Shopi
Encyclopedia
Shopi is a regional term referring to people that speak a transitional dialect
group of South Slavic
, self-identifying as Bulgarians
, Macedonians
and Serbs
. The areas traditionally inhabited by the Shopi is called Shopluk (Шоплук, Shopluk/srb. Šopluk), roughly where Bulgaria
, Serbia
and Macedonia
meet.
The Shopluk is a so called meso region, but has nevertheless been given an ethnographic character by Serbian and Bulgarian writers.
Shopluk was used by Bulgarians to refer to the borderlands of Bulgaria, the inhabitants were called Shopi. In Bulgaria, the Shopi designation is currently attributed to villagers around Sofia.
.
Yugoslav and Serbian writers put the Šopi (also Šopovi) as a subgroup of the Serb ethnos, emphasizing on the group being closer to Serbs than Bulgarians culturally and linguistically, calling it a population in a foreign (Bulgarian) area, at the Serbo-Bulgarian border. The Šopi left of the Pchinja river down to the Vardar called their language Serbian. Serbian ethnographer Jovan Cvijić
, at the Peace Conference in Paris
, showed a study where he divided the Shopluk into three groups, Serbs, mixed population, and a group closer to Bulgarians. He also emphasized on the Serb tradition of Slava
being an important cultural marker.
The Bulgarian writers put Shopi as a subgroup of the Bulgarian ethnos.
. The dialects spoken by the Shopi are sometimes collectively referred to as Shopski (Шопски), although this is not the accepted term in Bulgarian dialectology. The Torlak dialect is classified by Bulgarian linguists as part of the Shopi dialect, although Serbian linguists deny this. The groups that tend to be closely associated with that term and to match the stereotypical idea of "Shopski" speech are the South-Western Bulgarian dialects which go through Rila
mountain and the villages arround Sofia to Danube towns such as Vidin
. The Shopp dialect is most likely standard Bulgarian
, having some characteristic features shared with standard Serbian
.
People from Eastern Bulgaria
also call the people who live in Sofia
- Shopi, but as a result of the migration of whole Bulgaria
, the dialect is not majority in the city of Sofia
anymore. Instead, most of Sofia
residents speak literary Bulgarian language
with some elements of the western Bulgarian Shop dialect. The western Bulgarian dialect is still majority in the Sofia's villages and whole western Bulgaria, for example the big towns and cities of: (Sofia
and Pleven
- transitional speech with literary Bulgarian language), Pernik
, Kyustendil
, Vratsa
, Vidin
, Montana
, Dupnitsa, Samokov
, Lom
, Botevgrad
.
The exposition below is based on Stoyko Stoykov
's Bulgarian dialectology (2002, first ed. 1962) , although other examples are used. The Standard Bulgarian words and sentences are given in romanization
, with no attempt at scientific transcription apart from stress marking.
Some examples are:
is well developed as an art and is very conservative. Agriculture is the traditional main occupation, with cattle breeding coming second.
The traditional Shop house that has a fireplace in the centre has only survived in some more remote villages, being displaced by the Middle Bulgarian type. The villages in the plains are larger, while those in the higher areas are somewhat straggling and have traditionally been inhabited by single families (zadruga
). The unusually large share of placenames ending on -ovci, -enci and -jane evidence for the preservation of the zadruga until even after the 19th century.
. The rebec
, kaval
and bagpipe are popular instruments and two-part singing is common. Minor second intervals are common in Shop music and are not considered dissonant.
Two very popular and well-known fоlklore groups are Poduenski Babi and Bistrishki Babi — the Grandmothers of Poduene and Bistritsa
villages.
, named after this ethnographic group.
In the 19th century, around Vidin
, it was not unusual for a woman in her 25-30'ies to have a man of 15-16 years.
A distinguished writer from the region is Elin Pelin
who actually wrote some comic short stories and poems in the dialect, and also portrayed life in the Shopluk in much of his literary work.
- Even if the gasoline price grows to $100 I’ll still drive my car. Even if the price drops to a penny, I am not buying it still.
- I will set my house on fire so the fire spread over my neighbor’s barn.
- They pretend to pay me decent salary; I pretend that I am working (also very common in the former USSR).
