Towards a revised classification of the Ukrainian dialects of Voronezh

The article analyzes Ukrainian dialects in Voronezh Region to refine their classification. Previous classifications have delineated the boundary between resettled PoLesian and SLobozhan dialects rather loosely, with discrepancies among different scholars (e.g., F.T. ZhyLko and H.T. SoLonska). In 2024, the authors conducted field research in several villages in the Podgorensky Districtnamely Kolodezhnoe, Saguny, Bolshaya Khvoshchevatka, Yudino, and Kostomarovo - all founded in the 18th century. The study focuses particularly on the dialect of Yudino. To identify the area of original migration, a set of diagnostic features were selected, including: the reflex of stressed *o resulting from compensatory Lengthening after the Loss of “reduced” vowels (jers); the reflex of *e; the genitive singular feminine forms of demonstrative pronouns; the nominative singular masculine ending of adjectives; the nominative pLuraL ending of adjectives; variation in the 3rd person singular present tense of Class 3 verbs (znaje ~ zna); and the distribution of the endings -e (khode)and -yt'/-if(sydit) i n the 3rd person singular present tense of Class 4 verbs, depending on stress. A comparison with Linguistic-geographic data of The Atlas of the Ukrainian Language was performed, and locations with the the highest concentration of matching features were identified. The study concludes that the origin of the Yudino dialect can be localized to the PriLuki region, where transitional dialects between the East PoLesian and Middle Dnieper groups are prevalent. Consequently, a new classification is proposed, dividing the Voronezh Ukrainian dialects into three zones: a northern (PoLesian) zone, a southern (SLobozhan) zone, and a central zone - genetically linked to the transitional area around Priluki.

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