Macedonian are based on distinct dialects. The Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian standard variants of the pluricentric Serbo-Croatian are based on the same dialect (Shtokavian). Thus, in most cases national and ethnic borders do not coincide with dialectal boundaries. Note: Due to the differing political status of languages/dialects and different historical contexts, the classifications are arbitrary to some degree. Dialectal classification South Slavic languages Southeastern Bulgarian dialects Eastern Bulgarian dialects Western Bulgarian dialects Macedonian dialects Northern Western/Northwestern Eastern Southeastern Southwestern Transitional (Torlakian) Transitional Bulgarian dialects in western Bulgaria Gora dialect in southern Kosovo, western North Macedonia and northeast Albania Prizren-Timok dialect in southeast Serbia and eastern Kosovo Karashevsk dialect in western Romania Shtokavian dialects (Serbo-Croatian) Šumadija–Vojvodina (Ekavian, Neo-Shtokavian): Serbia Smederevo–Vršac (Ekavian, Old-Shtokavian): east-central Serbia Kosovo–Resava (Ekavian, Old-Shtokavian): north Kosovo, eastern central Serbia Zeta–Raška (Ijekavian, Old-Shtokavian), in south and east Montenegro and southwest Serbia Eastern Herzegovinian (Ijekavian, Neo-Shtokavian), Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro East-Bosnian (Ijekavian, Old-Shtokavian), in central and northern Bosnia Slavonian (mixed yat, Old-Shtokavian), in eastern Croatia Younger Ikavian (Ikavian) with 3 subdialects — Dalmatian, Danubian (Bunjevac dialect), and Littoral-Lika: in Dalmatia, central Bosnia, northern Serbia, southern Hungary (incl. Budapest) Prizren–Timok (Ekavian, Old-Shtokavian), in southeast Serbia and south Kosovo Chakavian dialects Buzet subdialect: Croatia Western Chakavian subdialect: Croatia Southwestern Istrian subdialect: Croatia Northern Chakavian subdialect: Croatia Southern Chakavian subdialect: Croatia Lastovo subdialect: Croatia Kajkavian dialects, in Croatia Zagorje–Međimurje subdialect Križevci–Podravina subdialect Turopolje–Posavina subdialect Prigorski subdialect Donja Sutla subdialect Goranski subdialect Slovene dialects Littoral Slovene: Primorsko; west Slovenia and Adriatic Rovte Slovene: Rovtarsko; between Littoral and Carniolan Upper and Lower Carniolan: Gorenjsko and Dolenjsko; central; basis of Standard Slovene Styrian: Štajersko; eastern Slovenia Pannonian or Prekmurje dialect: Panonsko; far eastern Slovenia Carinthian: Koroško; far north and northwest Slovenia Resian: Rozajansko; Italy, west of Carinthian Other Burgenland Croatian (mixed), minority in Austria and Hungary Southeast Slavic languages The dialects that form the eastern group of South Slavic, spoken mostly in Bulgaria and Macedonia and adjacent areas in neighbouring countries (such as the Bessarabian Bulgarians in Ukraine), share a number of characteristics that set them apart from other Slavic languages: the existence of a definite article (e.g. книга, book – книгата, the book, време, time – времето, the time) a near complete lack of noun cases the lack of a verb infinitive the formation of comparative forms of adjectives formed with the prefix по- (e.g. добър, по-добър (Bulg.)/добар, подобар (Maced.) – good, better) a