- I take a look behind me – nothing; I take a look around me – nothing; and I am thinking – there is something. (It shows the paranoia of the Shop that the world is out to get him/her)
- A traveler came upon two Shopi sitting in the village square. Since he was traveling to Istanbul he asked one of them for directions in English. The Shopi made a clicking sound with his mouth and shook head, I don’t understand. The traveler attempted the same question in French, German, Russian, Spanish and other languages, but had the same result. Aggravated, the traveler started going in one direction that happened to be wrong. The second Shopi, observing this scene, lamented to his buddy “Ah, this guy knows so many languages and you knew none of them.” The first Shopi said “And what good did it do him?”.
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
group of South Slavic
South Slavic
South Slavic can refer to:* South Slavic languages* South Slavic peoples...
, self-identifying as Bulgarians
Bulgarians
The Bulgarians are a South Slavic nation and ethnic group native to Bulgaria and neighbouring regions. Emigration has resulted in immigrant communities in a number of other countries.-History and ethnogenesis:...
, Macedonians
Macedonians (ethnic group)
The Macedonians also referred to as Macedonian Slavs: "... the term Slavomacedonian was introduced and was accepted by the community itself, which at the time had a much more widespread non-Greek Macedonian ethnic consciousness...
and Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
. The areas traditionally inhabited by the Shopi is called Shopluk (Шоплук, Shopluk/srb. Šopluk), roughly where Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
and Macedonia
Republic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
meet.
The Shopluk is a so called meso region, but has nevertheless been given an ethnographic character by Serbian and Bulgarian writers.
Name
According to Institute for Balkan Studies, the Shopluk was the mountainous area on the borders of Serbia, Bulgaria and Macedonia, of which boundaries are quite vague, the term Shop has always denoted highlanders.Shopluk was used by Bulgarians to refer to the borderlands of Bulgaria, the inhabitants were called Shopi. In Bulgaria, the Shopi designation is currently attributed to villagers around Sofia.
Shopluk area
- Southeastern Serbia
- Krajište region
- VlasinaVlasinaVlasina may refer to:* Vlasina , a river in Serbia* Vlasina Lake, a lake in Serbia* Vlasina, a region in southeastern Serbia* Vlasina , a village and a mine in Serbia...
region
- Western Bulgaria
- West of Sofia, villages around Sofia
- Vidin ProvinceVidin ProvinceVidin Province is the northwesternmost province of Bulgaria. It borders Serbia to the west and Romania to the northeast. Its administrative centre is the city of Vidin on the Danube river. The area is divided into 11 municipalities...
- Kyustendil ProvinceKyustendil Province-Religion:Religious adherence in the province according to 2001 census:-Language:Mother tongues in the province according to 2001 census:* 153,242 Bulgarian * 7,929 Roma * 1363 others and unspecified -Ethnic groups:...
- Northeastern Macedonia
Classification
The noting of Shopi as a "group" began in the 19th-century migrational waves of poor workers from the so-called Shopluk, poor areas (villages) beyond SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
.
Yugoslav and Serbian writers put the Šopi (also Šopovi) as a subgroup of the Serb ethnos, emphasizing on the group being closer to Serbs than Bulgarians culturally and linguistically, calling it a population in a foreign (Bulgarian) area, at the Serbo-Bulgarian border. The Šopi left of the Pchinja river down to the Vardar called their language Serbian. Serbian ethnographer Jovan Cvijić
Jovan Cvijic
Jovan Cvijić was a Serbian geographer, president of the Serbian Royal Academy of Sciences, and rector of the University of Belgrade. A world-renowned scientist, Cvijić is considered the founder of geography in Serbia.-Early life and family:Jovan Cvijić was born on October 11 Jovan Cvijić...
, at the Peace Conference in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, showed a study where he divided the Shopluk into three groups, Serbs, mixed population, and a group closer to Bulgarians. He also emphasized on the Serb tradition of Slava
Slava
The Slava , also called Krsna Slava and Krsno ime , is the Serbian Orthodox tradition of the ritual celebration and veneration of a family's own patron saint. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the patron saint's feast day...
being an important cultural marker.
The Bulgarian writers put Shopi as a subgroup of the Bulgarian ethnos.
Dialects
Shopi speak a group of related dialects that belong to the "et" (western) group of Bulgarian dialectsBulgarian dialects
Bulgarian dialects are the regional spoken varieties of the Bulgarian language, a South Slavic language. Bulgarian dialectology dates to the 1830s and the pioneering work of Neofit Rilski, Bolgarska gramatika...
