects from Central Russian dialects ran from Novgorod to Kostroma. The geographical distinction between Northern, Southern, and Central dialects remained mostly the same within the early formation but became more blurred as territory grew east with different dialects of Russian mixing in similar regions. The regions that constitute this territory include Leningrad, Kostroma, Yaroslavi, Novgorod, Nizhny, Arkhangelsk and Vologda.

New Russia or the “late formation” came into existence due to conquests by Ivan Vasilyevich (Commonly known as “Ivan the Terrible”) in the 16th Century. Under this formation, the Russian language and its dialects evolved into what we recognize today as “Russian.”

Classification

North Russian Dialects consist of 5 sub dialects:
- Pomeranian - Often called “Kashubian”
- Vladimir-Volga
- Vologda-Kirov
- Olonets
- Novgorod

Vocabulary

The Northern Russia dialect contains many colloquialisms that are not found elsewhere in the Russian language. Many of these words stem from their unique cultural interaction with neighboring nations adjacent to the Northern border of Russia (Sussex 330). In addition, many words are derived from their very harsh year-around climate. For example, the common or central Russian word for Winter Crop is озимые культуры. This is similar to the English form as it is the adjective form of Winter or озимые followed by the noun Crop or культуры. In contrast, the North Russian word for Winter Crop is озимь.

Phonology

The Northern Russian dialect derives most of its identity from the character of unstressed vocalisms and the use of the phoneme g. Differences are especially apparent when observing the stressing of vowels between Northern and Southern Russian dialects.

Citation

Bukrinskaya, eta al. "Language of the Russian village: School dialectological atlas" AO Aspect Press, 1994. Accessed April 30, 2024.

Sussex, Cubberly. "Dialects of Russian." Cambridge University Press, 2006. Accessed April 30,2024.

Darden, Bill. "On Dissimilative Jakan'e In Russian dialects" Dacoromania, 2023. Accessed April 30, 2024.

Dunn, J. "The Nominative and Infinitive Construction in the Slavonic Languages" Slavonic and East European Review, 1982. Accessed April 30, 2024.

Willem, Verneer. "The rise of the North Russian Dialectic of Common Slavic" Brill, 1986. Accessed April 30, 2024.