“May you stay forrever alone!” Linguistic analysis of curses from Northeast Bulgaria Cover Image

„Пуста да опустееш!“ Лингвистичен анализ на проклятия от Североизточна България
“May you stay forrever alone!” Linguistic analysis of curses from Northeast Bulgaria

Author(s): Hristo Kyuchukov, Mariyana Stefanova
Subject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Semantics
Published by: Софийски университет »Св. Климент Охридски«
Keywords: curses; semantic analysis; Bulgarian language; Turkish language; Muslim Roma

Summary/Abstract: This article presents a semantic analysis of curses in Bulgarian, as spoken by ethnic Bulgarians, and in Turkish, as spoken by Muslim Roma in Northeastern Bulgaria. Curses in Turkish and Bulgarian are classified according to Dimitrova's classification (2010) 1) curses for fear/terror; 2) curses for death and (incurable) diseases; 3) curses for misfortune and an empty/deserted house; 4) curses for poverty and life in a barren/foreign/unfertile area 5) curses for physical disabilities, spiritual and mental degradation. In both languages, optative expressions are used in cursing, but in the Turkish spoken by Muslim Roma, the imperative is also used to express emotions in cursing. In Bulgarian, the imperative is almost never used in curses.

  • Issue Year: 2025
  • Issue No: 2
  • Page Range: 107-118
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Bulgarian
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