. The dialects spoken by the Shopi are sometimes collectively referred to as Shopski (Шопски), although this is not the accepted term in Bulgarian dialectology. The Torlak dialect is classified by Bulgarian linguists as part of the Shopi dialect, although Serbian linguists deny this. The groups that tend to be closely associated with that term and to match the stereotypical idea of "Shopski" speech are the South-Western Bulgarian dialects which go through Rila
Rila
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m...
mountain and the villages arround Sofia to Danube towns such as Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
. The Shopp dialect is most likely standard Bulgarian
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
, having some characteristic features shared with standard Serbian
Serbian language
Serbian is a form of Serbo-Croatian, a South Slavic language, spoken by Serbs in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia and neighbouring countries....
.
People from Eastern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
also call the people who live in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
- Shopi, but as a result of the migration of whole Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, the dialect is not majority in the city of Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
anymore. Instead, most of Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
residents speak literary Bulgarian language
Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is an Indo-European language, a member of the Slavic linguistic group.Bulgarian, along with the closely related Macedonian language, demonstrates several linguistic characteristics that set it apart from all other Slavic languages such as the elimination of case declension, the...
with some elements of the western Bulgarian Shop dialect. The western Bulgarian dialect is still majority in the Sofia's villages and whole western Bulgaria, for example the big towns and cities of: (Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
and Pleven
Pleven
Pleven is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality...
- transitional speech with literary Bulgarian language), Pernik
Pernik
Pernik is a city in western Bulgaria with a population of 81,052 . It is the main city of Pernik Province and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the Viskyar, Vitosha and Golo Bardo mountains.Originally the site of a Thracian fortress founded in the 4th century BC,...
, Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
, Vratsa
Vratsa
Vratsa is a city in northwestern Bulgaria, at the foothills of the Balkan Mountains. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Vratsa Province. As of February 2011, the town has a population of 60,482 inhabitants....
, Vidin
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, Dupnitsa, Samokov
Samokov
Samokov is a town in Sofia Province in the southwest of Bulgaria. It is situated in a kettle between the mountains Rila and Vitosha, 55 kilometres from the capital Sofia...
, Lom
Lom
Lom as an ethnic group:* Lom people, a Gypsy group, mainly in the CaucasusLom as a placename:* Lom, Norway, a municipality in Norway** Lom prisoner of war camp, a Norwegian prisoner of war camp in the above-mentioned location....
, Botevgrad
Botevgrad
Botevgrad ; pre-1866: Samundzhievo ), is a town in western Bulgaria. It is located in Sofia Province and is close to Pravets. Botevgrad is situated at a 47-km-distance from Sofia.-Geography:...
.
The exposition below is based on Stoyko Stoykov
Stoyko Stoykov
Stoyko Ivanov Stoykov was a Bulgarian linguist.- Biography :Graduated Slavic Philology at Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", . Specialized phonetics, dialectology and Slavic linguistics in Prague, Czech Republic . Was granted Ph.D. by the Univerzita Karlova...
's Bulgarian dialectology (2002, first ed. 1962) , although other examples are used. The Standard Bulgarian words and sentences are given in romanization
Romanization of Bulgarian
Romanization of Bulgarian is the practice of transliteration of text in the Bulgarian language from its conventional Cyrillic orthography into the Latin alphabet. Romanization can be used for various purposes, such as rendering of proper names and place names in foreign-language contexts, or for...
, with no attempt at scientific transcription apart from stress marking.
Phonology
- The variable known as /ja/ (променливо я), which corresponds to the Old Bulgarian yatYatYat or Jat is the thirty-second letter of the old Cyrillic alphabet. Its name in Old Church Slavonic is jěd’ or iad’ . In the common scientific Latin transliteration for old Slavic languages, the letter is represented by e with caron: .The yat represented a Common Slavic long vowel...
vowel and is realised, in the standard language, as /ja/ or /ʲa/ (/a/ with palatalisation of the preceding consonant) in some positions and /e/ in others, is always pronounced /e/ in Shopski. Example: fresh milk in Shopski - presno mleko (пресно млеко) compared with standard Bulgarian - prjasno mljako (прясно мляко).
