1. THE BULGARIAN LANGUAGE
Bulgarian language is an Indo –European language, a member of the Slavic branch which
originates from a common Proto-Slavic language.
During the first century A.D. Proto-Slavs inhabited the territories from the north of the
Carpathians to the Baltic Sea.
Since the fourth century A.D. Proto-Slavs started moving east- , south- and northward
dispersing over a large territory which led to breaking up the Slav’s language entity.
Other Slavic languages are Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Serbian,
Croatian, Slovenian.
Different Slavic languages have specific features which differentiate one from the other but
up to the present day they still retain their common Proto-Slav legacy which explains the
close analogy between them.
Specific characteristic features of Bulgarian language are:
The definite article at the end of words,
The existence of the specific sound ъ /ɤ/ Път, зъб, дъб
Specific sounds ДЖ