Old Bulgarian

9.9

A very old Slavic language used in the 9th–11th centuries for early Bible translations

noun

Literature

: búlgaro antiguo

The Gospels were first translated into Old Bulgarian in the 9th century.

Examples

Many medieval manuscripts are preserved in Old Bulgarian.
Scholars study Old Bulgarian to understand the roots of Slavic languages.
The Old Bulgarian language has a rich history.
Many scholars study Old Bulgarian for its linguistic significance.
Many medieval manuscripts are preserved in Old Bulgarian.
The Gospels were first translated into Old Bulgarian in the 9th century.
Scholars study Old Bulgarian to understand the roots of Slavic languages.

Synonyms

Old Bulgarian language

vsOld Bulgarian

Literature

9.9

A first Slavic written language used to translate the Bible and church texts in the Middle Ages

focuses on the earliest written form used mainly in the 9th to 11th centuries

Old Church Slavonic

vsOld Bulgarian

Literature

9.9

An early Slavic language used in the ninth century to translate the Bible and other church texts

covers writings across the 9th to 11th centuries rather than only the 9th

Old Church Slavic

vsOld Bulgarian

Literature

9.9

An old written Slavic language used to translate the Bible for early Christians in the ninth century

is used for a longer period including later medieval centuries

Church Slavic language

vsOld Bulgarian

Literature

9.9

A Slavic language used in Orthodox church services, based on Old Church Slavonic from the 9th century

is the broader historical written language used in earlier centuries

Church Slavic

vsOld Bulgarian

Literature

9.9

A literary Slavic language that Orthodox churches use for worship and Bible translation

is the older, earliest written form used for Bible translations

Surface Forms

Old Bulgarian singular

Old Bulgarians plural

Morphology

old + Bulgarian

The phrase 'Old Bulgarian' is directly compositional: 'old' (an earlier historical stage) + 'Bulgarian' (the language) yields an earlier form of the Bulgarian language. This naming pattern (Old + language name) is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Old Bulgarian comes from early medieval Bulgaria, where Christian writers created a Slavic alphabet and used it to write the Bible and other church books. That's why Old Bulgarian means 'the earliest written Slavic language' used for those early translations.