- The verbal endings for first person singular and third person plural have no palatalisation. Example: to sit in Shopski - seda, sedǎ (седа/седъ) but in standard Bulgarian, sedjǎ (седя)
- There is little or no reductionVowel reductionIn phonetics, vowel reduction is any of various changes in the acoustic quality of vowels, which are related to changes in stress, sonority, duration, loudness, articulation, or position in the word , and which are perceived as "weakening"...
of unstressed vowels.
- The personal pronoun for the first person singular is ja (я) instead of az (аз).
- The personal pronouns for the third person are masc. on (он), fem. ona (она); neut. ono (оно), pl. oni (они).
- Palatalized /kʲ/ occurs in some cases where it is absent in the standard language. Examples: mother in Shopski is majkja (майкя) and in standard Bulgarian, majka (майка); Bankja (Банкя), the name of a town near Sofia, derived from Ban'-ka (Бань-ка), with a transfer of the palatal sound from /n/ to /k/.
Morphology
- The preposition (and prefix) "у" ("u") is used instead of "в" ("v"). Example: Shopski у градо (u grado) vs standard Bulgarian в града (v grada) (in town)
- Lack of past imperfect active participle, used to form the renarrative mood. In other words in these dialects there are forms like дал (dal), писал (pisal), мислил (mislil), пил (pil) (past aorist active participles), but no дадял (dadyal), пишел (pishel), мислел (mislel), пиел (piel).
Phonology
- In most (though not all) forms of Shopski, the stressed "ъ" (ɤ) sound of standard Bulgarian (which corresponds to Old Bulgarian big yus) or yerYerThe letter yer of the Cyrillic alphabet, also spelled jer or er, is known as the hard sign in the modern Russian and Rusyn alphabets and as er golyam in the Bulgarian alphabet...
) is substituted with /a/ or /o/. Example: Shopski моя/мойо маж ме лаже (moja/mojo maž me laže), че одим навонка (če odim navonka) vs standard Bulgarian моят мъж ме лъже, ще ходя навън/ка) (mojǎt mǎz me lǎže, šte hodja navǎn/ka), (my husband is lying to me, I'll be going out).
Morphology
- Most often the definite articleDefinite ArticleDefinite Article is the title of British comedian Eddie Izzard's 1996 performance released on VHS. It was recorded on different nights at the Shaftesbury Theatre...
for masculine nouns is -о (-o) or -от (-ot) instead of -а (-a) or -ът (-ǎt). Example: Shopski отивам у градо (otivam u grado) vs standard Bulgarian отивам в града (otivam v grada) (I am going in town)
- The -ен, -йен/-en, -jen past passive participle ending is used much more extensively in the Shop dialect than in the standard language, which often has -т/-t instead. Example: Shopski умийен ( umijen, "washed"), убийен (ubijen, "killed"), открийен (otkrijen, "opened" or "discovered"), vs standard Bulgarian умит (umit), убит (ubit), открит (otkrit)
- In the past tenses (aoristAoristAorist is a philological term originally from Indo-European studies, referring to verb forms of various languages that are not necessarily related or similar in meaning...
and imperfect) and in the past participle the stress falls always on the ending and not on the stem. Example: Shopski гле'дах (gle'dah), гле'дал (gle'dal) vs standard Bulgarian 'гледах ('gledah), 'гледал ('gledal) ([I] was watching; [he, she, it] watched)
Morphology
- In the present tense for the first and second conjugation, the ending for the first person singular is often -м (-m) and for the plural is -ме (-me) instead of -а/я (-a/ja) and -м (-m), respectively, as in standard Bulgarian. Example: Shopski я седим, ние седиме (ja sedim, nie sedime) vs standard Bulgarian аз седя, ние седим (az sedja, nie sedim) (I am sitting, we are sitting)
- Most often the particle for the forming of the future tense is че (če) (Sofia dialectSofia dialectThe Sofia dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in western part of the Sofia valley in central western Bulgaria...
), ке (k'e) (Samokov dialectSamokov dialectThe Samokov dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in the region of Samokov in central western Bulgaria...
) or ше (še) (Elin Pelin dialectElin Pelin dialectThe Elin Pelin dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in the eastern part of the Sofia valley in central western Bulgaria...
