Łowicz dialect

The Łowicz dialect or the Księżak dialect is a dialect of Polish spoken by the ethnographic group of Łowiczans (Księżaks) inhabiting the historical region known as the Duchy of Łowicz around the cities of Łowicz and Skierniewice in south-western Masovia. It belongs to the Masovian dialect group and borders the Near Mazovian dialect to the north and east, the Lesser Polish Masovian Borderland dialect to the southeast, and the Łęczyca dialect to the south and west. The classification of the Łowicz dialect is debated; in the past it has been considered a Lesser Polish dialect, but there are many features placing it within the Masovian group – the Łowicz dialect shows many transitional features between Masovia, Lesser Poland and Greater Poland. Currently, the dialect is often considered a trasitional dialect. Features shared with Masovian dialects: ra- re-: redlić, redzić ja- > je-: jerzmo, jerzyny Leveling of pretent tense jedzie to jadzie 'a > 'e: spowiedać, wietrok, zamietać Simplification of consonant clusters after decomposing soft labial consonants by a reduction of the spirant: In the words ćwartka, śwat, śwatło, świerk, śwynia In the nominal instrumental plural ending: cepamy In instrumental plural endings of adjectives and pronouns: z nimy, z tymy dobrymu In enclitic pronominal forms: boli mi, dej my Leveling of nominative and genitive stems of neuter nouns: ciemię-ciemia siemię-siemia Contamination of the dative singular endings -owi + -u > -owju > -oju: chłopokoju Use of the third person plural past formsleli, sieli, śmieli sie based on mieli Replacement of neuter -ę nouns denoting young animals with -ątko: gynsiontko, koźlontko, kurconko or Replacement of neuter -ę nouns denoting young animals with -ak: cielok, koźlok, kurcok The comparative form cinzejsy (standard cięższy) Replacement of the infinitive ending -eć with -ić//-yć: lezyć, siedzić, wyjrzyć, zajrzyć, zlecić Use of the iterative suffix -ywać: zajmywać,...