Lusatian dialects

Last updated
Lusatian
Native to Germany
Region Brandenburg, Saxony
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Central German dialects after 1945
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10: Silesian-Lusatian Mitteldeutsche Mundarten.png
Central German dialects after 1945
  10: Silesian-Lusatian

The Lusatian dialects (Standard German: Lausitzisch) are East Central German (High German) dialects spoken in southern Brandenburg and eastern Saxony. The name "Lusatian" derives from the term Lusatia, meaning the dialects of Lusatia. They are most closely related to Silesian German.

Berlin and Brandenburg originally lay in the Low German language area. Through immigration to Berlin from (then) Central German-speaking regions like Silesia and Saxony, the city's Low German dialect has been strongly influenced by Central German, so that it evolved from a Low German into a Central German (High German) variant, which then spread from Berlin to the surrounding areas of Brandenburg.

The Slavic languages of Lower and Upper Sorbian, which are spoken in Lusatia as well, are also sometimes referred to as Lusatian languages.

Main dialect groups

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saxony</span> State in Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cottbus</span> Town in Brandenburg, Germany

Cottbus or Chóśebuz is a university city and the second-largest city in the German state of Brandenburg after the state capital of Potsdam. With around 98,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous city in Lusatia. Cottbus lies in the Sorbian settlement area of Lower Lusatia, and is the second-largest city on the River Spree after Berlin, which is situated around 125 km (78 mi) upstream. The city is located on the shores of Cottbus Eastern Lake, which will be Germany's largest artificial lake by surface area when flooding is completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorbs</span> Ethnic group in Germany

Sorbs are a West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting the parts of Lusatia located in the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg. Sorbs traditionally speak the Sorbian languages, which are closely related to Czech, Polish, Kashubian, Silesian, and Slovak. Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian are officially recognized minority languages in Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spree (river)</span> River in Germany and the Czech Republic

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Lower Sorbian is a West Slavic minority language spoken in eastern Germany in the historical province of Lower Lusatia, today part of Brandenburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bautzen</span> Town in Saxony, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Elster</span> River in Germany

The Black Elster or Schwarze Elster is a 179-kilometre (111 mi) long river in eastern Germany, in the states of Saxony, Brandenburg and Saxony-Anhalt. It is a right tributary of the Elbe. Its source is in the Upper Lusatia region, near Elstra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central German</span> Dialect group in Central Germany

Central German or Middle German is a group of High German languages spoken from the Rhineland in the west to the former eastern territories of Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Lusatia</span> Historical region in Germany and Poland

Lower Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe, stretching from the southeast of the German state of Brandenburg to the southwest of Lubusz Voivodeship in Poland. Like adjacent Upper Lusatia in the south, Lower Lusatia is a settlement area of the West Slavic Sorbs whose endangered Lower Sorbian language is related to Upper Sorbian and Polish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Lusatia</span> Historical region in Germany and Poland

Upper Lusatia is a historical region in Germany and Poland. Along with Lower Lusatia to the north, it makes up the region of Lusatia, named after the Slavic Lusici tribe. Both parts of Lusatia are home to the West Slavic minority group of the Sorbs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Central German</span> Variety of Central German

East Central German or East Middle German is the eastern Central German language and is part of High German. Present-day Standard German as a High German variant, has actually developed from a compromise of East Central and East Franconian German. East Central German dialects are mainly spoken in Central Germany and parts of Brandenburg, and were formerly also spoken in Silesia and Bohemia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Senftenberg</span> Town in Brandenburg, Germany

Senftenberg (German) or Zły Komorow is a town in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, in eastern Germany, capital of the Oberspreewald-Lausitz district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lusatian Lake District</span>

The Lusatian Lake District is a chain of artificial lakes under construction in Germany across the north-eastern part of Saxony and the southern part of Brandenburg. Through flooding as a part of an extensive regeneration programme, several decommissioned lignite opencast mines are in the process of being transformed into Europe's largest artificial lake district. However, the requirements of the project, especially the necessary water resources, are controversial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Germany</span>

The official language of Germany is German, with over 95 percent of the country speaking Standard German or a dialect of German as their first language. This figure includes speakers of Northern Low Saxon, a recognized minority or regional language that is not considered separately from Standard German in statistics. Recognized minority languages have official status as well, usually in their respective regions.

Low Lusatian German or the Low Lusatian dialect is a variety of Central German spoken in northern Saxony and southern Brandenburg within the regions of Lower Lusatia (Cottbus) and the northern part of Upper Lusatia (Hoyerswerda). It is well-defined from the Low German dialects around and north of Berlin, as well as the Upper Saxon dialect group of present-day Saxony and the Slavic language of the Sorbs.

Görlitz district is a district (Kreis) in Saxony, and the easternmost in Germany. It is named after its capital Görlitz. It borders the district of Bautzen, the state of Brandenburg, Poland and the Czech Republic.

The various regional and minority languages in Europe encompass four categories:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sorbian settlement area</span> Linguistic minority settlement area

The Sorbian settlement area commonly makes reference to the area in the east of Saxony and the South of Brandenburg in which the West Slavic people of the Sorbs live autochthonously. In colloquial German, it is called Sorbenland ; before 1945 also – sometimes pejoratively – called Wendei.

References