Languages Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Translation arrow This article may be expanded with text from the corresponding article on Językowa Wiki.
Kashubian
Kaszëbsczi
General information
Countries

Flag of Poland Poland

Region

Herb Gryfitów Pomerania

Number of speakers

50,000

Language family

(disputed)

Indo-European
Political information
Official in

Officially used as a regional language, in some communities of the Pomeranian Voivodeship in Poland

Group of speakers

Flag of Kashubians Kashubians

Regulated by

Kashubian Language Council

Language codes
ISO 639-1

None

ISO 639-2

csb

ISO 639-3

csb

Linguasphere

Kashubian or Cassubian (Kashubian: kaszëbsczi jãzëk, pòmòrsczi jãzëk, kaszëbskò-słowińskô mòwa; Polish: język kaszubski, dialekt kaszubski) is considered as either a dialect of the Polish language or as one of the Lechitic languages, a subgroup of the Slavic languages.[1][2][3]

The language assumably evolved from the language spoken by a few tribes of Pomeranians known as the Kashubians, in the region known as Pomerania, on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea between the Vistula and Oder rivers in Poland.

Placement[]

Template:Wikipedia-translate Kashubian is closely related to Slovincian, both of which are sometimes considered to be dialects of Pomeranian. Several linguists, including those in Poland, consider Kashubian to be a dialect of Polish that diverged from the language, though now it is usually recognized as the closest living relative to the Polish language, being the only other extant Lechitic language.

Grammar[]

Belonging to the so called Lechitic family of Slavic languages it shares its feautures with Polish and Polabian languages. The centuries of mutual integrity of Pomerania and central Poland have made Kashubian closer to the adiacent Polish dialects - Mazovian and Greater Polish. With the first it shares the alteration of a into e vowels in such particles as ra-, ja- and -ar-. With the second one, Kashubian shares lack of Mazurzenie, so cz, and sz digraphs do exist as well as ż sound. However, probably because of a strong germanic influence, Kasubian lost a similar set of consonants: ć, , ś and ź for the benefit of c, dz, s and z. This process is called Kaszubienie in Polish dialectology.

With Polabian Kashubian has TarT and TłoT forms in common. However, because of the strong influence of standard Polish this feature tends to disappear.

Example (Lord's Prayer)[]

Listen

Òjcze nasz, jaczi jes w niebie,
niech sã swiãcy Twòje miono,
niech przińdze Twòje królestwò,
niech mdze Twòja wòlô
jakno w niebie tak téż na zemi.
Chleba najégò pòwszednégò dôj nóm dzysô
i òdpùscë nóm naje winë,
jak i më òdpùszcziwómë naszim winowajcóm.
A nie dopùscë na nas pòkùszeniô,
ale nas zbawi òde złégò. Amen

Official status[]

In 2005, after Polish parliament had enacted the law about ethnical and national minorities and regional languages, Kashubian was granted an official status as a regional language. This became the strongest argument of Kashubian separateness supporters to treat it as a fully-fledged Slavic language. Traditionalists still prefer to classify Kashubian as one of the Polish dialects, though.

Gallery[]

References[]

Globe of letters
Languages Wiki has 9 images related to Kashubian.
  1. Stephen Barbour, Cathie Carmichael, Language and Nationalism in Europe, Oxford University Press, 2000, p.199, ISBN 0198236719
  2. About Languages - University of Leipzig
  3. Flag of Poland Dialekt kaszubski on Językowa Wiki

Template:Kashubian

Advertisement