The Central, or Middle, Russian dialects are one of the main dialect groups of Russian, originating from Northern Russian stock but having absorbed many Southern Russian features over time; Standard Russian itself developed from a dialect within this group. Their core territory covers the historical heartland of Old Russia around Moscow, Tver, Vladimir and Ivanovo, with a later, secondary area extending southeast of Moscow through the Volga and Ural regions into Siberia and the Russian Far East. The group divides into Pskov, Western and Eastern subdialects, with the Pskov dialects forming a transition toward the dialects of Belarus, and the whole group occupies a transitional position between northern and southern Russian speech.
Facts
RegionSpoken across the historic core oblasts of Moscow, Tver, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Pskov, Novgorod, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl and Ryazan, and, through post-16th-century settlement, across the middle and lower Volga, the Urals, Siberia, the Far East and Saint Petersburg. 1 Speaker CommunityThe group that Standard Russian itself derives from; of Northern Russian origin, it has nonetheless assumed many Southern Russian features, making it a transitional dialect group between the North and the South. 1 Distinguishing FeaturesCentral Russian is a transitional stage between the North and the South: dialects of the group closer to the North show northern features, and those closer to the South show southern ones. 1 Classification
Variety Kind Sources
1. Wikipedia: Central Russian Dialects
Wikimedia FoundationTerritory section
The territory of the primary formation...is fully or partially modern regions (oblasts): Moscow, Tver, Vladimir, Ivanovo, Pskov, Novgorod, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl (in Rostov), Ryazan (in Kasimov) and the enclave of Chukhloma.
Lead and Features sections
The official dialect (Standard Russian) originates from a dialect from this group.
Features section
Central Russian is a transitional stage between the North and the South, so some of its dialects closer to the North have northern features, and those closer to the South have the southern ones.
Variety kind, Central Russian Dialects entity page
The Central, or Middle, Russian dialects are one of the main dialect groups of Russian, originating from Northern Russian stock but having absorbed many Southern Russian features over time; Standard Russian itself developed from a dialect within this group.
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