site.btaNew Edition of First Bulgarian Grammar Published 189 Years after Original

A new edition of the first Bulgarian grammar, compiled by Neophyte of Rila, has been published 189 years after the original, the publisher Bulgarian History Association said on Friday.

The book was printed in 1835 in the capital of the then Principality of Serbia, Kragujevac, the press release added.

"Nikola Poppetrov Benin, as is the author's birth name, is one of the most significant figures of Bulgarian enlightenment. He printed the book for the needs of the pupils of the Gabrovo Mutual School [currently Aprilov High School], together with mutual teaching charts and a primer derived from their contents," the association said.

The work was the first attempt to systematize the emerging unified literary Bulgarian national language. All the main aspects of linguistics were covered - etymology, parts of speech, conjugations, declensions, etc., while a glossary of Greek and Turkish words commonly used at the time is also given.

"The contributory character of this edition is the 'Supplement to the Grammar,' which had hitherto been known only as a manuscript. Another advantage is the fact that the updated text follows line by line the original, presented by facsimiles on each page. In this way, the reader can gain a full insight into the subject by reading and comparing what the Bulgarian Renaissance writer wrote," noted Bulgarian History Association.

Neophyte of Rila (born Nikola Poppetrov Benin), an important 19th century figure of the Bulgarian National Revival, was born 230 years ago. He was also a monk, teacher and artist, who arrived at Rila Monastery in 1806. The Monastery still houses a huge volume of his works, including the first Bulgarian globe, the first Bulgarian grammar book, a number of literary translations, including of the New Testament, which was published in Izmir in 1840.

The new edition of the grammar is published in collaboration with the Cyrillo-Methodian Research Center at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS), where it was prepared with the support of the National Research Programme for Development and Promotion of Bulgarian Studies Abroad.

The translation into modern Bulgarian and the scientific commentary was made by Assoc. Prof. Iva Trifonova, while scientific consultants were Kameliya Hristova-Yordanova and Assoc. Prof. Tatyana Ilieva.