Dialects of Polish

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Polska-dialekty.png
Subdivision of Polish dialects according to Karol Dejna
Polska-dialekty wg Urbanczyka.PNG
Subdivision of Polish dialects according to Stanisław Urbańczyk
Translations:

Polish dialects are regional vernacular varieties of the Polish language.

Contents

Four major dialect groups are typically recognized, each primarily associated with a particular geographical region, and often further subdivided into subdialectal groups (termed gwara in Polish). [1] [2] They are:

The regional differences correspond mainly to old ethnic or tribal divisions from around a thousand years ago. As a result of 19th century measures taken by occupying powers, of expulsions plus other displacements of Poles during and after World War II, as well as language policy in the Polish People's Republic, supplemented by broadcast media, the Polish language became more homogeneous than ever before in the second half of the 20th century.

Traditionally two additional dialect groups were treated alongside the aforementioned, adding to a total of six. [5] These varieties have been put at risk of extinction due to historic geopolitical population movements. They are:

Dialect and language distinctions

Although traditional linguistic divisions continue to be cited, especially in Polish sources, the current linguistic consensus tends to consider Kashubian a separate language, or at least as a distinct lect that cannot be grouped at the same level as the four major modern Polish dialects. [6] [7] [8] [9] Prior to World War II, Kashubian speakers were mainly surrounded by German speakers, with only a narrow border to the south with Polish speakers. Kashubian contains a number of features not found in other Polish dialects, e.g. nine distinct oral vowels (vs. the six of standard Polish), evolution of the Proto-Slavic TorT group to TarT (a feature not found in any other Slavic language) and (in the northern dialects) phonemic word stress, an archaic feature preserved from Common Slavic times and not found anywhere else among the West Slavic languages.

The two Kresy dialects are spoken in Kresy, the former eastern Polish territories annexed by the Soviet Union in 1945 and currently absorbed into Lithuania, Belarus and Ukraine.[ citation needed ] Both dialect groups have been in decline since World War II as a result of expulsions of millions of Poles from Kresy.[ citation needed ] Poles living in Lithuania (particularly in the Vilnius region), in Belarus (particularly in the northwest), and in northeast Poland continue to speak the Northern Kresy dialect, which sounds (in Polish described as zaciąganie z ruska) as if speaking with a Russian drawl, and is quite distinctive.[ citation needed ]

The majority of Poles expelled from Kresy were settled in newly annexed regions in northern and western Poland, and thereby their manner of speech evolved into so-called new mixed dialects. However, among the declining older generation there are still traces of Kresy dialect with its characteristic Ukrainian or Rusyn sounds, especially in the use of the East Slavic velarised L where standard Polish has it already vocalised (/w/) and of elongated vowels.

List of dialects

Pronunciation of sibilants in Polish dialects. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Standard pronunciation (/s... /-/s... /-/c... / distinction) Mazurzenie (/s... /-/s... / merger) Jablonkowanie (/s... /-/c... / merger) Kaszubienie (/s... /-/c... / merger) Sybilanty w polskich gwarach wg Urbanczyka.png
Pronunciation of sibilants in Polish dialects.
  Standard pronunciation (/s.../–/ʂ.../–/ɕ.../ distinction)
   Mazurzenie (/s.../–/ʂ.../ merger)
   Jabłonkowanie (/ʂ.../–/ɕ.../ merger)
   Kaszubienie (/s.../–/ɕ.../ merger)

Greater Polish dialect

Descended from the Western Slavic language spoken by the Polans, the subdialects are:

Mazovian dialect

Descended from the language of the Mazovians, [10] [11] the sub dialects are:

  • Białystok dialect (Polish : gwara białostocka)
  • Suwałki dialect (Polish : gwara suwalska)
  • Warmia dialect (Polish : gwara warmińska)
  • Kurpie dialect (Polish : gwara kurpiowska)
  • Masurian dialects (Polish : gwara mazurska)
  • Malbork-Lubawa dialect (Polish : gwara malborsko-lubawska)
  • Ostróda dialect (Polish : gwara ostródzka)
  • Near Mazovian dialect (Polish : gwara mazowsze bliższe)
  • Far Mazovian dialect (Polish : gwara mazowsze dalsze)

Lesser Polish dialect

Descended from the language of the Vistulans, is the most numerous dialectal group in modern Poland. [12] It includes the following sub-groups:

The Goral dialects (the colloquial name for the many dialects spoken by Gorals), which include mainly:

Northern Borderlands dialect

In modern times the dialect is still spoken mainly by the Polish minorities in Lithuania and in northwestern Belarus. [13] [14]

Southern Borderlands dialect

Often considered a derivative of a mixture of Old Polish and Old Ruthenian, as was spoken in Red Ruthenia in the Middle Ages. [13] [15] See especially, the Lwów dialect, Polish : gwara lwowska. [15]

