Korcula Dialect

Korcula Town photo by Peter Zuvela

Korcula dialect (or Korčulanski) ^[1] is a Croatian dialect from the island of Korčula.The island of Korčula lies just off the Dalmatian coast in Croatia.^[2] According to the Croatian Anthropological Society in their Collegium Antropologicum (Volumes 15-16) the language base of the Korčula dialect is Chakavian Croatian (it is also intermixed with Shokavian).^[3] The dialect has remnants of the extinct Romance language, Dalmatian.^[4] The Dalmatian remnants within the dialect have been referred to as Corzulot.

Additionally it has influences of Venetian. The local dialect is sometimes referred to as Naski or more correctly Naški.^[5] The š is pronounced sh. Sir John Gardner Wilkinson, ^[6] a 19 century English historian, referred to the Dalmatian Slavic dialect as Illirskee.^[7]

Examples

Examples of Corzulot words compared with Vegliot, English and Croatian:

(Corzulot^[8]/Vegliot/English/Croatian)

Buža/Bus/Hole/Rupa
Čimitir/Čimitier/Graveyard/Groblje
Dent/Diant/Tooth/Zub
Faculet/Fazuol/Handkerchief/Rubac
Fatiga/Fatica/Works/Radi
Fermaj/Fermai/Stop!/Stoj!
Jeloz/Golaus/Jealous/Ljubomoran
Kantat/Cantar/To sing/Pjevati

Encyclopedia Britannica on Vegliot:^[9]

“

Romance language formerly spoken along the Dalmatian coast from the island of Veglia (modern Krk) to Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik). Ragusan Dalmatian probably disappeared in the 17th century. The Vegliot Dalmatian dialect became extinct in the 19th century.

”

Additional words from the Korcula dialect

(Korcula dialect/English/Croatian)

Template:Col-break

adio /goodbye/ doviđenja
afitat/rent (Venetian:afìt)
alavia /it's Ok! /u redu
avižat /to arrive
balun/football (Venetian:balón)
banak /bench (Venetian:banca)
baraka /shed or shack (Venetian:baràca)
barba /uncle/stric (Venetian:barba)
barilo / barrel (Venetian:barìla)
barka /type of local boat (Venetian:bàrca)
bevanda /wine with water/vino sa vodom (Venetian:bevànda "watery wine")
beštija /animal/životinja (Latin:bestia also beast)
beštimat/swear (Venetian:bestiemàr)
bićerin /small glass (Venetian:bicér "glass")
bobon /lolly (Venetian:bonbón "sweet or candy")
boca/bottle/flaša (Venetian:boca)
bonaca/ the sea is dead calm (Venetian:bonàça)
botilja /bottle
bravo /well done
bukva /herring
bura /local wind
butiga /shop
cilo /wine without water/vino bez vode
cukar /sugar/ šečer
čakule /gosip
čagalj /jackal
čorav/ blind (Venetian:ciòro "blind person")
damižana /a netted bottle
daž/rain/ kiša
Defora in old Venetian means "from the outside".
Di greš?/Where are you going?
fabrika /factory/ tvornica (Latin: fabrica- manufacture or to craft, trade, art, trick, device)
fabrikat/to trick
feral / a gas or petroleum lamp for attracting fish (night fishing)
fermai /stop/ stani
forca/ power (apply with strength)
fortuna/ strong wind
fratar/priest (Latin: frater brother)
fuga /gap (Latin: flight, escape}
fumati/ smoking/pušiti
gira / a fish from Croatia
griža / hard stone
gundula /type of boat
gusto/thick
gustrina/rainwater reservoir
guzica/bottom
hoča/ lets go

Template:Col-break

kantat/to sing/pjevati (Latin:canto)
kajić/ type of local boat
kamara/ bedroom/ soba (latin:camera-vault, vaulted room)
kapula/onion/luk
katrida/ chair/stolica
katun/ corner
klapa/ an a cappella form of music (Venetian:clapa "singing crowd")
koltrine/ curtins
kontra /against/protiv (Latin:contra)
korač/ hammer
kormilo/ rudder
kužin/cousin/rođak (Venetian:cuxìn)
leut/ type of local boat
levant/ local wind
libro/ book/ knjiga
maistral /local wind
makina/ machine
mama/ mother/majka
Margun/ wood worker (Venetian:Marangòn)
mezo/in between (Venetian:mèzo "half")
mlinko/ milk
noštromo/ first mate
pamidora/ tomato
perun/ fork (Venetian: pirón from Greek: pirouni)
piat/ plate
postoli/ shoes/ cipele
postelja/bed
punistra/ window (Latin:fenestra)
rič/word
ritko/ not often
spim/I'm sleeping
skula/ school/ škola
soldi /money /novac (Latin:solidus)
šija/ reverse/ natra
šiloko/ local wind (Venetian: siròco)
škver/ shipyard/ brodgradilište
špirit/ spirit
šporko/ dirty (Venetian:spórco)
štrada/ street/ ulica
šufit/ attic or loft (Venetian:sofìta)
šugaman/ beach towel
tata/ father/ otac
tavajola/ table cloth
terpeza/ table/ stol
ura/ hour/ jedan sat
vapor/ ferry/ trajekt
vara vamo/ move on
Vi ga niste vidili./You did not see him.
zeje/local dish
zrcalo/mirror/ogledalo

