Features that can be found in various intensities and distributions in the region include:[3]
*telt > tlet: pleć, mleć, plewy
* tórt’ > trot: krowa
*ľ̥ > l̥ except *Pľ̥T́PK (after labials, before palatals/labials, and velars)
*Pľ̥T́PK > PilT́PK: wilk, milczeć or > łu after dentals: słup, długi, or oł after cz, ż, sz: mołwa, czółno, żółty, or eł after labials: chełm, chełpić się, wełna, pełny
*ŕ̥T > ‘ar: twardy, tarł, ziarno
voicing of coda stops and sibilants if the next word begins with a vowel or liquid
sporadic retention of bilabial v (v > w) słoje, prało, especially initially: łosk, łojna, łoda, reinforced by the labialization of initial o
-j- before palatals: niejsiejcie (niesiecie), ciojcia, na pojle, nojgi, tajkie
ḷ > ł > u̯: u̯ep, u̯za, pu̯uk
depalatalization of word final palatal labials
softening of n, t, d after i, y: drab́ińa, žyᶦ̯t́o, žyᶦ̯d́ek
phonemization of ḱ, ǵ from retaining them when they occursed before *y, ъ̥, e as well as denasalization of ę (kę/gę > ke/ge)
Tendency for assimilation and simplification:
velarization of n before k (phonemic?)
-ść, -śń > -ś: zleś, gryź, pleś, maś (maść)
weakening loss of -ł- at the end of an inlaut (śródgłos): gᵘ̭ova
strz, zdrz, trz, drz > szcz, żdż, cz, dż
rs, r-z > rz skarzyć się, dzierzawa, marznie, gospodarztwo, stolarzki
kk, szsz > k, sz leḱi, bliszy
the prepositions and prefixes w(-), z(-) > we, ze, especially if before a similar a syllable starting with a phoneme of a similar place of articulation
śrz, źrz > śr, źr or > śtrz, źdrz
traces of *jь > je, jeskra, jegliwie
placement of stress on the penultimate syllable
Preference for pochylone o, kłůtka
ir > er (serce, śmierć, piersi) or ér
Raising of y closer to i or diphthongization
i > y after sz, ż, cz, dż, c, dz, rz (which later diphthongized like y above)
diphthongization of u > uᵘ̭, ůᵘ̭, or ȯᵘ̭, and further > ů, ȯ, or ö
Fronting, flattening, and narrowing of á
before tautosyllabic j in the imperative: czekej
in some names? see Old Polish
Diphtongization of á> áu̯, ou̯, ȯu̯, áᵘ̭, ȯᵘ̭: tráu̯va, prȯu̯vda
é > y after hard and soft consonant: brzyg. Kujawy/Sieradz changed é > y after hard consonants, but > i after soft
e > o, á before tautosyllabic u̯ (ł): páu̯ne, ḱáu̯basa, kȯᵘ̭ḱou̯ka
diphthongization of o > u̯o (not just initially)
as a result of o > u̯o, u̯o > u̯oe̯ > ᵘ̭oe̯, ᵘ̭o̭e
diphthongization of ȯ > u̯ȯ or even u̯ȯy̯, ᵘ̯ȯʸ̯, ȯy̯, ᵘ̯ᵒ̇y̯ᵉ (e is above y̯), ᵘ̯ᵒ̯y̯ᵉ, and sometimes u̯y, uy̯ (and ultimately?) > u
Old Polish ą̆ (in a short syllable) > y̨ or į after a soft consonant in the east, along with denasalization of the vowel into an assimilated nasal consonant before a consonant, and sometimes total nasal loss before sibilants
Old Polish ą̄ (in a long syllable) > ų along with denasalization of the vowel into an assimilated nasal consonant before a consonant, and sometimes total nasal loss before sibilants
-iszcze > -isko
spread of the suffixes -aty, -ity
use of od(-) before vowels and semivowels (as opposed to ot(-))
Loss of mobile e in the endings -ek, -ec in some names
Spread of -yszek
use of z(-) before vowels and semivowels (as opposed to s(-))
Replacement of old locative plural -’ex > -ach (which was originally feminine)
Replacement of genitive singular ending for feminine nouns ending in a consonant -’e with -’i (z ziemi)
Levelling of the nominative and accusative singular neuter endings -ē and -ĕ by spreading -é, polé
Replacement of the neuter nominative/accusative numeral dwie with the masculine dwa, dwa okna, and in the north further replacement of the feminine dwie with dwa
Prefixed iść type verbs with an inserted -ń-, vyᶦ̯ńde, zańde, přeńde
Hardening of the first person singular and plural verb endings such as idemy, złapę by analogy of idę and archaic grzebę
Spread of hard labial in l-forms of melę/pelę via contamination of ḿel-, ṕel, and the l-forms mełł-, pełl-
spread of the first person plural verb ending -my (over -m) under influence of the pronoun my, or in the north of -ma via contamination of -my with -va
Spread of -ma in the first person plural imperative verb form via contamination with -m(y) and -va, nieśma, nieźma
constructions such as nosił(a) jeśḿ > nosiłeśḿ > nosiłem (after m), and potential voicing of the stem, zaniůzem, zaniůs
the first person plural past ending -im (nieślim, from nieśli (je)smъ) sometimes softened via analogy with -(je)ś, -(je)ście as well as flattening with the pronoun my, resulting in nieśliśmy, in some subdialects replace with -śma, -źma with contamination of nieśli(je)śḿ and niosła(je)sva. In the north forms such as nieślimy were formed as a result of phonetic reduction of the old aorist nieślichmy.
