Silesian language
| Silesian | |
|---|---|
| Upper Silesian | |
| ślōnskŏ gŏdka ślůnsko godka |
|
| Native to | Poland (Silesian Voivodeship, Opole Voivodeship), Czech Republic (Moravia–Silesia, Jeseník) |
| Region | Upper Silesia / Silesia |
| Ethnicity | Silesians |
|
Native speakers
|
510,000 (2011 census) |
|
Indo-European
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | sile1253 |
| Linguasphere |
53-AAA-cck, 53-AAA-dam
|
Silesian or Upper Silesian (Silesian: ślōnskŏ gŏdka, ślůnsko godka (Silesian pronunciation: [ˈɕlonskɔ 'gɔtka]), Czech: Slezština, Polish: język śląski / etnolekt śląski) is a West Slavic lect, part of its Lechitic group. Its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by Central German due to the existence of numerous Silesian German speakers in the area prior to World War II and after, until the 1990s.
There is no consensus on whether Silesian is a separate language or a somewhat divergent dialect of Polish.
Silesian speakers currently live in the region of Upper Silesia, which is split between southwestern Poland and the northeastern Czech Republic. At present Silesian is commonly spoken in the area between the historical border of Silesia on the east and a line from Syców to Prudnik on the west as well as in the Rawicz area. Until 1945 Silesian was also spoken in enclaves in Lower Silesia.
Lower Silesian, a variety of Central German, was spoken by the ethnic German majority population of that region until their mass deportation to Germany after World War II.
According to the last official census in Poland in 2011, about 509,000 people declared Silesian as their native language (in census 2002, about 60,000), and in the censuses in Poland, Czech Republic and Slovakia, nearly 0.9 million people declared Silesian nationality.
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Wikipedia