Montenegrin dialects have long been treated as part of the Serbian or Serbo-Croatian language in traditionalist dialectology. Even though they are among the best studied dialects of Slavic languages, this is the first monograph offering a synthesis of Montenegrin dialects. In Adnan Cirgic's Dialectology of the Montenegrin Language, Cirgic addresses them as a compact unit, mostly corresponding to Montenegrin state borders, with isoglosses that cross those borders- as it tends to occur with dialects in general. Cirgic brings a different approach to classification of Montenegrin dialects, free from ideological shackles imposed by unitarian language policy in former Yugoslav federation, which included Montenegro as one of its constituent members. In addition to the classification of Montenegrin dialects and a summary overview of features of individual dialects and speech groups, this book also brings a comprehensive overview of the history of studying of those dialects since the 19th century, along with an exhaustive dialectological bibliography of Montenegro.
Adnan Cirgic is dean of the Institute for the Montenegrin Language and Literature.
Contents Editor's Preface Author's Preface List of Abbreviations History of Studying of Montenegrin Dialects On Previous Classifications of Montenegrin Dialects Issue of Classification of Montenegrin Dialects Accentual System of Montenegrin Dialects Jat Alternants in Montenegrin Dialects The Issue of Semivowel in Montenegrin Dialects The Issue of Vowel Group AO in Montenegrin Dialects Main Features of Individual Speech Groups in Montenegro Northwestern Montenegrin Dialects Southeastern Montenegrin Dialects Summary Bibliography Subject Index Index of Names Index of Word Forms
"Cirgic's monograph on the Stokavian dialects of Montenegro provides a modern and up-to-date overview of the kind one very rarely encounters in English. Montenegrin dialects represent one of the marginal dialect areas of Slavic, encompassing both remarkable archaisms and fascinating innovations. The book, authored by a leading expert in the field, will be of great interest to Slavists, as well as to dialectologists, phonologists, and historical linguists in general." -- Mate Kapovic, University of Zagreb "Cirgic's book brings the first comprehensive view of the dialect situation in Montenegro, with implications for contiguous dialects, to a broad international audience, now mediated through English. The rich Montenegrin dialect refugium is a boon to language variationists and Slavic accentologists. The author contextualizes the study of Montenegrin dialects, which helps researchers to navigate the complex literature and previous descriptive treatments of the region that have been produced over the course of more than a century. As such, this book is a significant milestone in the post-Yugoslav study of South Slavic dialectology." -- Joseph Schallert, University of Toronto
