Slovincian language

Not to be confused with Slovene language or Slovak language.
Slovincian
slôvjinskjy jãzëk[1][2]
Native toPoland, Germany
RegionPomerania
Extinct20th century
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologslov1270
Linguasphere53-AAA-ca
The Slovincian ethnolect in the north west of the Kashubian region at the beginning of the 20th century
Slovincian is an extinct language according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
[3]

Slovincian (Slovincian: slôvjinskjy, IPA: [slɵˈvjinskjɪ]; Polish: słowiński [swɔˈvij̃skʲi]; Kashubian: słowińsczi [swɔˈviɲst͡ɕi]) is an extinct language formerly spoken by the Slovincians living between lakes Gardno and Łebsko near Słupsk in Pomerania.[4]

Slovincian is classified either as a language (first by Friedrich Lorentz),[5] or as a Kashubian dialect[6][7][8][9] or variant.[10][11] Slovincian and Kashubian are both classified as Pomeranian.[10][11] See below.

Slovincian became extinct in the early twentieth century ultimately due to stigmatization from Germans.[12][10][11] However, individual words and expressions survived until after World War II, when the region became Polish. Some Slovincians were expelled along with the Germans.[13] Of those allowed to stay, a few elderly people had fragmentary knowledge of Slovincian until the 1950s.[13]

It is disputed whether Slovincians actually used that name, given to them by the Russian academic Aleksander Hilferding, for themselves. The synonym Lebakaschuben (Łebsko Kashubians) is also used. Some scholars believe that Slovincians regarded themselves merely as Lutheran Kashubians and their language as Kashubian. Nevertheless, the name "Slovincian" prevails in literature and is also used officially, for example in Słowiński Park Narodowy (Slovincian National Park), a protected area on the Polish Pomeranian coast.

  1. ^ Lorentz 1908, pp. 391.
  2. ^ Lorentz 1912, pp. 1520.
  3. ^ Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (Report) (3rd ed.). UNESCO. 2010. p. 25.
  4. ^ Lorentz 1903, pp. 1–2.
  5. ^ Gilbers, Nerbonne & Schaeken 2000, pp. 329.
  6. ^ Bethin 1998, pp. 160ff.
  7. ^ Stankiewicz 1993, pp. 291.
  8. ^ Hulst & Bossong 1999, pp. 837.
  9. ^ Rudnicki 1913, pp. 13.
  10. ^ a b c Gilbers, Nerbonne & Schaeken 2000.
  11. ^ a b c Sussex & Cubberley 2006, pp. 97.
  12. ^ Rudnicki 1913, pp. 3–4.
  13. ^ a b Comrie & Corbett 2002, pp. 762.