Phase 4 “Unified South Slavic Cyrillic” - Summary of Capital Cities and Border Legacy

 

This is a fascinating linguistic project — essentially a “reunified South Slavic Cyrillic” that aims to strip out politically motivated alterations from the modern North Macedonian alphabet and reintegrate it more closely with a historically-rooted Bulgarian Cyrillic base, while also excluding post-WWII Yugoslav reforms and oddities.

🔍 What Changed in 1945 in Macedonia?

The Macedonian alphabet was codified in 1945 under Yugoslav leadership, with some clear political motives to:

• Differentiate from Bulgarian.

• Reflect dialectal distinctiveness.

• Include newly created or selectively preserved letters.

🚫 Letters added or emphasized politically in Macedonian:

• Ѓ (Gje) – voiced palatal stop

• Ќ (Kje) – voiceless palatal stop

• Љ (Lje) and Њ (Nje) – palatal consonants also used in Serbian

• Ј – equivalent of Latin “J” (Serbo-Croatian influence)

• Ѕ (Dze) – archaic Old Church Slavonic letter revived in Macedonia

• Џ (Dzhe) – also from Serbian

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🎯 Project Goal:

Create a historically coherent and culturally neutral South Slavic Cyrillic alphabet:

• Remove politically motivated post-1945 additions

• Avoid imported Serbian forms

• Preserve shared Slavic phonemes

• Base it more on older Bulgarian Cyrillic while honoring authentic regional dialectal sounds

🔍 Key Notes:

• It is based on Serbo-Croatian Cyrillic, with some unique Macedonian additions.

• Letters like Ѓ, Ќ, Љ, Њ, Џ, Ѕ, Ј were codified in 1945 under Yugoslav influence to differentiate Macedonian from Bulgarian.

• It does not use the Bulgarian letters: Щ, Ъ, Ь, Ю, Я

🇲🇰 North Macedonian Alphabet (31 Letters):

А Б В Г Д Ѓ Е Ж З Ѕ И Ј К Л Љ М Н Њ О П Р С Т Ќ У Ф Х Ц Ч Џ Ш

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Alphabet (30 Letters):

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ь Ю Я

✅ Your Unified South Slavic Cyrillic Alphabet

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ю Я

❌ Omitted:

• Ъ – hard sign; often silent or used as schwa (not needed with reformed spelling)

• Ь – soft sign; used for palatalization in Russian and Bulgarian (can be replaced with phonetic markers or reformed spelling)

❌ Letters Removed:

• From Macedonian:

  • Ѓ, Ќ, Љ, Њ, Џ, Ѕ, Ј (Serbo-Yugoslav/Macedonian additions)

• From Bulgarian:

• Ъ, Ь (hard and soft signs — omitted by your choice)

🗑 Removed from North Macedonian Set:

• Ѓ → Г’ or just Г

• Ќ → К’ or just К

• Љ → Л’ or just Л

• Њ → Н’ or just Н

• Џ → ДЖ

• Ѕ → ЗД

• Ј → Й

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🧬 Sample Word Conversions

Macedonian	Reformed	Meaning
Ќерка	Черка	Daughter (dialectal, as you said)
Љубов	Любов	Love
Ѓавол	Гявол	Devil (archaic Bulgarian/Macedonian shared root)
Џвака	Джака	Chew
Јазик	Йазик	Language

🔢 Final Count:

• ✅ 28 letters total — streamlined, compact, and phonetic

• ➕ Щ, Ю, Я = included for their practical value

• ❌ No soft/hard signs or artificial Yugoslav reforms

This new alphabet is:

• Culturally decolonized

• Linguistically efficient

• Easier to teach, write, and read

• Rooted in pre-Yugoslav tradition with modern phonetic clarity

А  

Б  

В  

Г  

Д  

Е  

Ж  

З  

И  

Й  

К  

Л  

М  

Н  

О  

П  

Р  

С  

Т  

У  

Ф  

Х  

Ц  

Ч  

Ш  

Щ  

Ю  

Я

• 30 (Bulgarian)

• minus ❌ Ъ

• minus ❌ Ь
  = ✅ 28 letters — exactly your final count.

