Summary

Some typical features of Vaiguva subdialect

Regina Venckutė

Within the Lithuanian dialect classification, the Vaiguva subdialect is attributed to the South Samogitian (Pietų Žemaičių) Raseiniai subdialect, but it attained some specific features of Varniai subdialect (also South Samogitian), because Vaiguva lies at the very boundary between the Raseiniai and Varniai subdialects. Several decades ago, the Vaiguva subdialect seemed to have been closer to the Varniai type; however, such presumption lacks evidence, because there are very few records made earlier. Now it can be said that such diphthongs as un, in in Varniai area are pronounced an, en, as it is in typical in Raseiniai area.

The paper is based on texts taped in 2007 as well as most pronounced peculiarities in accentuation, phonetics and morphology for this subdialect. The attention was paid mostly to the vocalism system, since the vowel isophones enable to reveal more accurately the differences in the boundary subdialects. The description of accentuation and morphology features is more fragmental. The peculiarities in syntax and lexis are illustrated by several transcribed sentences from the above-mentioned tape.