Podlachian dialect

The Podlachian dialect (Polish: gwary podlaskie) belongs to the Masovian dialect group and is located in the part of Poland. It borders the Suwałki dialect to the north, the Masurian dialects to the far northwest, the Far Mazovian dialect to the west, the Near Mazovian dialect to the southwest, the Lesser Polish Eastern Greater Polish dialect to the south, and the Northern Borderlands dialect to the east. Features of Podlachian often exist on a spectrum, with increased East Slavic influence towards the east, thus Podlachian can be classified as a dialect continuum. The perception of Podlachian as a regional lect is quite strong, and often code-switching between it and Standard Polish occurs, with different levels of use of the dialect depending on the region, though Standard Polish is preferred in the area.