✅ 10 Words Using Only the Letters:

А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ю Я
❌ No: Ъ, Ь, Ѓ, Ќ, Љ, Њ, Џ, Ѕ, Ј

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🔤 10 Words in the Reformed Alphabet:

• Ябaлка – apple 

• Юнак – hero

• Щука – pike (fish)

• Черка – daughter (dialectal)

• Гора – forest

• Йога – yoga

• Злато – gold

• Фазан – pheasant

• Шапка – hat

• Цар – king

✍️ Why Щ, Ю, Я Are Worth Keeping:

• Щ shortens words like што → що/що → щo (contextual use)

• Ю compresses “Й+У” as in Йули → Юли

• Я compresses “Й+А” as in Йана → Яна

These three letters save space, time, and effort, especially when writing by hand or composing informally — a legitimate modernization and not just an aesthetic holdover.

📌 Final Summary:

Alphabet	Letter Count
Macedonian (modern)	31
Bulgarian (modern)	30
Your new version	28 ✅

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Yes, Bulgaria exists today, but its current capital is not its original capital.

Modern Capital:

• Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria today. It's been the capital since 1879, shortly after the country regained autonomy from the Ottoman Empire.

Original Capital(s):

Bulgaria has had several historical capitals, depending on which Bulgarian state and era you're referring to:

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🏛 First Bulgarian Empire (681–1018):

• Pliska (681–893): The original capital of the First Bulgarian Empire, established by Khan Asparuh.

• Preslav (893–971): Capital moved here by Tsar Simeon the Great; a major cultural and spiritual center.

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🏰 Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396):

• Tarnovo (Veliko Tarnovo): Became the capital after the successful uprising against Byzantine rule. It was a thriving political and cultural hub.

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🇧🇬 Modern Bulgaria (since 1878):

• After liberation from Ottoman rule, Sofia was chosen for its strategic location, infrastructure, and symbolic distance from Ottoman centers.

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Summary:

Yes, Bulgaria still exists, but its original capitals—Pliska, Preslav, and Tarnovo—are now historical cities, with Sofia taking over as the modern seat of government.

Lake Ohrid is one of the most historically and culturally significant lakes in the Balkans — and yes, it has a deep connection to early Bulgarian history, though it is not located in modern Bulgaria today.

Here’s the breakdown:

🌍 Where is Lake Ohrid today?

• Mainly in North Macedonia, with a smaller portion in Albania.

• The city of Ohrid, on the lake’s northeastern shore, is a major historical center.

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🏛️ Historical Significance for Bulgaria:

1. First Bulgarian Empire Influence:

   • During the height of the First Bulgarian Empire, the Ohrid region was under Bulgarian control (especially in the 10th and 11th centuries).

   • After the Byzantine conquest of the eastern parts of Bulgaria, Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria moved his capital to the Ohrid region around the late 10th century.

   • Ohrid became the spiritual and administrative center of the Western Bulgarian Empire (sometimes called the Samuel’s Empire).

2. Ohrid Archbishopric:

   • Samuel made Ohrid the seat of the Bulgarian Patriarchate, later downgraded by the Byzantines to an archbishopric but still highly influential.

   • The Ohrid Literary School, a key center for Slavic literacy and Christian education, flourished here.

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🇧🇬 Did Bulgaria lose Ohrid?

• Yes, modern Bulgaria does not include Lake Ohrid, which is now in North Macedonia.

• The region changed hands many times over centuries — between Byzantines, Bulgarians, Serbs, Ottomans, and in the 20th century, between different Balkan states during the Balkan Wars and World Wars.

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🧭 Summary:

• Lake Ohrid is not in Bulgaria today, but it was once a major capital and religious center of the First Bulgarian Empire under Tsar Samuel.

• It holds deep historical and spiritual importance for Bulgarian heritage, even though it now lies within North Macedonia and Albania.

Great — let’s walk through a detailed historical timeline showing how Bulgaria's borders shifted over the centuries, especially around key cities like Ohrid, Tarnovo, Pliska, and Preslav, and how these changes reflect the broader story of imperial rise, fall, and national reformation in the Balkans.

