Languages of Poland
Languages of Poland | |
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Official | Polish |
Regional | Polish dialects; Silesian (529,377); Kashubian (108,000); German (96,000); Belarusian (26,000); Hungarian (1,000); Ruthenian (6,000); Lithuanian (5,000); Slovak (1,000); Czech (1,000); Dispersed: Signed Polish |
Source | ebs_243_en.pdf (europa.eu) |
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The Languages of
Languages other than Polish that have existed in the region for at least 100 years can gain recognition as a regional or minority language, which have appropriate rules of use.[5] In areas where the speakers of these languages make up more than 20% of the population, the language can receive the status of auxiliary language, while Polish remains the official language.[6]
According to the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages,[7] 16 languages have been recognized as minority languages; 1 regional language, 10 languages belonging to 9 national minorities (minorities from another sovereign state) and 5 languages belonging to 4 ethnic minorities (minorities that do not belong to another sovereign state). Jewish and Romani minorities each have 2 recognized minority languages.
Household languages
Language used in households by population as of 2011.[8]
- Polish (37,815,606)
- Silesian (529,377)
- Kashubian (108,140)
- English (103,541)
- German (96,461)
- Belarusian (26,448)
- Ukrainian (24,539)
- Russian (19,805)
- Romany(14,468)
- French (10,677)
- Italian (10,295)
- Rusyn (6,279)
- Spanish (5,770)
- Lithuanian (5,303)
- Vietnamese (3,360)
- Other languages (31,800)
- Unspecified (519,698)
- Total (38,511,824)
National minority's languages
Ethnic minority's languages
- Karaim
- Rusyn, called Lemko in Poland (Polish: "Łemkowski", see Lemko)
- Two ]
- Tatar, called Tartar in the English translation of the act.
Official recognition gives the representatives of the minority under certain conditions the right to education in their language, having their language established as a secondary administrative language or help language in their municipality, financial support in the promotion of their language and culture, etc.
Regional languages
Auxiliary languages
The bilingual status of gminas (municipalities) in Poland is regulated by the Act of 6 January 2005 on National and Ethnic Minorities and on the Regional Languages, which permits certain gminas with significant linguistic minorities to introduce a second, auxiliary language to be used in official contexts alongside Polish. The following is a list of languages by the number of gminas that have them as auxiliary languages.[10]
- Kashubian (5)
- Lithuanian (1)
- German (33)
- Belarusian (5)
Languages of bilingual settlements
A settlement can use any officially recognised, regional, or minority languages in their name. Currently[when?] only 5 settlements have exercised this power. The following is a list of languages by their use in settlements dual language names.
- Belarusian (27)
- German (359)
- Kashubian (827)
- Lithuanian (30)
- Rusyn (9)
Languages of diasporas and immigrants
These languages are not recognised as minority languages, as the Act of 2005 defines minority as "a group of Polish citizens (...) striving to preserve its language, culture or tradition, (...) whose ancestors have been living on the present territory of the Republic of Poland for at least 100 years":
- Greek: the language of the Greek diaspora in Poland of 1950s.
- Vietnamese: the language of the biggest immigrant community in Poland since the 1960s, having their own newspapers, schools, churches etc.
Sign languages
The
Unrecognised regional languages
- It is disputed whether Silesian is either one of the four major dialects of Polish[12][13][14][15] or a separate language, distinct from Polish.[16][17][circular reference][18][19][20] Ethnologue distinguishes the Silesian language from the Upper Silesian dialect of Polish language. There are efforts by some Silesian groups advocating for legal recognition to be granted (similar to that of Kashubian) and the topic is considered a political issue.
- Wymysorys is an endangered language with very few speakers. It is native to Wilamowice, but, unlike the similarly endangered Karaim language, it was practically unknown during the preparation of the aforementioned Act.
Dead and artificial languages
Among languages used in Poland, Ethnologue mentions
Foreign languages
Eurobarometer studies in 2012 showed that 33%, 19%, and 18% of Poles declared to be able to have a conversation in English, German, and Russian, respectively.[24] As of 2015, around 32% of Polish citizens declared knowledge of the English language according to the Centre for Public Opinion Research.[25] However, other surveys show that over 50% of Poles can speak English. Another study shows that 89% of Polish students are learning and/or can speak English.[26]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-83-7027-521-1. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
- ^ "SPECIAL EUROBAROMETER 386 Europeans and their Languages" (PDF). ec.europa.eu. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-01-06.
- ^ "Konstytucja Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej". www.sejm.gov.pl. Retrieved 2021-03-28.
- ^ "Ustawa z dnia 6 stycznia 2005 r. O mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym".
- ^ "Ustawa z dnia 6 stycznia 2005 r. O mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym".
- ^ "Ustawa z dnia 6 stycznia 2005 r. O mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym".
- ^ a b "Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages" (PDF) – via GUGiK.gov.pl.
- ^ Struktura narodowo-etniczna, językowa i wyznaniowa ludności Polski, p. 70, p. 173
- Romani Carpathian, Romani Sinte, Baltic Romani. See: Ethnologue. Languages of the World, Ethnologue report for Poland
- ^ "Map on page of Polish Commission on Standardization of Geographical Names" (PDF). Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- ^ AGH (2012-03-23). "Ustawa o języku migowym wchodzi w życie!" (in Polish). agh.edu.pl. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
- )
- ^ „Słownik gwar Śląskich". Opole, Bogusław Wyderka (eds.)
- ^ „Dialekt śląski" author: Feliks Pluta, publication: Wczoraj, Dzisiaj, Jutro. – 1996, no 1/4, pp 5–19
- ^ „Fenomen śląskiej gwary" author: Jan Miodek publication: Śląsk. – 1996, no 5, pp 52
- ^ Norman Davies, Europe: A History, Oxford 1996 pp 1233
- ^ Wikipedia:SDU/Kategoria:Śląska Wikipedia (2008) {Discussion on the inclusion of Silesian-language articles in the Polish Wikipedia. Main Opinion: Not, because Silesian is a separate language in its own right}
- ^ Ekspertyza naukowa dra Tomasza Wicherkiewicza
- ^ Ekspertyza naukowa dra Tomasza Kamuselli
- ^ Jolanta Tambor. Opinia merytoryczna na temat poselskiego projektu ustawy o zmianie Ustawy o mniejszościach narodowych i etnicznych oraz o języku regionalnym, a także niektórych innych ustaw, Warszawa 3 maja 2011 r.
- ^ Ethnologue. Languages of the World, Ethnologue report for Poland
- ^ "Low Silesian on www.endangeredlanguages.com". Retrieved 2022-04-16.
- ^ Christopher Moseley (2010). Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. UNESCO.
- ^ Europeans and their languages, Special Eurobarometer. 386, June 2012
- ISSN 2353-5822. Retrieved 15 March 2022.
- .
External links
- jezyki-mniejszosci.pl - website of the Polish government regarding minority languages
- Polish text of the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages from ISAP
- Policy on Minority and Regional Languages in Poland