Ideological Debates Around the Script of Collateral Languages: The Case of Kashubian and Silesian in Poland

Abstract

Our paper discusses the modes of creating normalized orthographies for two collateral languages of Poland, Kashubian and Silesian. In both cases, the creation of a literary form is a way of raising their prestige and an argument for their legal recognition. While Kashubian has a status of a “regional language” of Poland, Silesian is still contested despite large community support for its linguistic autonomy. We analyze how different orthography systems are created, promoted and what ideological debates they provoke. We distinguish between two kinds of scripts. The first option is a “compromise”, closer to the standard Polish, which aims to facilitate learning collateral language in formal education for those who are Polish first language speakers. The second is a “classical” or “identity-strengthening” version that builds upon the historical forms of local scripts. It aims to distinguish it from the standard Polish to reinforce the groups’ identity as separate from the dominant society. Based on an analysis of in-depth interviews with language activists and the context in which the Kashubian and Silesian languages function, we explore the ideological debates around the creation of collateral languages’ writing systems.