Silesian (Silesian: Schläsisch, Schläs’sch, Schlä’sch, Schläsch, German: Schlesisch), Silesian German, or Lower Silesian is a nearly extinct German dialect spoken in Silesia. It is part of the East Central German language area with some West Slavic and Lechitic influences. Silesian German emerged as the result of Late Medieval German migration to Silesia, which had been inhabited by Lechitic or West Slavic peoples in the Early Middle Ages.
Until 1945, variations of the dialect were spoken by about seven million people in Silesia and neighboring regions of Bohemia and Moravia. After World War II, when the province of Silesia was incorporated into Poland, with small portions remaining in northeastern Czech Republic and in former central Germany, which henceforth became eastern Germany, the local communist authorities expelled the German-speaking population and forbade the use of the language.
Lower Silesian language in the context of Silesians
Silesians (Silesian: Ślōnzŏki or Ślůnzoki; Silesian German: SchläsingerorSchläsier; German: Schlesierpronounced[ˈʃleːzi̯ɐ]; Polish: Ślązacy; Czech: Slezané) is both a linguistic as well as a geographical term for the inhabitants of Silesia, a historical region in Central Europe divided by the current national boundaries of Poland, Germany, and Czechia. Historically, the region of Silesia (Lower and Upper) has been inhabited by Polish (West SlavicLechitic people), Czechs, and Germans. Therefore, the term Silesian can refer to anyone of these ethnic groups. However, in 1945, great demographic changes occurred in the region as a result of the Potsdam Agreement leaving most of the region ethnically Polish and/or Slavic Upper Silesian. The names of Silesia in different languages most likely share their etymology—Polish: Śląsk; German: Schlesienpronounced[ˈʃleːzi̯ən]; Czech: Slezsko[ˈslɛsko]; Lower Silesian: Schläsing; Silesian: Ślōnsk[ɕlonsk]; Lower Sorbian: Šlazyńska[ˈʃlazɨnʲska]; Upper Sorbian: Šleska[ˈʃlɛska]; Latin, Spanish and English: Silesia; French: Silésie; Dutch: Silezië; Italian: Slesia; Slovak: Sliezsko; Kashubian: Sląsk. The names all relate to the name of a river (now Ślęza) and mountain (Mount Ślęża) in mid-southern Silesia, which served as a place of cult for pagans before Christianization.
Ślęża is listed as one of the numerous Pre-Indo-European topographic names in the region (see old European hydronymy). According to some Polonists, the name Ślęża[ˈɕlɛ̃ʐa] or Ślęż[ɕlɛ̃ʂ] is directly related to the Old Polish words ślęg[ɕlɛŋk] or śląg[ɕlɔŋk], which means dampness, moisture, or humidity. They disagree with the hypothesis of an origin for the name Śląsk[ɕlɔ̃sk] from the name of the Silings tribe, an etymology preferred by some German authors.
Lower Silesian language in the context of Lower Silesia
Lower Silesia (Polish: Dolny Śląsk[ˈdɔlnɨˈɕlɔ̃sk]; Czech: Dolní Slezsko; German: Niederschlesien[ˈniːdɐˌʃleːzi̯ən]; Silesian: Dolny Ślōnsk; Upper Sorbian: Delnja Šleska[ˈdɛlnʲaˈʃlɛska]; Lower Sorbian: Dolna Šlazyńska[ˈdɔlnaˈʃlazɨnʲska]; Lower Silesian: Niederschläsing; Latin: Silesia Inferior) is a historical and geographical region mostly located in Poland with small portions in the Czech Republic and Germany. It is the western part of the region of Silesia. Its largest city is Wrocław.
The first state to have a stable hold over the territory of what will be considered Lower Silesia was the short-lived Great Moravia in the 9th century. Afterwards, in the Middle Ages, Lower Silesia was part of Piast-ruled Poland. It was one of the leading regions of Poland, and its capital Wrocław was one of the main cities of the Polish Kingdom. Lower Silesia emerged as a distinctive region during the fragmentation of Poland in 1172, when the Duchies of Opole and Racibórz, considered Upper Silesia since, were formed of the eastern part of the Duchy of Silesia, and the remaining, western part was since considered Lower Silesia. The oldest Polish writing and first Polish print were created in the region. During the Ostsiedlung, the Piast rulers invited German settlers to settle in the region, which until then had a Polish majority. As a result, the region became largely German-speaking by the end of the 15th century.
