 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2011) |
| Sorbian | |
|---|---|
| serbšćina, serbsce (Upper Sorbian) serbšćina, serbski (Lower Sorbian) | |
| Geographic distribution | Lusatia |
| Ethnicity | Sorbs |
Native speakers | c. 20,000 |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 / 5 | wen |
| Glottolog | sorb1249 |
 The Sorbian-speaking area in Germany | |
 Sorbian is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010) | |
The Sorbian languages[1] (Upper Sorbian: serbska rěč, Lower Sorbian: serbska rěc) are the Upper Sorbian language and Lower Sorbian language, two closely related and partially mutually intelligible languages spoken by the Sorbs, a West Slavic ethno-cultural minority in the Lusatia region of Eastern Germany.[1][2][3] They are classified under the West Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages and are therefore closely related to the other two West Slavic subgroups: Lechitic and Czech–Slovak.[4] Historically, the languages have also been known as Wendish (named after the Wends, the earliest Slavic people in modern Poland and Germany) or Lusatian.[1] Their collective ISO 639-2 code is wen.
The two Sorbian languages, each having its own literary standard, are Upper Sorbian (hornjoserbsce), spoken by about 20,000–25,000[5] people in Saxony, and Lower Sorbian (dolnoserbski), spoken by about 7,000 people in Brandenburg. The area where the two languages are spoken is known as Lusatia (Łužica in Upper Sorbian, Łužyca in Lower Sorbian, or Lausitz in German).[1][2][3]
- ^ a b c d "Sorbian languages". Encyclopædia Britannica. Edinburgh: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 21 November 2013 [20 July 1998]. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
Sorbian languages, also called Lusatian, or Wendish, closely related West Slavic languages or dialects; their small number of speakers in eastern Germany are the survivors of a more extensive medieval language group. The centre of the Upper Sorbian speech area is Bautzen, near the border with the Czech Republic, while Cottbus, near Poland, is the centre for Lower Sorbian. The oldest written record of Sorbian dates from the 15th century, although the languages, differing mostly in their sound systems, are known to have begun to diverge around the 13th century. Upper Sorbian enjoyed a considerable amount of prestige in Saxony, while the Kingdom of Prussia attempted to suppress Lower Sorbian. Although all Sorbs today also speak German, both Upper and Lower Sorbian have been taught in the schools of the Sorbian areas since 1948.
- ^ a b Yèche, Hélène (2013). "Les Sorabes: Une minorité invisible?". Belgeo: Revue Belge de Géographie (in French). 3 (Les minorités nationales et ethniques: Entre renouvellement et permanence). Bruxelles: National Fund for Scientific Research and the Fondation Universitaire/Universitaire Stichting. doi:10.4000/belgeo.11570. ISSN 2294-9135.
- ^ a b Sanguin, André-Louis (1996). "Les Sorabes de l'ex-R.D.A. après la fin du communisme: La recomposition territoriale du plus petit des Peuples Slaves". Revue des Études Slaves (in French). 68 (1). Paris: Institut d'Études Slaves: 55–68. doi:10.3406/slave.1996.6307. ISSN 2117-718X. JSTOR 43270317.
- ^ About Sorbian Language, by Helmut Faska, University of Leipzig
- ^ "Seltenes Studienfach: Entschuldigung, sprechen Sie Sorbisch?" - https://www.zeit.de/zett/2016-01/leipziger-institut-wehrt-sich-gegen-das-aussterben-von-sprachen