Languages of Poland

Languages of Poland
Official languages	Polish
Regional languages	Kashubian (108,000); German (96,000); Belarusian (26,000); Rusyn (6,000); Lithuanian (5,000); Slovak (1,000); Czech (1,000); dispersed: Ukrainian (25,000); Romani (14,000); Armenian (2,000), Hungarian (1,000)
Main immigrant languages	Russian (20,000), Vietnamese (3,000), Arabic (2,000), Greek (2,000), Chinese (1,000), Bulgarian (1,000), Turkish (1,000), Hindi (1,000) and others [1]
Main foreign languages	English (29%) Russian (26%) German (19%)
Sign languages	Polish Sign Language
Source	ebs_243_en.pdf (europa.eu)

The main language spoken in Poland is Polish.

The deaf communities use Polish Sign Language belonging to the German family of Sign Languages.

According to the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages,^[2] 16 other languages have officially recognised status of minority languages: 1 regional language, 10 languages of 9 national minorities (the minorities that have their own independent state elsewhere) and 5 languages of 4 ethnic minorities spoken by the members of minorities not having a separate state elsewhere). Jewish and Romani minorities, each has 2 minority languages recognised.

The following languages are spoken in Poland as well:

Languages having the status of national minority's language

• Armenian
• Belarusian
• Czech
• German
• Jewish languages: Yiddish and Hebrew
• Lithuanian
• Russian
• Slovak
• Ukrainian

Languages having the status of ethnic minority's language

• Karaim
• Kashubian
• Rusyn, called Lemko in Poland - in Polish: "Łemkowski"
• Romani languages: official recognition is granted to the languages of two groups: Polska Roma and Bergitka Roma.^[3]
• Tatar, called Tartar by the Act

The official recognition gives to the representatives of the minority certain rights (under certain conditions prescribed by the laws): of education in their language, of having the language established as the secondary administrative language or help language in their municipalities, of financial support of the state to the promotion of their language and culture etc.

Languages without officially recognised status

• Wymysorys - is an endangered language with very few speakers, native to Wilamowice, but contrary to Karaim language having a similar situation, it was practically unknown of in the time of preparation of the forementioned Act.
• Silesian - status severely disputed, question whether a dialect of Polish or separate language considered a political issue. Ethnologue distinguishes two Silesian languages, Silesian and Upper Silesian.

Languages of new diasporas and immigrant communities

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 - language of the big Greek diaspora in Poland of 1950's.
• Vietnamese - the biggest immigrant community in Poland, since 1960's, having their own newspapers, schools, churches etc.

Dead and artificial languages

Among languages used in Poland, Ethnologue.^[4] mentions also:

• one constructed language - the International Auxiliary Language Esperanto (created in Poland),
• one dead language - Prussian,

but does not mention two other known defunct languages:

• Slovincian language - dialects of the Pomeranian language, dead about the beginning of the 20th century, closely related to Kashubian,
• Yatvingian, dead about mid-16th (or maybe end of 19th century).

See also

• Bilingual communes in Poland
• Dialects of the Polish language

References

1. Ludność. Stan i struktura demograficzno=społeczna. Retrieved 2013-04-14.
2. Ministry of Interior of Poland
3. According to Ethnologue the following Romani languages are spoken in Poland: Romani Vlax, Romani Carpathian, Romani Sinte, Baltic Romani. See: Ethnologue. Languages of the World, Ethnologue report for Poland
4. Ethnologue. Languages of the World, Ethnologue report for Poland

External links

• Ministry of Interior of Poland website all the acts, dispositions and bylaws related to the issue of minorities and their languages
  • Polish text of the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages
  • Translations of the Act of 6 January 2005 on national and ethnic minorities and on the regional languages into 16 minority languages and into English
• Policy on Minority and Regional Languages in Poland