by Odisej Belchevsky
Dr. Prof. Kosta Peev a Macedonian scholar and a Linguist-Dialectologist. Currently one of the most advanced and known linguists in Macedonia.
Professor –Doctor Kosta Peev dedicated a large portion of his life in exploring documenting and recording the language of the Macedonian people from the Aegean Macedonia. After a great effort and two decades of work his books
"a Dictionary of the Macedonian Dialects from the South east part of Aegean Macedonia" in three volumes and 1500 pages was published as the first Dialectical Monograph based directly on materials collected analysed and recorded by the author.
Dr. Kosta Peev was born in Strumica Macedonia, where he completed his Public School and gymnasium-High School. He continued his higher education in Skopje Macedonia. Here he graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy and after the Masters on the ‘Dojranski Govor’ he obtained his Doctorate with the Book –Study of the Kukushki Govor.He was a professor in Strumica Macedonia and later became Assistant Professor at the Institute for Macedonian Language, and Professor at the Faculty of Philology.
His Life Work has epic significance as it is an official and documentary work and proof of the existence of Macedonian people in what for long time was called Northern Greece. His work includes numerous live encounters with the people from this region and recording their tragic stories from the periods of 1913- 1918 and 1948-1949.
What motivated this great scholar to spend over two decades of his life working on the subject of Aegean Macedonian language?
‘During the first world war in this part of the world, the Greek regime leashed their armies in Macedonia and literarily slaughtered the Macedonian population in the fields and their homes. The farmers were working in their fields, and as they were shot they ran not knowing what happened to their wives and children The families separated as they ran in all directions and many of them never saw each other again. Mothers with young babies and children ran for their lives, in many instances forced to leave their children on the roads and fields as they could not carry all of them. The elderly men and women and the sick were left behind.
It was one of the most brutal and uncalled for extermination of human life in this region of the world. The city of Kukush and the surrounding 36 villages were completely burned and destroyed. This region was the most industrious and established of Macedonia and the nucleus of Macedonians.
Many eye witnesses that escaped and survived told the tragic stories of the genocide to the Macedonian population. These stories are very tragic and are living proof of the atrocities inflicted on the innocent population.
This tragic event greatly touched the heart of the author .His desire to record these events reflected in his work in recording and documenting the language of these Macedonians.
This was not an easy task as the Greek regime of the 1960’s in Macedonia did not allow anyone to conduct official work related to language and history of this region of Macedonia from the older generation of Macedonians that remained there.
It was necessary to locate the now aged refugees from the First World War that had crossed the border between Greece and Yugoslavia .Therefore most of the work was carried out in Yugoslavia. The author had to travel to the various villages to meet with the Macedonian refugees and conduct the interviews and recordings.
The author has also used various related literature and information that was available in other European Centers such as Belgrade, Prague, Warszawa, Krakow, Paris and others.
What is the situation with the Macedonian spoken Language in Aegean Macedonia (Greece)?
According to Dr. Kosta Peev although minimal, the Macedonian Language is still spoken. However due to the current situation in Greece, where the Macedonian Language is not allowed and is under powerful influence of a ‘foreign language system’ this language is in the process of quick decline as less and less people of the younger generation have a chance to hear it or speak it.
Acceding to Dr. Kosta Peev and his work the Macedonian Language Spoken in the vicinity of Solun was the Language of the well known Macedonian brothers Kiril and Metodij who lived in the 9th Century in Macedonia and were the initiators, promoters
And educators of all the Slavic Nations. There are archaic forms that have been preserved in the Solun (Salonica) Macedonian Dialect that are only present in the Macedonian Language.Originaly similar type of work was carried in the late 1800’by some Slovenian Educators . These are Vatroslav Oblak in 1896, and his Professor at the University of Vienna Vatroslav Jagic .These Vienna Scholars traveled to Macedonia in 1890’near Solun (Salonica) recorded and confirmed the Macedonian Language spoken in this part of Macedonia.
The Importance of the Life Work of Dr. Kosta Peev is increasing everyday. His book is currently on the desks of the Russian University Scholars who are using his work to create the Russian Etymological Dictionaries. Kosta Peev’s has received a very high recognition by scholars, educators and professors, throughout the world.
Odyssey Belchevsky
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