New mixed dialects

Silesian

Silesian (Silesian : ślōnskŏ gŏdka, Polish : język śląski, dialekt śląski) is a lect spoken in the regions of Upper Silesia. Some regard it as one of the four major dialects of Polish, [16] [17] [18] [19] while others classify it as a separate regional language, distinct from Polish. [20] [21] [22] Many Silesians consider themselves a separate ethnicity and have been advocating the recognition of Silesian as a distinct language. In the 2021 Polish census, about 460 thousand people declared that they speak Silesian. [23]

Language organizations such as SIL International and various linguistic resources such as Ethnologue recognize Silesian as a distinct language. [24] [25] In 2007, Silesian was assigned its language code szl within the ISO 639-3 standard.

Those who regard Silesian as a separate language tend to include the Lach dialects (Polish : gwary laskie) of the Czech Republic as part of this language. However, other linguistic sources on Slavic languages normally describe them as dialects of the Czech language, [26] [27] or sometimes as transitional Polish–Czech dialects.

Notes

  1. ↑ Also considered a separate language

Related Research Articles

Kashubian or Cassubian is a West Slavic language belonging to the Lechitic subgroup along with Polish and Silesian. Although often classified as a language in its own right, it is sometimes viewed as a dialect of Polish.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish language</span> West Slavic language

Polish is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group within the Indo-European language family written in the Latin script. It is primarily spoken in Poland and serves as the official language of the country, as well as the language of the Polish diaspora around the world. In 2023, there were over 40.6 million Polish native speakers. It ranks as the sixth most-spoken among languages of the European Union. Polish is subdivided into regional dialects and maintains strict T–V distinction pronouns, honorifics, and various forms of formalities when addressing individuals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomeranian language</span> Language

The Pomeranian language is in the Pomeranian group of Lechitic languages within the West Slavic languages.

The Lechiticlanguages are a language subgroup consisting of Polish and several other languages and dialects that were once spoken in the area that is now Poland and eastern Germany. It is one of the branches of the larger West Slavic subgroup; the other branches of this subgroup are the Czech–Slovak languages and the Sorbian languages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polabian language</span> Revitalized Slavic language

The Polabian language, also known as Drevanian–Polabian language, Drevanian language, and Lüneburg Wendish language, is a West Slavic language that was spoken by the Polabian Slavs in present-day northeastern Germany around the Elbe. It was spoken approximately until the rise to power of Prussia in the mid-18th century – when it was superseded by Low German – in the areas of Pomoré, central (Mittelmark) part of Branibor (Brandenburg) and eastern Saxony-Anhalt, as well as in eastern parts of Wendland and Dravänia (Schleswig-Holstein), Ostholstein and Lauenburg). Polabian was also relatively long spoken in and around the cities of Bukovéc (Lübeck), Starigard (Oldenburg) and Trava (Hamburg). The very poorly attested Slavic dialects of Rügen seemed to have had more in common with Polabian than with Pomeranian varieties. In the south, it bordered on the Sorbian language area in Lusatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slovincian language</span> Extinct West Slavic language

Slovincian (Slovincian: Slôvjinskjy, Polish: Słowiński, Kashubian: Słowińsczi is an extinct language formerly spoken by the Slovincians living between lakes Gardno and Łebsko near Słupsk in Pomerania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silesian language</span> West Slavic ethnolect

Silesian, occasionally called Upper Silesian, is an ethnolect of the Lechitic group spoken by part of people in Upper Silesia. Its vocabulary was significantly influenced by Central German due to the existence of numerous Silesian German speakers in the area prior to World War II and after. The first mentions of Silesian as a distinct lect date back to the 16th century, and the first literature with Silesian characteristics to the 17th century.

Tutejszy was a self-identification of Eastern European rural populations, who did not have a clear national identity. The term means "from here", "local" or "natives". This was mostly in mixed-lingual Eastern European areas, including Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, and Latvia, in particular, in Polesia and Podlachia. As a self-identification, it persisted in Lithuania’s Vilnius Region into the late 20th century. For example, in 1989, a poll of persons whose passports recorded their ethnicity as Polish revealed that 4% of them regarded themselves as tuteišiai, 10% as Lithuanians, and 84% as Poles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Slavic languages</span> Subdivision of the Slavic language group

The West Slavic languages are a subdivision of the Slavic language group. They include Polish, Czech, Slovak, Kashubian, Upper Sorbian and Lower Sorbian. The languages have traditionally been spoken across a mostly continuous region encompassing the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, the westernmost regions of Ukraine and Belarus, and a bit of eastern Lithuania. In addition, there are several language islands such as the Sorbian areas in Lusatia in Germany, and Slovak areas in Hungary and elsewhere.

