Abstract. This article presents a semantic analysis of curses in Bulgarian, as spoken by ethnic Bulgarians, and in Turkish, as spoken by Muslim Roma in Northeastern Bulgaria. Curses in Turkish and Bulgarian are classified according to Dimitrova's classification (2010) 1) curses for fear/terror; 2) curses for death and (incurable) diseases; 3) curses for misfortune and an empty/deserted house; 4) curses for poverty and life in a barren/foreign/unfertile area 5) curses for physical disabilities, spiritual and mental degradation. In both languages, optative expressions are used in cursing, but in the Turkish spoken by Muslim Roma, the imperative is also used to express emotions in cursing. In Bulgarian, the imperative is almost never used in curses.
Keywords: curses, semantic analysis, Bulgarian language, Turkish language, Muslim Roma
