Botevgrad dialect explained

The Botevgrad dialect is a Bulgarian dialect, member of the Southwestern Bulgarian dialects, which is spoken in the region of Botevgrad and Etropole in northwestern Bulgaria. It is located on the yat boundary and is closely related to the Eastern Bulgarian Pirdop dialect.

Phonological and morphological characteristics

• Vowel a for Old Church Slavonic Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: ѫ (yus), ь and ъ: маж vs. formal Bulgarian мъж (man), сан vs. formal Bulgarian Bulgarian: сън (sleep). However, Old Church Slavonic Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: ъ has resulted in o in the prepositions and prefixes във and въз: вов водата vs. formal Bulgarian Bulgarian: във водата (in the water). The schwa is usually pronounced only in Turkish words, e.g. Bulgarian: бакър (copper)
• Vocalic r and l for Old Church Slavonic Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: ръ/рь and Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: лъ/ль instead of the combinations Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: ръ/ър (pronounced as /rə/~pronounced as /ər/) and Church Slavic; Old Slavonic; Church Slavonic; Old Bulgarian; Old Church Slavonic: лъ/ъл (pronounced as /lə/~pronounced as /əl/) in Standard Bulgarian - Bulgarian: дрво, слза instead of Bulgarian: дърво, сълза (tree, tear).
• Lack of iotation between two vowels: Bulgarian: копаа (also Bulgarian: копам) vs. formal Bulgarian Bulgarian: копая (to dig)
• The masculine definite article is -a, as in the Pirdop dialect: кра'ка (the leg)
• Verb ending -a instead of formal Bulgarian -ъ in verbs of the first and second conjugation: чет'а vs. formal Bulgarian Bulgarian: чет'ъ (I read)
• Future tense particle is ща for 1st person and ще for all other persons (Bulgarian: ще in all cases in Standard Bulgarian)
• Personal pronouns for 3rd person той, тʲа, то, тиа (Bulgarian: той, Bulgarian: тя, Bulgarian: то, Bulgarian: те in Standard Bulgarian)

For other phonological and morphological characteristics typical for all Southwestern dialects, cf. Southwestern Bulgarian dialects.

Sources

Стойков, Стойко: Българска диалектология, Акад. изд. "Проф. Марин Дринов", 2006 http://www.promacedonia.org/jchorb/st/st_2_b_zap_2.htm#botevgradski