Generally only one aspect of Slavic‑Turkish language contact has regularly been discussed in linguistics, viz. the Turkish influence on Slavic vocabulary. Results of impact in the opposite direction, i.e. Slavic loanwords in Turkish are only sporadically the subject of linguistic investigation. The present paper brings a collection of Slavic words in two Turkish dialects in western Bulgaria. Even this modest set of words clearly shows differences between the two areas. Suffice it to say that only two words in this collection, kr(ă) čma ‘inn, tavern’ and pux ‘down, pile, floccus, undercoat’, are attested both in the northern and the southern part of western Bulgaria.
The paper is of experimental character. Its aim is to see how Slavic loanwords in Turkish dialects in the Balkans (using the example of western Bulgaria) can be presented in a comparative dictionary.

For small, low-to-middle-income countries such as North Macedonia, the prospect of young, educated peo-ple leaving their place of residence (i.e. emigrating) can have significant negative societal-level effects. Understanding the complexity of the brain-drain phenomenon and its antecedents is critical to developing multi-level (i.e. global, societal and individual) strategic solutions. A qualitative analysis of several focus-group interviews was used to understand young, educated residents’ reasons either for emigrating or for remaining in North Macedonia. Two overarching themes served to organise the participant-identified driv-ers for emigration and those opposed to it. Three sub-themes emerged describing the factors for emigra-tion: 1) a lack of professional opportunities, 2) institutional systems, and 3) cultural tightness. Likewise, three sub-themes emerged describing the factors for staying: 1) community, 2) culture and 3) social re-sponsibility. Insights serve to contextualise some of the experiences of young, educated people in small, low-to-middle-income, countries which impact on their emigration decisions.

The purpose of the article is to study the origin and spread of the Carpathism koshara in Slavic and Balkan languages and within Carpathian dialects. The material used in the analysis comprises general, specialist and dialect dictionaries, as well as dialectological atlases and maps. The study has used methods of semantic and phonetic analysis of lexicographic sources, an interpretation of linguistic maps as well as etymological analysis. A comparative‑historical study of the word koshara allows one to determine such a development of meaning: “the result of weaving, something woven”. Then there was a transfer to capacity and, finally, specialization: “capacity for carrying things, basket”, “capacity for body, clothes”, “capacity for housing, house”, “housing for people”, “housing for animals”. The comparative‑historical research conducted involving broad dialectical material has allowed one to finally accept the еastern etymology of the word from the turс. koš, related to the verb košmak.

The purpose of the piece The Strategikon as a source — Slavs and Avars in the eyes of Pseudo- Maurice, current state of research and future research perspectives is to demonstrate what the author of Strategikon knew about the Slavs and Avars and review the state of research on the chapter of the treatise that deals with these two barbarian ethnicities. As a side note to the description of contemporary studies of Strategikon, the piece also lists promising areas of research, which have not yet received proper attention from scholars.