Features that can be found in various intensities and distributions in the region include:[3]
*telt > tlet: pleć, mleć, plewy
* tórt’ > trot: krowa
*ľ̥ > l̥ except *Pľ̥T́PK (after labials, before palatals/labials, and velars)
*Pľ̥T́PK > PilT́PK: wilk, milczeć or > łu after dentals: słup, długi, or oł after cz, ż, sz: mołwa, czółno, żółty, or eł after labials: chełm, chełpić się, wełna, pełny
*ŕ̥T > ‘ar: twardy, tarł, ziarno
voicing of coda stops and sibilants if the next word begins with a vowel or liquid
sporadic retention of bilabial v (v > w) słoje, prało, especially initially: łosk, łojna, łoda, reinforced by the labialization of initial o
-j- before palatals: niejsiejcie (niesiecie), ciojcia, na pojle, nojgi, tajkie
ḷ > ł > u̯: u̯ep, u̯za, pu̯uk
depalatalization of word final palatal labials
softening of n, t, d after i, y: drab́ińa, žyᶦ̯t́o, žyᶦ̯d́ek
phonemization of ḱ, ǵ from retaining them when they occursed before *y, ъ̥, e as well as denasalization of ę (kę/gę > ke/ge)
Tendency for assimilation and simplification:
velarization of n before k (phonemic?)
-ść, -śń > -ś: zleś, gryź, pleś, maś (maść)
weakening loss of -ł- at the end of an inlaut (śródgłos): gᵘ̭ova
strz, zdrz, trz, drz > szcz, żdż, cz, dż
rs, r-z > rz skarzyć się, dzierzawa, marznie, gospodarztwo, stolarzki
kk, szsz > k, sz leḱi, bliszy
the prepositions and prefixes w(-), z(-) > we, ze, especially if before a similar a syllable starting with a phoneme of a similar place of articulation
śrz, źrz > śr, źr or > śtrz, źdrz
traces of *jь > je, jeskra, jegliwie
placement of stress on the penultimate syllable
Preference for pochylone o, kłůtka
ir > er (serce, śmierć, piersi) or ér
Raising of y closer to i or diphthongization
i > y after sz, ż, cz, dż, c, dz, rz (which later diphthongized like y above)
diphthongization of u > uᵘ̭, ůᵘ̭, or ȯᵘ̭, and further > ů, ȯ, or ö
Fronting, flattening, and narrowing of á
before tautosyllabic j in the imperative: czekej
in some names? see Old Polish
Diphtongization of á> áu̯, ou̯, ȯu̯, áᵘ̭, ȯᵘ̭: tráu̯va, prȯu̯vda
é > y after hard and soft consonant: brzyg. Kujawy/Sieradz changed é > y after hard consonants, but > i after soft
e > o, á before tautosyllabic u̯ (ł): páu̯ne, ḱáu̯basa, kȯᵘ̭ḱou̯ka
diphthongization of o > u̯o (not just initially)
as a result of o > u̯o, u̯o > u̯oe̯ > ᵘ̭oe̯, ᵘ̭o̭e
diphthongization of ȯ > u̯ȯ or even u̯ȯy̯, ᵘ̯ȯʸ̯, ȯy̯, ᵘ̯ᵒ̇y̯ᵉ (e is above y̯), ᵘ̯ᵒ̯y̯ᵉ, and sometimes u̯y, uy̯ (and ultimately?) > u
Old Polish ą̆ (in a short syllable) > y̨ or į after a soft consonant in the east, along with denasalization of the vowel into an assimilated nasal consonant before a consonant, and sometimes total nasal loss before sibilants
Old Polish ą̄ (in a long syllable) > ų along with denasalization of the vowel into an assimilated nasal consonant before a consonant, and sometimes total nasal loss before sibilants
-iszcze > -isko
spread of the suffixes -aty, -ity
use of od(-) before vowels and semivowels (as opposed to ot(-))
Loss of mobile e in the endings -ek, -ec in some names
Spread of -yszek
use of z(-) before vowels and semivowels (as opposed to s(-))
Replacement of old locative plural -’ex > -ach (which was originally feminine)
Replacement of genitive singular ending for feminine nouns ending in a consonant -’e with -’i (z ziemi)
Levelling of the nominative and accusative singular neuter endings -ē and -ĕ by spreading -é, polé
Replacement of the neuter nominative/accusative numeral dwie with the masculine dwa, dwa okna, and in the north further replacement of the feminine dwie with dwa
Prefixed iść type verbs with an inserted -ń-, vyᶦ̯ńde, zańde, přeńde
Hardening of the first person singular and plural verb endings such as idemy, złapę by analogy of idę and archaic grzebę
Spread of hard labial in l-forms of melę/pelę via contamination of ḿel-, ṕel, and the l-forms mełł-, pełl-
spread of the first person plural verb ending -my (over -m) under influence of the pronoun my, or in the north of -ma via contamination of -my with -va
Spread of -ma in the first person plural imperative verb form via contamination with -m(y) and -va, nieśma, nieźma
constructions such as nosił(a) jeśḿ > nosiłeśḿ > nosiłem (after m), and potential voicing of the stem, zaniůzem, zaniůs
the first person plural past ending -im (nieślim, from nieśli (je)smъ) sometimes softened via analogy with -(je)ś, -(je)ście as well as flattening with the pronoun my, resulting in nieśliśmy, in some subdialects replace with -śma, -źma with contamination of nieśli(je)śḿ and niosła(je)sva. In the north forms such as nieślimy were formed as a result of phonetic reduction of the old aorist nieślichmy.