Bulgarian Language

Bulgarian is a South Slavic language spoken by people in Bulgaria and diaspora communities in other countries. It is the official language of Bulgaria and is used in government, education, and media.

Bulgarian is written in Cyrillic script. When Bulgaria joined the European Union, Cyrillic became one of the official writing systems of the organization.

History and origins

Bulgarian is related to Old Church Slavonic, the earliest written Slavic language. Cyrillic script was established in the medieval period and is associated with the work of Cyril and Methodius and their students. For this reason, Bulgarian writing tradition has a long historical connection to this heritage.

Grammatical features

Bulgarian differs from other Slavic languages in that it has largely lost the case system for nouns, instead using a definite article attached to the end of the word. It also has an extensive verbal system with forms that indicate how the speaker received or perceives information.

Relationship with Macedonian

Bulgarian and Macedonian are mutually intelligible to a high degree, which has prompted ongoing political and linguistic debate. Many Bulgarian scholars regard them as a single language, while on the Macedonian side it is recognized as a separate language. This dispute affects relations between the two countries.