Wymysorys, also known as Vilamovian or Wilamowicean, is a West Germanic language spoken by the Vilamovian ethnic minority in the small town of Wilamowice, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland, on the border between Silesia and Lesser Poland, near Bielsko-Biała. It is considered an endangered language, possibly the most so of any of the Germanic languages. There are probably fewer than 20 native users of Wymysorys, virtually all bilingual; the majority are elderly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Warsaw subdialect</span> Variety of Polish spoken in Warsaw

The Warsaw subdialect, or Warsaw dialect, is a regional subdialect of the Masovian dialect of the Polish language, centered on the city of Warsaw. It evolved as late as the 18th century, under notable influence of several languages spoken in the city. After the destruction of Warsaw in the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 the subdialect has been in decline. It is estimated that in modern times it is almost extinct as the native language and is preserved mostly in literary works.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silesians</span> Inhabitants of the Silesia region

Silesians is a geographical term for the inhabitants of Silesia, a historical region in Central Europe divided by the current national boundaries of Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Historically, the region of Silesia has been inhabited by Polish, Czechs, and by Germans. Therefore, the term Silesian can refer to anyone of these ethnic groups. However, in 1945, great demographic changes occurred in the region as a result of the Potsdam Agreement leaving most of the region ethnically Polish and/or Slavic Upper Silesian. The Silesian dialect is one of the main dialects of the Polish language and based on Polish/Lechitic grammar. The names of Silesia in different languages most likely share their etymology—Polish: ; German: Schlesienpronounced[ˈʃleːzi̯ən] ; Czech: Slezsko ; Lower Silesian: Schläsing; Silesian: Ślōnsk ; Lower Sorbian: Šlazyńska ; Upper Sorbian: Šleska ; Latin, Spanish and English: Silesia; French: Silésie; Dutch: Silezië; Italian: Slesia; Slovak: Sliezsko; Kashubian: Sląsk. The names all relate to the name of a river and mountain in mid-southern Silesia, which served as a place of cult for pagans before Christianization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cieszyn Silesian dialect</span> Silesian dialect spoken across the Polish-Czech border

The Cieszyn Silesian dialect or Teschen Silesian dialect is one of the Silesian dialects. It has its roots mainly in Old Polish and also has strong influences from Czech and German and, to a lesser extent, from Vlach and Slovak. It is spoken in Cieszyn Silesia, a region on both sides of the Polish-Czech border. It remains mostly a spoken language. The dialect is better preserved today than traditional dialects of many other West Slavic regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masovian dialect</span> Dialect of the Polish language

The Masovian dialect, also written Mazovian, is the dialect of Polish spoken in Mazovia and historically related regions, in northeastern Poland. It is the most distinct of the Polish dialects and the most expansive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorals</span> Ethnic group of Central Europe

The Gorals, also known as the Highlanders are an ethnographic subgroup primarily found in their traditional area of southern Poland, northern Slovakia, and in the region of Cieszyn Silesia in the Czech Republic, where they are known as the Silesian Gorals. There is also a significant Goral diaspora in the area of Bukovina in western Ukraine and in northern Romania, as well as in Chicago, the seat of the Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America.

The Lwów dialect is a subdialect (gwara) of the Polish language characteristic of the inhabitants of the then Polish city of Lviv, now in Ukraine. Based on the substratum of the Lesser Polish dialect, it was heavily influenced by borrowings from other languages spoken in Galicia, notably Ukrainian (Ruthenian), German and Yiddish,

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janusz Rieger</span> Polish linguist

Janusz Andrzej Rieger is a Polish linguist and slavist specializing in the history of Polish language in Kresy, professor of the humanities, member of the Warsaw Scientific Society. He worked at the Institute of Slavic Studies and at the Institute of Polish Language of the Polish Academy of Sciences, and lectured at the University of Warsaw.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chełmnian–Kocievian–Warmian dialect</span> Dialect of Polish language

Chełmnian–Kocievian–Warmian dialect is a group of dialects of Polish language used in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian, Pomeranian, and Warmian-Masurian Voivodeships. It is considered by some linguists as a branch of the Greater Poland dialect, while also, as a separate dialect, by others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Borderlands dialect</span> Dialect of Polish language

Northern Borderlands dialect is a dialect of the Polish language, spoken by the Polish minorities in Lithuania and in northwestern Belarus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Borderlands dialect</span> Dialect of Polish language

Southern Borderlands dialect is a dialect of the Polish language, spoken by the Polish minority in Ukraine. It is considered a branch of the Lesser Poland dialect by Zofia Kurzowa.