), instead of standard ще (šte). The form še is used in the more urbanized areas and is rather common in the colloquial speech of Sofia in general. Example: Shopski че одим, ше ода, ке ода/одим (ше) ода (če odim, še oda, k'е oda/odim) vs standard Bulgarian ще ходя (šte hodja) (I will be going)
Other features
The /x/-sound is often omitted. Despite being particularly associated with Shopski, this is actually characteristic of most rural Bulgarian dialects. Example: Shopski леб (leb), одиа (odia) vs standard Bulgarian хляб (hljab), ходиха (hodiha) (bread, they went)Vocabulary
There are plenty of typical words for the Shop dialect in particular, as well as for other western dialects in general.Some examples are:
| Shop dialect | standard Bulgarian | standard Serbian | standard Macedonian | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| сакам (sakam) | искам (iskam), желая (želaja) | хоћу/ hoću, желим/ želim; иштем/ ištem (archaic) | сакам (sakam) | (I) want |
| чиним, правим, работим (činim, pravim, rabotim) | правя, работя (pravja, rabotja) | радим/ radim, чиним/ činim - to do; правим/ pravim - to make | работам (rabotam) - to do, чинaм (činam) - to do, правам (pravam) - to make | (I) do/make |
| прашам, питуем (prašam, pitujem) | питам (pitam) | питам/ pitam | прашувам (prašuvam) | (I) ask |
| чувам, пазим (čuvam, pazim) | пазя (pazja) | чувам/ čuvam, пазим/ pazim | чувам (čuvam) | (I) keep, bring up, raise (a child) |
| спийем, спим (spijem, spim) | спя (spja) | спавам/ spavam; спим/ spim (archaic) | спиjaм (spijam) | (I) sleep |
| ядем, ручам (jadem, ručam) | ям (jam) | jедем, ручам (jedem, ručam) | jадам (jadam) | (I) eat |
| тражим, дирим (tražim, dirim) | търся, диря (tǎrsja, dirja) | тражим/ tražim | барам (baram) | (I) search |
| оти?, за какво?, за кво?, що? (oti?, za kakvo?, za kvo?, što?) | защо?, за какво? (zašto?, za kakvo?) що? (što?) (colloq.) | зашто?/ zašto?, што?/ što? | зошто? (zošto?), оти? (oti?) | why? |
| окам, викам (okam, vikam) | викам (vikam), крещя (kreštja) | вичем/ vičem | викам (vikam) | (I) shout |
| кошуля (košulja), rare — риза (riza) | риза (riza) | кошуља/ košulja | кошула (košula) | shirt |
| рипам (ripam) | скачам, рипам (skačam, ripam) | скачем/ skačеm, скoчим/ skočim | скокам (skokam), рипам (ripam) | (I) jump |
| зборуем (zboruem), зборувам (zboruvam), приказвам (prikazvam), оратим (oratim), говора (govora), вревим (vrevim), думам (dumam) | говоря (govorja), приказвам (prikazvam), думам (dumam) (obsolete) | говорим/ govorim, причам/ pričam; зборим/ zborim (archaic) | зборувам (zboruvam), говорам (govoram) | (I) speak |
| мачка (mačka) | котка (kotka) | мачка/ mačka | мачка (mačka) | cat |
| пце (pсe) | куче, пес (kuče, pes) | пас/ pas, куче/ kuče | куче (kuče) | dog |
Culture
The Shopi have a very original and characteristic folklore. The traditional male costume of the Shopi is white, while the female costumes are diverse. White male costumes are spread at the western Shopluk. The hats they wear are also white and tall (called gugla). Traditionally Shopi costume from the Kiustendil region are in black and they are called Chernodreshkovci — Blackcoats. That hat is low and black too. EmbroideryEmbroidery
Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins....
is well developed as an art and is very conservative. Agriculture is the traditional main occupation, with cattle breeding coming second.
The traditional Shop house that has a fireplace in the centre has only survived in some more remote villages, being displaced by the Middle Bulgarian type. The villages in the plains are larger, while those in the higher areas are somewhat straggling and have traditionally been inhabited by single families (zadruga
Zadruga
A zadruga refers to a type of rural community historically common among South Slavs. The term has been used by the Communist Party of Yugoslavia to designate their attempt at collective farming after World War II....
). The unusually large share of placenames ending on -ovci, -enci and -jane evidence for the preservation of the zadruga until even after the 19th century.
