Monday 29 February 2016

Istria abecedary: D is for Dvigrad



Dvigrad (meaning ‘two towns’) is a prehistoric settlement located in Istria. It was originally settled by the Illyrians, and later ravaged by the bubonic plague in the 17th century, with the town's only three surviving families eventually abandoning their homes in the early 18th century. Today what remains of the town is the stone ruins making up an archaeological site on a scenic hillside.

You can see more pictures of Dvigrad here.

I actually had a hard time coming up with words starting with D, and especially the letters that follow: Đ (very similar in pronunciation to DŽ but softer) and DŽ (pronounced like the J in 'jam'), because there seem to be few Istrian words starting with these sounds. Anyone have any ideas for these letters??

Thursday 18 February 2016

Istria abecedary: Ć is for Ćićarija



Ćićarija is the name of the (45-km-long) mountainous plateau in northern and north-eastern Istria.

The letter Ć is pronounced like the 'ch' sound in English, but softer, with the tongue placed behind the teeth.

(Photo credit: Istria Tourist Board)

Thursday 4 February 2016

Istria abecedary: Č is for Čakavski



Čakavski is the name of the dialect of Croatian spoken in Istria (not exclusively). The Croatian language has three main dialects (and many sub-dialects) named after the word for 'what' or ča, hence 'Čakavski'.

The letter Č is pronounced like the 'ch' sound in English – like the 'ch' in church.
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