Linguist clarifies correct pronunciation of quinoa in Bulgarian

Linguist Siya Kolkovska, a professor at the Institute for the Bulgarian Language Prof. Lyubomir Andreychin at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, has addressed the correct pronunciation of the word ‘quinoa’ in Bulgarian.

While the term has become a staple in Bulgarian food culture over the last two decades, there has been uncertainty regarding its accentuation. The word is commonly pronounced in two ways: with the stress on the first vowel (kínoa) or the last vowel (kinoa).

Following the principle of adhering to the pronunciation of the source or intermediary language, Kolkovska notes that the word was adopted into Bulgarian via English, where the stress falls on the first vowel. Consequently, it is recommended to pronounce it as ‘kínoa’ in Bulgarian, a standard reflected in the third academic ‘Dictionary of New Words in the Bulgarian Language’.