Banat Bulgarian dialect

Banat Bulgarian
Banátsća balgarsćija jázić
Palćena balgarsćija jázić
Native to	Romania (Banat, Transylvania), Serbia (Vojvodina)
Native speakers	8,000–15,000 (date missing)
Language family	Indo-European Balto-Slavic Slavic South Slavic Eastern South Slavic Bulgarian Banat Bulgarian
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguist list	bul-ban
Glottolog	None
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The Banat Bulgarian (Banat Bulgarian: Palćena balgarsćija jázić or Banátsća balgarsćija jázić; Bulgarian: банатски български език, Banatski balgarski ezik; German: Banater Bulgarische Sprache; Hungarian: Bánsági bolgár nyelv; Romanian: Limba bulgarilor bănăţeni; Serbian: Банатски бугарски језик, Banatski bugarski jezik) is the outermost dialect of the Bulgarian language with standardized writing and an old literary tradition. It is spoken by the Banat Bulgarians in the Banat region, in Romania and Serbia. Officially, it is spoken by 8,000 people (1,658 in Serbia, and 6,500 in Romania), though other estimates give numbers up to 15,000.

In 1998, Jáni Vasilčin from Dudeştii Vechi translated the New Testament into Banat Bulgarian: Svetotu Pismu Novija Zákun.

The Banat Bulgarians are predominantly Roman Catholic people. Their ancestors arrived in the region centuries ago from Northern Bulgaria . They settled in Oltenia under the Wallachian prince, then the Ottomans fled to Hungary. The ancestor of the Banat Bulgarian language is the Paulician dialect, member of the Rup dialect group.

In the 1740s, Blasius Hristofor instituted the first school in Dudeştii Vechi in which Banat Bulgarian was taught using the Latin script. Some Bulgarian priests of the time already used the Latin alphabet, banned by the bishops. In the 19th century, the group's national consciousness strengthened and more Banat books were written.

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