Standard Turkish · İstanbul Türkçesi
The Istanbul-area standard of Turkish. The basis of the modern written language and of broadcast Turkish.
Balkan Turkish
Also known as: Rumelice
The Turkish varieties of the Balkans, surviving from Ottoman-era settlement. Spoken across pockets of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Kosovo, and northern Greece.
Shareable facts
Want a Balkan Turkish app?
Vote and we'll prioritise it. Top-voted dialects move up the roadmap. One vote per email.
Frequently asked questions
What language is Balkan Turkish?
Balkan Turkish is a dialect of the Turkish language.
Where is Balkan Turkish spoken?
Balkan Turkish is primarily spoken in Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Greece.
Which region is Balkan Turkish associated with?
Balkan Turkish is part of the Europe region on DialectAtlas.
Is Balkan Turkish known by other names?
Yes — Balkan Turkish is also referred to as Rumelice.
What are the other dialects of Turkish?
Turkish also includes Istanbul Turkish, Anatolian Turkish, Cypriot Turkish. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other Turkish dialects
See on the atlas →A broad cluster of regional dialects across central and eastern Anatolia. Internally varied; many features sit at the boundary with Azerbaijani and other Oghuz Turkic varieties.
Kıbrıs Türkçesi
The Turkish of the northern half of Cyprus. Preserves Anatolian features lost in standard Turkish and shows long contact with Cypriot Greek.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →0 km away
The Sofia-based standard of Bulgarian. A South Slavic language with one of the most analytical grammars in the family, having lost most case marking in favour of articles and prepositions.
169 km away
The Bulgarian dialects of the Rhodope mountains in southern Bulgaria. Among the most conservative South Slavic varieties; some sub-dialects retain features lost in the standard a millennium ago.
174 km away
A Balkan Romani variety spoken widely across North Macedonia, Kosovo, southern Serbia, and Bulgaria.
174 km away
The Skopje-based standard of Macedonian, codified after the Second World War. Closely related to Bulgarian; written in Cyrillic with several letters unique to Macedonian.
177 km away
The northern Albanian dialect group, spoken across northern Albania, Kosovo, and parts of North Macedonia and Montenegro. Distinguished by nasal vowels and the retention of older Albanian features.
231 km away
An Eastern Romance variety spoken across the southern Balkans. Often classified as a separate language; carries significant contact influence from Greek, Albanian, and Slavic.