| Dubrovnik dialect | |
|---|---|
| dubrovački dijalekt | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
 Area of the Dubrovnik dialect | |
TheDubrovnik dialect (Serbo-Croatian:dubrovački dijalekt) is aNeo-Shtokavian dialect or subdialect[1] spoken inDubrovnik and the littoral of the formerRepublic of Ragusa, from the eastern part of thePelješac peninsula (aroundJanjina) to the Croatian border withMontenegro, and on the island ofMljet.[2]
The Dubrovnik dialect is the least widespread of the Shtokavian dialects in Croatia. It has anIjekavian reflex, with a sporadic presence ofikavisms. While the Dubrovnik dialect shares the Neo-Shtokavian base with theEastern Herzegovinian, it displays some transitional features, including lexical and phonetic similarities with nearbyChakavian dialects and remnants of older ikavisms.[2]
Although Neo-Shtokavisation gave similar results in Dubrovnik and East Herzegovina, the dialects developed from different local bases, and the Ijekavian reflex in Dubrovnik developed independently. While traditionally considered a distinct local idiom, the Dubrovnik dialect is often linguistically considered part of the Eastern Herzegovinan dialect. Nonetheless, it has preserved some specific traits inaccentuation andmorphology.[2]
A significant portion ofloanwords comes fromItalian, primarily theFlorentine dialect, as well as fromVenetian and the extinctDalmatian language. The lexicon also shows similarities with nearby Chakavian dialects and lacks Turkish loanwords.[2]
During the time of theRepublic of Ragusa, the Dubrovnik dialect was called the Ragusan language ("dubrovački jezik") by both native speakers and foreigners, as inEuridiče, tradžikomedija Paše Primovića Latiničića Dubrovčanina, prinesena po njemu u jezik dubrovački iz jezika latinskoga (Ragusan author, 1617),[3] andVanghielia i pistule istomaccene s Missala novvoga rimskoga u iesik dubrovacki sa grada i darxave dubrovacke (Bartol Kašić, Croatian author, 1638).[4]