Template:Col-end Each town and village on the island have their own unique version of the dialect.^[10] The Korčula dialect is found in the local folk music. The local Klape groups (an a cappella form of music) sing using the Korčula dialect.^[11] The well know Croatian singer, Oliver Dragojevic, has used the dialect in his music. Korčula's old name was Curzola. The island was from 1420 to 1797 part of the Republic of Venice. Melaina Korkyra (Greek: Μέλαινα Κόρκυρα, "Black Corfu") was the name of the island given by ancient Cnidian Greeks. The Old-Slavic term was Krkar.

The island of St Ivan (Vela Luka) photo by Peter Zuvela

References

^ The č is pronounced ch.
^ John Everett-Healu. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com
^ Collegium Antropologicum, Volumes 15-16 by Croatian Anthropological Society-1991. (p312 & p318)
^ Collegium Antropologicum, Volumes 15-16 by Croatian Anthropological Society-1991. (p311)
^ Note: Naški means "ours" thus meaning "our language" in Croatian.
^
Dalmatia and Montenegro: With a Journey to Mostar in Herzegovina by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson. (p33)
- Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (October 5, 1797 – October 29, 1875) was an English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. He is often referred to as "the Father of British Egyptology".
^ Illyricum was a Roman province named after one of the Indigenous groups in the region.
^ Wikipedia: Dalmatian language
^ Encyclopedia Britannica: History & Society-Vegliot Dalmatian
^ Wikipedia: Korcula, Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and Racisce and in the interior Zrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and Cara.
^ The traditional Klapa was composed of up to a dozen male singers (in recent times there are female Klape groups). Klapa singing dates back centuries. The arrival of the Croatians to Dalmatia and their subsequent settlement in the area, began the process of the cultural mixing of Slavic culture with that of the traditions of the Roman-Latin population of Dalmatia. This process was most evident in the coastal and island regions of Dalmatia. In the 19th century a standard form of Klapa singing emerged. Church music heavily influences the arrangements of this music giving it the musical form that exists today.

External Links

Chapel of Saint Kuzma and Damian on the island of Korcula. Photo by Peter Zuvela

Korcula Town photo by Peter Zuvela

Korcula Korčula Korčulanski Corzulot Croatian dialect Dalmatian Venetian Klapa Korcula town Vela Luka Blato Lumbarda Racisce Zrnovo Pupnat Smokvica Cara Croatia Dalmatia Korcula Korčula Dalmatia Korčulanski Korčula Dialect Dalmatian Language

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[1] The č is pronounced ch.

[2] John Everett-Healu. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com

[3] Collegium Antropologicum, Volumes 15-16 by Croatian Anthropological Society-1991. (p312 & p318)

[4] Collegium Antropologicum, Volumes 15-16 by Croatian Anthropological Society-1991. (p311)

[5] Note: Naški means "ours" thus meaning "our language" in Croatian.

[6] Dalmatia and Montenegro: With a Journey to Mostar in Herzegovina by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson. (p33)
Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (October 5, 1797 – October 29, 1875) was an English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. He is often referred to as "the Father of British Egyptology".

[7] Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (October 5, 1797 – October 29, 1875) was an English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. He is often referred to as "the Father of British Egyptology".

[7] Illyricum was a Roman province named after one of the Indigenous groups in the region.

[8] Wikipedia: Dalmatian language

[9] Encyclopedia Britannica: History & Society-Vegliot Dalmatian

[10] Wikipedia: Korcula, Vela Luka and Blato and the coastal villages of Lumbarda and Racisce and in the interior Zrnovo, Pupnat, Smokvica and Cara.

[11] The traditional Klapa was composed of up to a dozen male singers (in recent times there are female Klape groups). Klapa singing dates back centuries. The arrival of the Croatians to Dalmatia and their subsequent settlement in the area, began the process of the cultural mixing of Slavic culture with that of the traditions of the Roman-Latin population of Dalmatia. This process was most evident in the coastal and island regions of Dalmatia. In the 19th century a standard form of Klapa singing emerged. Church music heavily influences the arrangements of this music giving it the musical form that exists today.

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