Lechitic languages

The Lechitic (or Lekhitic) languages are a language subgroup consisting of Polish and several other languages and dialects that were originally spoken in the area.[1] 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.

Lechitic
Geographic
distribution
Poland
Linguistic classificationIndo-European
Subdivisions
Glottologlech1241

Languages

The Book of Henryków, containing what is claimed to be the first written Polish sentence
Kashubian jamboree in Łeba in 2005 – banner showing the Kashubian name of Kartuzy County

The Lechitic languages are:

  • Polish (ISO 639-1 code: pl, ISO 639-2 code: pol), used by approximately 38 million native speakers in Poland and several million elsewhere. Polish is considered to have several dialects, including Greater Polish, Lesser Polish and Masovian, among others;
  • Kashubian (ISO 639-2 code: csb), used today by over 110,000 people (2011 census)[2] in the eastern part of Pomerania. Sometimes it is considered a dialect of Polish;
  • Silesian (ISO 639-3 code: szl), used today by over 530,000 people (2011 census)[2] in Polish Silesia and by some more people in Czech Silesia. The different varieties of Silesian are generally considered to be dialects of Polish and Czech;
  • Slovincian, extinct since the early 20th century, a language formerly spoken in parts of Pomerania, sometimes identified with Kashubian and extinct Western Pomeranian dialects as a single Pomeranian language (which may also be considered a dialect of Polish);
  • Polabian (SIL code: pox), extinct since the mid-18th century, a language formerly spoken by Slavic peoples in areas around the Elbe river in what is now the northeast of Germany;
  • Goralic, is a Slovak- and Romance-influenced[3] subdialect of Lesser Polish. It is considered by locals to be a dialect and language, especially in Slovakia. It is spoken in southern Poland, northern Slovakia and eastern Czechia.

Features

Characteristics of Lechitic languages include:[4]

  • Preservation of nasal vowels.
  • Development of proto-Slavic ě, e, ę into a, o, ǫ before hard alveolar consonants (or other similar differentiations of these vowels depending on dialect). This gives rise to alternations such as modern Polish lato ("summer", nominative) vs. lecie (locative), pięć ("five") vs. piąty ("fifth").
  • Retention of Proto-Slavic *dz as an affricate, rather than a plain fricative z.
  • Lack of the gɣ transition. Compare Polish góra, Czech hora ("mountain").
  • The so-called fourth palatalization of velars in Polish and Kashubian: /k ɡ/ > [kʲ ɡʲ] before the front vowel /e/.[5]

Sample text

The following is the Lord's Prayer in several of the Lechitic languages:

Polish Upper Silesian[6] Kashubian[7] Polabian[8]

Ojcze nasz, któryś jest w niebie,
święć się imię Twoje,
przyjdź królestwo Twoje,
bądź wola Twoja
jako w niebie tak i na ziemi.
Chleba naszego powszedniego daj nam dzisiaj.
I odpuść nam nasze winy,
jako i my odpuszczamy naszym winowajcom.
I nie wódź nas na pokuszenie,
ale nas zbaw ode złego.
Amen.

Ôjcze nŏsz, kery jeżeś we niebie,
bydź poświyncōne miano Twoje.
Przińdź krōlestwo Twoje,
bydź wola Twoja,
jako we niebie, tak tyż na ziymi.
Chlyb nŏsz kŏżdodziynny dej nōm dzisiŏk.
A ôdpuś nōm nasze winy,
jako a my ôdpuszczōmy naszym winnikōm.
A niy wōdź nŏs na pokuszyniy,
nale zbŏw nŏs ôde złygo.
Amyn.

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.

Nôße Wader, ta toy giß wa Nebisgáy,
Sjungta woarda tügí Geima,
tia Rîk komma,
tia Willia ſchinyôt,
kok wa Nebisgáy, tôk kak no Sime,
Nôßi wißedanneisna Stgeiba doy nâm dâns,
un wittedoy nâm nôße Ggrêch,
kak moy wittedoyime nôßem Grêsmarim,
Ni bringoy nôs ka Warſikónye,
tay löſoáy nôs wit wißókak Chaudak.
Amen.

Etymology

The term Lechitic is applied both to the languages of this group and to Slavic peoples speaking these languages (known as Lechites). The term is related to the name of the legendary Polish forefather Lech and the name Lechia by which Poland was formerly sometimes known. For more details, see Lechites.

See also

Notes

  1. Lekhitic languages, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved July 2008
  2. Narodowy Spis Powszechny Ludności i Mieszkań 2011. Raport z wyników Archived 2012-12-21 at the Wayback Machine - Central Statistical Office of Poland
  3. "Gwara góralska - wypływy innych krajów". www.zwiazek-podhalan.pl. Retrieved 2021-08-09.
  4. Klemensiewicz, Zenon (1999). Historia języka polskiego (in Polish) (7 ed.). Warsaw: Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN. ISBN 83-01-12760-0.
  5. Rubach, Jerzy (2019). "Surface Velar Palatalization in Polish" (PDF). Natural Language & Linguistic Theory. 37 (4): 1421–1462. doi:10.1007/s11049-018-9430-3.
  6. "Endangered Languages Project – Upper Silesian – Ôjcze nasz". www.endangeredlanguages.com. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  7. File:Jerozolëma, kòscel Pater noster, "Òjcze nasz" pò kaszëbskù.JPG
  8. Das polabische Vaterunser / "Our Father" in Polabian
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