Two dialectal texts containing history evidence collected from the villages of Gàbresh and Drenòveni in the Kostur /Kastoria/ region

TWO DIALECTAL TEXTS CONTAINING HISTORY EVIDENCE COLLECTED FROM THE VILLAGES OF GÀBRESH AND DRENÒVENI IN THE KOSTUR /KASTORIA/ REGION 

Lari-Labro Korolov 

(Summary) 

Both dialectal texts in the article were collected in Toronto, Canada from two informants belonging to two different generations and originating from the villages of Gàbresh and Drenòveni in the Kostur (Kastoria) region. They disclose new and never published information on the IMARO’s activities, the fate of the Bulgarian language in South-western Macedonia under Greek rule, the difficulties of the locals to visit their native villages during the years of the Greek Military Junta (1967 – 1974); they also contain some comments made by Atatürk on Bulgaria’s behalf. History and dialects of the area remain understudied, due to the Greek rule exerted on this area and its heavy assimilatory policies. The new information will help fill the gap, even to a small extent. The texts also serve as a supplement to Blagoy Shklifov’s work on the Kostur dialect. 

Keywords: Gàbresh, Drenòveni, Kastoria, Torornto, South-western Bulgarian dialects, IMARO