Artistic culture
In terms of music, the Shopi have a complex folklore with the heroic epic playing an important part. The Shopi are also known for playing particularly fast and intense versions of Bulgarian dancesBulgarian dances
Bulgarian folk dances are intimately related to the music of Bulgaria. This distinctive feature of Balkan folk music is the asymmetrical meter, built up around various combinations of 'quick' and 'slow' beats...
. The rebec
Rebec
The rebecha is a bowed string musical instrument. In its most common form, it has a narrow boat-shaped body and 1-5 strings and is played on the arm or under the chin, like a violin.- Origins :The rebec dates back to the Middle Ages and was particularly popular in the 15th and 16th centuries...
, kaval
Kaval
The kaval is a chromatic end-blown flute traditionally played throughout Azerbaijan, Turkey, Hungary, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo, southern Serbia , northern Greece , Romania , and Armenia...
and bagpipe are popular instruments and two-part singing is common. Minor second intervals are common in Shop music and are not considered dissonant.
Two very popular and well-known fоlklore groups are Poduenski Babi and Bistrishki Babi — the Grandmothers of Poduene and Bistritsa
Bistritsa
Bistritsa or Bistrica may refer to:*three villages in Bulgaria:**Bistritsa, Blagoevgrad Province**Bistritsa, Kyustendil Province**Bistritsa, Sofia...
villages.
Cuisine
A famous dish in Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia is Shopska saladShopska salad
Shopska salad is a traditional Bulgarian cold salad popular throughout the Balkans and Central Europe.It is made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers , sirene Shopska salad (Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbian: Шопска салата; Croatian: Šopska salata; Romanian: Salata bulgărească;...
, named after this ethnographic group.
Social
Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the southern bank of the Danube in northwestern Bulgaria. It is close to the borders with Serbia and Romania, and is also the administrative centre of Vidin Province, as well as of the Metropolitan of Vidin...
, it was not unusual for a woman in her 25-30'ies to have a man of 15-16 years.
The Shopi in literature and anecdotes
The Shopi — especially those from near Sofia — have the widespread (and arguably unjustified) reputation of stubborn and selfish people. They were considered conservative and resistant to change. There are lots of proverbs and anecdotes about them, more than about all other regional groups in Bulgaria.A distinguished writer from the region is Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin
Elin Pelin , born Dimitar Ivanov Stoyanov is arguably considered Bulgaria’s best narrator of country life.Born into a large family in the village of Baylovo near Sofia, he loved writing and reading from an early age...
who actually wrote some comic short stories and poems in the dialect, and also portrayed life in the Shopluk in much of his literary work.
Anecdotes and proverbs
- "There is nothing deeper than the Iskar River, and nothing higher than the Vitosha Mountain." (От Искаро по-длибоко нема, от Витоша по-високо нема!).
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- This saying is meant to show that the Shopi refuse to acknowledge other countries' virtues.
- Once a Shop went to the zoo and saw the giraffe. He watched it in amazement and finally said: "There is no such animal!" (Е, те такова животно нема!)
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- So even seeing the truth with his own eyes, he refuses to acknowledge it.
- Once a Shop went to the city, saw aromatic soaps on a stand and, thinking that they were something to eat, bought a piece. He began to eat it but soon his mouth was filled with foam. He said: "Foam or not, it cost money, I shall eat it." (Пеняви се, не пеняви, пари съм давал, че го ядем.)
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- When money is spent, even unpleasant things should be endured.
- How was the gorge of the Iskǎr River formed? As the story goes, in ancient times the Sofia ValleySofia ValleyThe Sofia Valley is a valley in central western Bulgaria, bordering Stara Planina to the northeast, the Viskyar, Lyulin, Vitosha and Lozen mountains to the southwest, the Vakarel Mountain to the southeast and the low Slivnitsa Heights to the northwest....
was a lake, surrounded with mountains. The ancient Shopi were fishermen. One day, while fishing with his boat one of them bent over in order to take his net out of the water. But the boat was floating towards the nearby rocks on the slope of the Balkan MountainsBalkan MountainsThe Balkan mountain range is a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula. The Balkan range runs 560 km from the Vrashka Chuka Peak on the border between Bulgaria and eastern Serbia eastward through central Bulgaria to Cape Emine on the Black Sea...
