Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.21857/m8vqrtx2r9
The status of the consonant x in Čakavian and Kajkavian local dialects in Croatia from a geolinguistic perspective
Marina Marinković
orcid.org/0000-0002-6886-5807
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Silvana Vranić
orcid.org/0000-0002-3033-9625
; Filozofski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Abstract
In contrast to many local Shtokavian dialects, where the consonant x is unstable
– either having disappeared or been replaced by another consonant, most likely
before the seventeenth century – numerous Čakavian and Kajkavian dialects have
retained this consonant in its original position.
Building on the analysis of the distribution of x in Croatian Štokavian dialects
presented in the article Consonant h in Shtokavian Croatian local dialects in
the territory of Croatia from a geolinguistic perspective by M. Marinković and
S. Vranić (2024), the present study examines the status of this consonant in
Čakavian and Kajkavian local dialects in the same area. The aim is to provide a
comprehensive overview of the distribution of the consonant within the Croatian
dialect continuum, with particular attention to the contact zones between different
Croatian dialect groups.
The analysis relies on material collected as part of the Linguistic Geography
of Croatia in a European Context (LinGeH) project, as well as on data for
the Common Slavic Language Atlas (OLA), the Croatian research for which
continued as part of LinGeH. The results show that in the Čakavian local dialects,
the consonant x is well preserved in all positions in northern Čakavian, that is,
in Istria and the Kvarner region. It is less stable in local dialects belonging to the
continental subdialect of the Ikavian-Ekavian type and in southern Čakavian local
dialects (especially those of Novigrad, Petrčane, Sveti Filip i Jakov, and Trogir),
where instability arises due to contact with neighbouring Štokavian dialects. In
the Kajkavian local dialects, x is likewise well preserved in all positions, except in
dialects located in heterogeneous areas – particularly those marking the interface
between Kajkavian and Štokavian – such as the local dialects of Vukmanić,
Trebarjevo Desno, and Domagović.
The (non-)preservation and replacement of the consonant x in all word
positions, as well as in the initial clusters *xv- and *xt-, in the Čakavian and
Kajkavian local dialects in Croatia, are presented in detail on dialect maps.
Keywords
consonant x; Čakavian local dialects; Kajkavian local dialects; linguistic geography; dialect maps
Hrčak ID:
341240
URI
Publication date:
15.12.2025.
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