THE INFLUENCE OF THE RUSSIAN DIALECT ON THE INFLECTIONAL SYSTEM OF POLISH OF THE OLD BELIEVERS IN THE AUGUSTÓW REGION (Wplyw rosyjskiej gwary na system fleksyjny polszczyzny staroobrzedowców w osrodku augustowskim)

The Old Believers living in Poland are descendants of Russian Old Believers who did not accept the Patriarch Nikon's reforms in the second half of the 17th century. The villages Gabowe Grady and Bor are the biggest centres of the Old Believers in Poland. As a result of Polish-Russian bilingualism, we can observe not only the influence of Polish on the Russian dialect, but also the influence of the Russian dialect on the Polish of the Old Believers. Some characteristic features of their Polish which result from the influence of the Russian dialect include changes in the inflectional system.