LINGUO-FOLKLORISTIC DIMENSIONS OF THE CHILDREN’S ORAL TRADITION AMONG THE BULGARIANS IN THE VILLAGE OF TERNIVKA (MYKOLAIV, UKRAINE): DIALECTAL CONSERVATION AND INTERFERENCE

Abstract

The present scientific study aims to reveal the linguo-folkloristic dimensions, the specifics of dialectal conservation, and linguistic interference in the children’s oral tradition among the Bulgarian historical diaspora in the village of Ternovka (Mykolaiv, Ukraine), analyzing the preserved folklore forms in the context of their prolonged existence in a multi-ethnic and Slavic-speaking environment. The methodological basis of the study combines approaches from contemporary ethnolinguistics, dialectology, folk pedagogy, and linguistic geography, applying a complex of methods for textual, semantic, and linguistic analysis of field recordings, archival documents (including historical sources from the 19th–20th centuries), and comparative parallels with the folklore repertoire of other Bulgarian migrant communities. The obtained results show that the genre repertoire of children’s folklore in Ternovka—comprising counting-out rhymes, riddles, lullabies, verbal formulas, teasing rhymes, and traditional games such as "Dai babo ogon", "Chilik", "Dziga", "Baba-zhaba", "Pilenitsa", "Mucheta", and "Ukuba"—functions as a unique treasury of archaic mythopoetic, sacred, and ritual codes that preserve specific dialectal traits, archaisms, and lexical strata of the migrant Bulgarian speech. Based on the analysis, the conclusion is drawn that although urbanization, modern technological progress, and the weakening of direct communicative ties with the historical homeland exert a serious influence on the transmission of traditions, children’s folklore continues to be an extremely resilient mechanism for ethno-cultural reproduction, socialization, and the preservation of ancestral identity among younger generations. As practical and scientific-methodological recommendations, it is proposed to intensify field ethnographic expeditions, create systematic digital archives and audio-textual databases of oral memory, and develop special educational programs and initiatives within Bulgarian schools and cultural centers to integrate these folklore specimens into contemporary pedagogical practice. The article also integrates valuable additional historical and cultural data, including information on native-language education in the Ternovka school from 1924 to 1938 (the school having been founded in 1839), as well as unique folklore texts and records preserved in the personal archives of local informants and researchers, such as Iliya Nikitovich Gamza and the archival materials of S. Tsvetko, illustrating the continuity between spinning-bee (sedjanka) traditions and the world of children's play.