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🇧🇬 The Shifting Borders of Bulgaria: A Timeline

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🛡 681–1018: The First Bulgarian Empire

• 681: Khan Asparuh founds the First Bulgarian Empire. Pliska is established as the capital.

• 893: Capital moves to Preslav under Tsar Simeon the Great — Bulgaria becomes a cultural and literary powerhouse, rivaling Byzantium.

• 971–1018: Bulgaria weakens under Byzantine pressure. After major defeats, the empire fragments.

🔺 Key Point: By the late 10th century, Bulgaria’s eastern core (Pliska/Preslav) falls to the Byzantines.

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🏔 976–1018: The Western Bulgarian Empire (Tsar Samuel’s Realm)

• Tsar Samuel moves the de facto capital west to Ohrid, establishing a stronghold in Macedonia.

• Ohrid becomes the spiritual and military capital, with a Bulgarian Patriarchate.

• The empire controls much of today’s North Macedonia, Albania, western Bulgaria, and northern Greece.

🔺 Key Point: Ohrid becomes the last capital of an independent Bulgaria before complete Byzantine conquest in 1018.

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🏛 1018–1185: Byzantine Rule

• Bulgaria is absorbed into the Byzantine Empire.

• The Ohrid Archbishopric is preserved as a semi-autonomous religious institution.

• Bulgarian identity is suppressed, but not erased.

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🗡 1185–1396: The Second Bulgarian Empire

• Brothers Asen and Peter lead a successful revolt. They restore Bulgarian independence.

• Veliko Tarnovo becomes the new capital.

• Empire regains much of old Bulgarian territory, including parts of Macedonia, but Ohrid often remains outside direct control.

🔺 Key Point: Tarnovo symbolizes a second golden age for Bulgarian statehood and Orthodoxy.

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🕌 1396–1878: Ottoman Rule

• Bulgaria falls to the Ottoman Empire.

• Territories are divided into Ottoman provinces.

• Ohrid remains a spiritual center via the Archbishopric of Ohrid, which continues until 1767 when it is abolished by the Ottomans.

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🇧🇬 1878–1908: Bulgaria Regains Autonomy

• After the Russo-Turkish War, Bulgaria becomes an autonomous principality.

• Sofia is chosen as the new capital due to its strategic position and infrastructure.

• Many Bulgarians live outside this new Bulgaria — in Macedonia, Thrace, and Dobrudja.

🔺 Key Point: Modern Bulgaria is born — but with many Bulgarians left outside its borders, sowing tension.

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⚔ 1912–1913: Balkan Wars

• Bulgaria joins Serbia, Greece, and Montenegro to expel the Ottomans from Europe.

• After victory, Bulgaria demands Macedonia (including Ohrid) — this leads to the Second Balkan War.

• Bulgaria is defeated and loses most of Macedonia to Serbia and Greece.

🔺 Key Point: Bulgaria briefly takes part of Macedonia, but loses it. Ohrid is never permanently restored to Bulgaria.

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🌍 Post WWI – WWII: Border Disputes Continue

• 1919: Treaty of Neuilly confirms loss of Macedonia.

• 1941–1944 (WWII): Bulgaria occupies parts of Macedonia (including Ohrid) during Axis alliance — seen as reunification by some, occupation by others.

• Post-WWII: Communist Yugoslavia firmly controls Macedonia. Ohrid becomes part of socialist Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

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🕊 1991–Today

• 1991: Republic of Macedonia declares independence (now North Macedonia).

• Ohrid remains part of North Macedonia.

• Tensions over language, identity, and history persist between Bulgaria and North Macedonia.

• Bulgaria supports Macedonia’s EU path but insists on recognition of shared historical heritage, especially regarding Ohrid, Samuel, and the literary schools.

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🧭 Summary of Capital Cities and Border Legacy

Period	Capital(s)	Territory Today
First Bulgarian Empire	Pliska, Preslav, Ohrid (under Samuel)	Bulgaria, N. Macedonia, parts of Albania
Second Bulgarian Empire	Veliko Tarnovo	Bulgaria
Modern Bulgaria	Sofia	Bulgaria