References

  1. ↑ Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley (2006). The Slavic Languages. Cambridge University Press. P. 530.
  2. ↑ Robert A. Rothstein (1994). "Polish". The Slavonic Languages, edited by Bernard Comrie and Greville G. Corbett. Routledge. Pp. 754–756.
  3. ↑ Dillingham, William Paul; Folkmar, Daniel; Folkmar, Elnora (1911). Dictionary of Races or Peoples. United States. Immigration Commission (1907–1910). Washington, D.C.: Washington, Government Printing Office. p. 105.
  4. ↑ Dillingham, William Paul; Folkmar, Daniel; Folkmar, Elnora (1911). Dictionary of Races or Peoples. Washington, D.C.: Washington, Government Printing Office. p. 128.
  5. ↑ Zofia Kurzowa (2007). Szpiczakowska Monika, Skarżyński Mirosław (ed.). Z przeszłości i teraźniejszości języka polskiego (in Polish). Kraków: Universitas. p. 726. ISBN   978-83-242-0691-9.
  6. ↑ Jadwiga Wronicz (March–April 2007). "Pozycja dialektu wobec innych odmian polszczyzny". Język polski (in Polish). LXXXVII (2): 91–96.
  7. ↑ Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley (2006). The Slavic Languages. Cambridge University Press. Pp. 531–532.
  8. ↑ Gerald Stone (1994). "Cassubian". The Slavonic Languages, edited by Bernard Comrie and Greville G. Corbett. Routledge. Pp. 759–794.
  9. ↑ Bronisław Jakubowski (1999). "Język czy dialekt?". Wiedza i Życie (in Polish) (4).
  10. ↑ Bronisław Wieczorkiewicz (1968). Gwara warszawska dawniej i dziś (in Polish). Warsaw: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy. p. 516.
  11. ↑ Halina Karas, Gwary Polskie, Dialects and gwary in Poland Archived 2011-04-14 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ↑ Stanisław Urbańczyk, ed. (1992). "Dialekt małopolski". Encyklopedia języka polskiego (in Polish) (II ed.). Wrocław-Warszawa-Kraków: Ossolineum. p. 60.
  13. 1 2 Zofia Kurzowa (2007). Szpiczakowska Monika, Skarżyński Mirosław (ed.). Ze studiów nad polszczyzną kresową (in Polish). Kraków: Universitas. p. 518. ISBN   978-83-242-0683-4.
  14. ↑ Zofia Kurzowa (2006). Szpiczakowska Monika, Skarżyński Mirosław (ed.). Język polski Wileńszczyzny i kresów północno-wschodnich (in Polish). Kraków: Universitas. ISBN   83-242-0738-4.
  15. 1 2 Zofia Kurzowa (2006). Szpiczakowska Monika, Skarżyński Mirosław (ed.). Polszczyzna Lwowa i kresów południowo-wschodnich do 1939 (in Polish). Kraków: UNIVERSITAS. p. 439. ISBN   83-242-0656-6.
  16. ↑ Gwara Śląska – świadectwo kultury, narzędzie komunikacji. Jolanta Tambor (eds.); Aldona Skudrzykowa. Katowice: „Śląsk". 2002. ISBN   83-7164-314-4. OCLC   830518005.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  17. ↑ „Słownik gwar Śląskich". Opole, Bogusław Wyderka (eds.)
  18. ↑ „Dialekt śląski" author: Feliks Pluta, publication: Wczoraj, Dzisiaj, Jutro. – 1996, no 1/4, pp 5–19
  19. ↑ „Fenomen śląskiej gwary" author: Jan Miodek publication: Śląsk. – 1996, no 5, pp 52
  20. ↑ Ptak, Alicja (2022-12-28). "Supermarket introduces bilingual Polish-Silesian signs". Kraków: Notes from Poland. Retrieved 2023-04-14.
  21. ↑ Norman Davies, Europe: A History, Oxford 1996 pp 1233
  22. ↑ Jolanta Tambor. Opinia merytoryczna na temat poselskiego projektu ustawy o zmianie Ustawy o mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym, a także niektórych innych ustaw, Warszawa 3 maja 2011 r. (English: Substantive opinion on the parliamentary bill amending the Act on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional language, as well as some other acts, Warsaw, May 3, 2011.)
  23. ↑ "585,7 tys. osób deklaruje się jako Ślązacy. "Je to blank dobry wynik"". oko.press (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-05-08.
  24. ↑ "ISO documentation of Silesian language". SIL International. Archived from the original on 2012-10-03.
  25. ↑ "List of languages with ISO codes". Ethnologue . SIL International.
  26. ↑ Roland Sussex and Paul Cubberley (2006). The Slavic Languages. Cambridge University Press. P. 533.
  27. ↑ David Short (1994). "Czech". The Slavonic Languages, edited by Bernard Comrie and Greville G. Corbett. Routledge. P. 530.
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