GREEK INFLUENCES IN 18TH-CENTURY BULGARIAN MANUSCRIPT TRADITION: A STUDY OF LEXICAL BORROWING AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE
GREEK INFLUENCES IN 18TH-CENTURY BULGARIAN MANUSCRIPT TRADITION: A STUDY OF LEXICAL BORROWING AND CULTURAL EXCHANGE

Summary/Abstract: This article examines Greek lexical borrowings in 18th-century Modern Bulgarian manuscript texts, focusing on their semantic, functional, and stylistic integration. The study is based on material drawn from the Berlin Damaskin and the two Odessa Damaskins, which are regarded as representative examples of the Damaskin literary tradition and reflect the complex linguistic situation in the Bulgarian lands during the Ottoman period. The identified Graecisms are subjected to a semantic classification aimed at tracing their distribution across various thematic domains, including religion, social life, administration, and everyday practice. The analysis demonstrates that Greek lexical items perform a range of functions: on the one hand, they act as carriers of learnedness and prestige within religious and didactic discourse; on the other, they appear as well-integrated elements of colloquial and semi-colloquial language. Particular attention is paid to the interaction between the literary tradition and the vernacular basis of the language. In this context, the study highlights the dual role of Greek-derived vocabulary: it functions both as a marker of elevated style and affiliation with the Orthodox cultural sphere, and as a natural component of the everyday lexical stock. This duality illustrates the dynamic nature of language contact and the permeability between different stylistic registers. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the mechanisms of lexical borrowing, the dynamics of language contact in the Balkan cultural area, and the processes shaping the development and enrichment of the Bulgarian lexicon during the 18th century.

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