Kajkavian

Kajkavian is a special way of speaking used mainly by people in Central Croatia and Gorski Kotar. It belongs to a group of South Slavic languages and dialects.

Some people think Kajkavian is a dialect of the Serbo-Croatian language. Others think it is its own language. It sounds different from nearby dialects like Čakavian or Štokavian, but it shares sounds and words with Prekmurje Slovene.

You can also hear Kajkavian in places such as Austrian Burgenland, parts of Hungary, and some small areas in Romania. It is a unique part of language history in Europe.

Name

The name "Kajkavian" comes from the word "kaj," which means "what" in this dialect. Other similar dialects use different words for "what," like "ča" or "kaj." These names are just general guides, not strict rules.

Historically, people called their language different names. They used words like Slavic, Croatian, or even Illyrian. Over time, the name Croatian became more common, especially from the 1600s onward. The actual term "Kajkavian" was created in the 1800s by a scholar named Đuro Daničić and later popularized by a writer named Miroslav Krleža. Today, people in Croatia commonly use this name for their dialect. In English, you might also see it spelled as Kaykavian, Kaikavian, or Caicavian.

Classification

People have talked about how to group Kajkavian for a long time. Some think it is a dialect, and others think it is its own language. This is because Kajkavian has similarities to languages like Čakavian, Štokavian, and Slovene.

Experts have different ideas. Some believe Kajkavian is very close to Croatian, while others think it is special because of its own words and way of speaking. Over time, Kajkavian has changed and affected how people see its role among other South Slavic languages.

Characteristics

Kajkavian is a way of speaking used by people in Central Croatia and Gorski Kotar. It is close to the Slovene language. People sometimes talk about whether Kajkavian is a dialect of Serbo-Croatian or its own language because it can be hard for speakers of other dialects like Čakavian or Štokavian to understand.

The capital city, Zagreb, has been a place where Kajkavian is spoken. Today, it is mixed with Štokavian, which makes it difficult to describe exactly. Some Kajkavian features have become part of standard Croatian. Kajkavian has many unique traits compared to Štokavian, such as different word stresses, vowel sounds, and words. It also shares some features with Slovene, making it interesting in the South Slavic language family.

Phonology

Kajkavian has special sounds, with 7 vowels and 23 consonants. These sounds can change a little in different places.

Some sounds change at the end of words. For example, words like grob (grave), poleg (next to, alongside), and njegov (his) can sound different at the end, becoming grop, polek, and njegof.

History of research

People started studying Kajkavian in the 1800s. At that time, many were trying to learn how different groups of people were related. Some experts thought Kajkavian speakers were closely connected to Slovenes, while others saw them as part of the Croatian group.

The first detailed book about Kajkavian was written in 1905. Since then, many experts have tried to sort Kajkavian into smaller groups. One expert suggested three groups, while others proposed up to fifteen different types. These groups are based on how sounds and words change in different areas.

Area of use

Kajkavian is mainly spoken in northern and northwestern parts of Croatia. Some towns where Kajkavian is spoken include Pitomača, Čazma, Kutina, Popovača, Sunja, Petrinja, and Martinska Ves. Big cities like Zagreb, Koprivnica, and Varaždin are also in areas where Kajkavian was traditionally spoken.

One special type of Kajkavian is called Bednjounski and is spoken in Bednja in northern Croatia.

Literary Kajkavian

Writings in Kajkavian date back to around the 12th century. The first big works began in the 16th century when Central Croatia was safe from Ottoman rule. The most famous work was Decretum by Ivanuš Pergošić, a translation of István Werbőczy's Tripartitum.

Many writers from the Slovene lands used Kajkavian to reach more people. Over time, important books were written in Kajkavian, including chronicles, religious writings, poetry, and plays. Famous writers like Ana Katarina Zrinska and Fran Krsto Frankopan used Kajkavian.

In the 19th century, Kajkavian lost some importance when leaders chose the Štokavian dialect for the standard South Slavic language. But it stayed important in Croatian literature. In the 20th century, many writers used Kajkavian in their poems and stories.

Today, Kajkavian is still studied and enjoyed, with new translations and dictionaries being published.

Vocabulary comparison table

Kajkavian shares many words and sounds with Slovene and Croatian Štokavian. Here is a list of words in Kajkavian, Prekmurje Slovene, Standard Slovene, and Standard Croatian (Štokavian), along with their English meanings. The Kajkavian and Prekmurje Slovene words are from different regions.

Kajkavian media

During the time of Yugoslavia in the 20th century, Kajkavian was mostly used in private talks, poems, and stories about tradition. Since the 1990s, Kajkavian has appeared more in public places, especially in Zagorje and Varaždin Counties and nearby towns. Now, there are some media places where you can hear or read Kajkavian, such as:

• A special magazine called "Kaj", published since 1967 by the Kajkavian Association in Zagreb.
• A special week of Kajkavian culture in Krapina every fall, with talks and books about it.
• A yearly magazine named Hrvatski sjever ('Croatian North'), with some parts in Kajkavian, published by Matica Hrvatska in Čakovec.
• A radio show called Kajkavian Radio in Krapina that plays all the time. There are also smaller shows and newspapers in places like Varaždin, Zagreb, Čakovec, and Samobor that sometimes use Kajkavian.