Bulgarianspeaking

Bulgarianspeaking is a designation used to describe people who use Bulgarian as their primary language or as a significant means of communication. It covers native speakers in Bulgaria as well as Bulgarian communities in neighboring countries and in diaspora communities around the world.

Bulgarian is a South Slavic language within the Balkan Sprachbund. It is the official language of Bulgaria and is written with the Cyrillic alphabet. Notable features include a postposed definite article, the absence of a dedicated infinitive, and a rich verb system with aspectual distinctions. The language preserves much Old Church Slavonic vocabulary and has close historical ties with Macedonian, though it remains a distinct standard language.

Bulgarian-speaking populations are concentrated in Bulgaria, with minority and second-language speakers in Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Serbia, Romania, and across the global Bulgarian diaspora in Europe, North America, and Australia.

Origins trace to Old Bulgarian in the first millennium, with the Cyrillic script developed in the First Bulgarian Empire. The modern standard language emerged mainly from the Eastern dialects during the 19th-century national revival, accompanied by codification of spelling and grammar.

Dialects are broadly grouped into Eastern and Western varieties, with several subdialects. The standard language is based on Eastern forms, while Western dialects preserve distinctive vocabulary and pronunciation. Mutual intelligibility with Macedonian is high, though the two languages remain separate.

Bulgarian is used in education, media, government, and literature in Bulgaria, and in community schools and media within diaspora communities. The status and transmission of Bulgarian in neighboring states vary by region and minority rights policies.