Genus-Zuweisung bei der Pronominalisierung von Personen in den Südwalser Dialekten

The Alemannic dialects in linguistic islands in Northern Italy have been undergoing strong changes since the second half of the 20th century. One of these changes concerns the assignment of gender with persons. Generalized neuter abolishes the coupling of gender with male/female and transfers both female and male persons into neuter. This in turn has its effect on verbal inflection. The post-verbal subject clitics mutate in the 3rd person singular to verb endings void of male/female connotations. This change, as it is now spreading, is not in itself a recent phenomenon. In early written dialectal records it already occurs in single documents even at the beginning of the 19th century.

Resilient grammars: On VO/OV in Germanic linguistic islands in Northern Italy

In this work we consider some residual cases of OV order in Cimbrian and show that this is due to the interaction between verb movement, a language specific property, and the syntax of bare quantifiers. This has consequences on a general theory on the change of the basic word order, since it shows that the passage from OV to VO can involve different structures in different languages depending on other properties, hence it is not possible to trace a common path in the diachronic change for all languages that have undergone this mutation.

GOTTSCHEER FOLK SONG – FROM A MEANS OF FOSTERING NATIONAL DIFFERENTIATION TO A MEMORY KEEPER IN THE DIASPORA

The article focuses on changes in the roles and uses of Gottscheer folk song from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day. The first part addresses how nationalist activists used folk songs from the end of the nineteenth century to 1941/42 in order to instill the idea of a national identity in the Kočevje region. The second part offers insight into the role of folk song in preserving the identity of present-day Gottscheers in the diaspora. The paper also touches on the concept of “German linguistic islands” and points to the role of scholarship in the (mis)understanding of the multicultural reality of linguistically mixed regions.

Morava jako multietnický organismus: problémy jazyka a identity v letech 1848–1918

The study deals with the development of linguistic, ethnic and international relationships in Moravia in 1848–1918 and their specific features. The focus is mainly on the complex relationships between Czech-speaking and German-speaking inhabitants of Moravia and the aspects that played a key role in them. These included a complicated settlement situation given by the mixing of Czech and German inhabitants (the numerous ‘German linguistic islands’), the economic influence of Jewish inhabitants on international relations in linguistically diverse cities, the impact of social and economic status of various groups of inhabitants on their voting and political participation, the unevenness in the promotion of national identity and the effects of Czech-German international compromise of 1905. The application of the principle of personal autonomy led to alleviation of international tensions as well as an increased demand for legal determination of nationality.

Lithuanian linguistic islands: research perspectives

This article further discusses the topic of Lithuanian linguistic islands. It focuses on two particular aspects: a) synchronic aspect which is concerned with contemporary situation of the islands; b) diachronic aspect which focuses on the issue of the formation of Lithuanian islands. The article is of a discussable nature and some of the hypotheses that it raises are a result of an on-going work and thus are preliminary and they need to be tested and researched properly in the future. At this stage the key aims have been to raise and address those issues and questions that have only scarcely been addressed in extant linguistic literature. From the synchronic perspective, Lithuanian linguistic islands are classified according to the criterion of vitality. It is suggested that they be divided into three groups according to the level of their vitality: vital, endangered and dead. The analysis of the diachronic aspect, i.e. the history of the development of Lithuanian islands, the following questions of discussion are raised: 1) the question of the methodological approach with regard to Lithuanian islands. In dealing with it, it is suggested to consider not only the autochtonous model of the formation of islands but also examine the alochtonic (migrational) as well as mixed models. 2) The question of migration. The fact that people who spoke Slavic language varieties migrated to the ethnic Lithuanian lands in which Lithuanian was spoken is obvious. However, in theory, an opposite phenomenon might have been possible, i.e. it is possible that Lithuanians migrated to the areas of Slavic languages. In addition, the possibility of internal migration should not be underestimated either. In other words, it is possible that Lithuanians migrated in their own ethnic Lithuanian lands. 3) The question of dialectal situation. The main goal of the studies in this area is to establish dialectal identity of the linguistic islands. A theoretical assumption is made that in the ethnic Lithuanian lands in which Lithuanian islands formed, there might be dialectal units which used to be independent and which were not necessarily a relic of continental dialects. 4) The necessity of systematic linguistic studies. Lithuanian linguistic islands require systematic analysis and a synchronic research of Lithuanian islands’ phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical structures. 5) Sociolinguistic question, especially from the perspective of historical sociolinguistics in which the key issue addressed is the interplay of the use of different languages and the situation of bilingualism. 6) Methodological concerns and the question of the necessity of complex studies. The main objective is for scholars of different fields to discuss, consider these points, to make use of the practical and methodological experience gained by foreign linguistics and to try to develop the research methodology of Lithuanian linguistic islands of a complex and synthetic character.

Obszar językowy litewski w państwie polskim 1927–1933

Lithuanian linguistic territory in the Polish state between 1927–1933Olgierd Chomiński (1884–1943), professor of Stephan Batory’s University in Vilnius, investigated and described in detail the territory and the boundaries of Lithuanian language in Poland, and presented them in the form of a map published in 1939. Full list of localities and the number of persons speaking Lithuanian (as well as Polish, Belorussian, Russian Old Believers and Yiddish in mutual relations) were arranged and discussed successively: uniform areas (Święciany 50 000, Orany 24 000, Puńsk–Sejny 8 200) mixed areas (Ejszyszki, Soleczniki, Werenów, Raduń 9 500), and linguistic islands (Opsa 2 200, Gierwiaty 4 000, Dziewieniszki 4 200, Łazduny 2 500, Wilno–Troki 900 and several dozen people in Zdzięcioł), altogether about 106 000 persons, who could speak or understand Lithuanian language. After the author’s death the materials have been supplemented by Professor Jan Safarewicz, but the whole has been prepared for publication by Leszek Bednarczuk. Литовский языковой ареал в Польском государстве 1927–1933В северо-восточных районах Польши в междувоенный период проживало литовское меньшинство, главным образом на этнических литовских землях. С течением времени обнаружилась тенденция к сокращению этого ареала. Pacceлeние и кoличecтвo литовского нacceлeния нa мecтах иccлeдовaл пoльcкий yчeный O. Хоминьски. Автор публикуемых материалов, Ольгерд Хоминьски, был профессором в Университете им. Стефана Батория в Вильнюсе. Умер в 1943 году, не окончив начатого труда. До начала II мировой войны (в 1939 году) была издана лишь карта литовского языкового ареала в Польше и подготовлена к печати лишь глава, описываюшая свенцянскинй район. Остальной материал остался необработанным. К изданию данный материал подготовил профессор Л. Беднарчук. Нecкoлькo нeбoльших глaв oбрaбoтал в началe 50-их гoдов XX вeка проф. Ян Caфаpeвич.

Survey for The Conservation of Agrobiodiversity in Three Italian Linguistic (Occitan, Croatian and Franco-Provençal) Islands.

This study is a continuation of a research started in 1996 to study and safeguard the agrobiodiversity in Italian linguistic islands by the Institute of Plant Genetics of the C.N.R. of Bari (Italy) and the Institute of Crop Science of Kassel University (Germany). In 2011 additional three collecting missions were carried out in the Franco-Provençal, Croatian, and Occitan linguistic areas. In all 146 accessions were collected belonging mainly to landraces of cereals, pulses and vegetables. Even if these linguistic areas still conserve worthy crop genetic resources (e.g. rye and wheat in Occitan districts, common beans in Franco-Provençal villages of Apulia region), a strong genetic erosion of the most typical crops was recorded. Safeguarding these crops both ex situ and in situ is thus a matter of urgency.