. Consequently the Shop hit his head on the rocks and the entire mountain split into two. The lake flew out and the gorge was formed.
- There is a saying throughout Bulgaria that the Shopi's heads are wooden (дървена шопска глава, dǎrvena šopska glava), meaning they are too stubborn. Interestingly, in RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
there is such saying about Bulgarians in general.
- Once upon a time three Shopi climbed on top of the Vitosha Mountain. There was a thick fog in the valley so they thought it was cotton. They jumped down and perished.
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- This is to show three points: the Shopi are not very smart after all; Vitosha is very high; and, as a serious point, it is common to see Vitosha standing over low clouds shrouding the high plains and valleys of Western Bulgaria; this is a temperature inversion.
- Another example of the Shopi's stubbornness: Once, in the middle of summer, a Shop wore a very thick coat. When asked if it wasn't too hot, he answered: It's not because of the coat but because of the weather.
- The Shopi had a reputation of being good soldiers nevertheless there was a proverb: "A Shop will only fight if he can see the roof of his house from the battlefield", meaning he will only fight if he can see his personal interests in the fight. A proverb that wants to demonstrate the Shopi's selfishness, but may rather point to their conservatism, lack of interest to the outside world.
- Some Shop shepherds are said to have observed over 40 or 50 years from their meadows on the Vitosha mountain how the capital city - Sophia situated few kilometers downhill grew from 80 000 to 300 000 in the 1930s, how new buildings and parks sprang... but never took interest to go and see the city themselves.
- In other parts of Bulgaria all locals from Sofia are called, somewhat scornfully, "Shopi", although the majority of the city's population are not descendants of the real vernacular minority but of migrants from other regions.
- In addition, in other parts of Bulgaria there exists the use of the derisive form "Shopar" for Shop and "Shoparism" for untidy, outdated or primitive circumstances (which show some similarity to the employ of the term "Hillbilly" in the USA). Actually the word "shopar" in bulgarian means "young boar" and has nothing to do with the Shopi. It is a term for untidiness, since the boar is a close relative to the pig.
- The sayings about the Shopi does not seize in modern day. There are popular sayings from communist period of Bulgaria such as:
- Even if the gasoline price grows to $100 I’ll still drive my car. Even if the price drops to a penny, I am not buying it still.
- I will set my house on fire so the fire spread over my neighbor’s barn.
- They pretend to pay me decent salary; I pretend that I am working (also very common in the former USSR).
- I take a look behind me – nothing; I take a look around me – nothing; and I am thinking – there is something. (It shows the paranoia of the Shop that the world is out to get him/her)
- A traveler came upon two Shopi sitting in the village square. Since he was traveling to Istanbul he asked one of them for directions in English. The Shopi made a clicking sound with his mouth and shook head, I don’t understand. The traveler attempted the same question in French, German, Russian, Spanish and other languages, but had the same result. Aggravated, the traveler started going in one direction that happened to be wrong. The second Shopi, observing this scene, lamented to his buddy “Ah, this guy knows so many languages and you knew none of them.” The first Shopi said “And what good did it do him?”.
See also
- Shopski CoveShopski CoveShopski Cove is a 2.6 km wide cove indenting for 1.9 km the southwest coast of Greenwich Island in the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, between Triangle Point and the westernmost extremity of the moraine spit of Provadiya Hook protecting Yankee Harbour...
, on Greenwich Island in the South Shetlands, AntarcticaSouth Shetland IslandsThe South Shetland Islands are a group of Antarctic islands, lying about north of the Antarctic Peninsula, with a total area of . By the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, the Islands' sovereignty is neither recognized nor disputed by the signatories and they are free for use by any signatory for...
is named after the Shop region - Torlakian dialectTorlakian dialectTorlakian or Torlak is a name given to the group of South Slavic dialects of southeastern Serbia , northeastern Macedonia , western Bulgaria , which is intermediate between Serbian, Bulgarian and Macedonian.Some linguists classify it as an Old-Shtokavian dialect of Serbian or a fourth dialect of...
, a transitional dialect of Serbian and Bulgarian
Sources
- Ethnologia Balkanica (2005), Vol. 9; Places to exchange cultural patterns by Petko Hristov, pp. 81-90, Journal for Southeast European Anthropology, Sofia
- Stanko Žuljić, Srpski etnos i velikosrpstvo (1997), Google Books link