Anykščių šnektos pokyčiai
Changes in anykščiai subdialect

Summary/Abstract: The older and current situation of Anykščiai dialect is analyzed in this article. All the previously published works and texts of dialectologists show that the dialect of Anykščiai must belong to the population of northern Anykščiai. The partial maintenance of the length of unstressed long vowels, rotininkavimas (a type of rhyme maintenance in a dialect) and the absence of monophthongisation of non falling diphthongs at the end of the word: ai, au, ei, ui, is characteristic to this dialect. The source data are contradictory regarding žalininkavimas and unstressed pronunciation of ie, au. The sound recordings of recent years show many changes. In Anykščiai dialect the features common to southern Anykščiai inhabitants start to prevail: the shortening of unstressed long vowels as short vowels, ruotininkavimas, žalininkavimas, turning of unstressed uo, ie into a, e, monophthongization of falling diphthongs ai, au, ei, ui at the end of the word and sometimes in the root. The case described is particular because the dialect is changing not in the direction of general language, but is taking the vocalism system of a version of the same dialect. Since retrograde changing is possible in the dialect (the sound changes and comes back to the initial position) it is not always possible to state that one or another certain sound is maintained from ancient times.

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