The Pomeranian language (pomorszczyzna or język pomorski; Pomoranisch or die pomoranische Sprache) is in the Pomeranian group of Lechitic languages (grupa pomorska języków lechickich; die pomoranische Gruppe der lechischen Sprachen) within the West Slavic languages.
In medieval contexts, it refers to the dialects spoken by the Slavic Pomeranians. In modern contexts, the term is sometimes used synonymously with "Kashubian" and may also include extinct Slovincian.
The name Pomerania comes from Slavic po moře, which means "[land] by the sea".
During the early medieval Slavic migrations, the area between the Oder and Vistula rivers was settled by tribes grouped as Pomeranians. Their dialects, sometimes referred to as Ancient Pomeranian, had a transitory character between the Polabian dialects spoken west of Pomerania and the Old Polish dialects spoken to the southeast. While there are no surviving documents in Pomeranian, medieval Pomeranian names are mentioned in contemporary documents written in other languages.
Slovincian language and Kashubian language
During the High Middle Ages, German immigration and assimilation of the Slavic Pomeranians (Ostsiedlung) introduced Low German East Pomeranian, Central Pomeranian, and Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch dialects, which became dominant in Pomerania except for some areas in the east, where the populace remained largely Slavic and continued to use the Slavic Pomeranian language. This was especially the case in Pomerelia, where the Slavic population became known as Kashubians and their language accordingly as Kashubian. An insular Slavic Pomeranian dialect spoken northwest of Kashubia until the 20th century became known as Slovincian. It is disputed whether Slovincian may be regarded as a dialect of Kashubian or a separate language. Likewise, it is disputed whether Kashubian may be regarded as a dialect of Polish or a separate language. Stefan Ramułt (1859–1913) was fascinated by Florian Ceynowa and decidedly supported giving Kashubian the status of a full-fledged standard language.
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Pomerania (Pomorze; Pommern; Kashubian: Pòmòrskô; Pommern) is a historical region on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea in Central Europe, split between Poland and Germany. The western part of Pomerania belongs to the German states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Brandenburg, while the eastern part belongs to the West Pomeranian, Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian voivodeships of Poland.
Pomerelia, also known as Eastern Pomerania, Vistula Pomerania, prior to World War II also known as Polish Pomerania, is a historical sub-region of Pomerania on the southern shore of the Baltic Sea. The designation of Gdańsk Pomerania, is largely coextensive with Pomerelia, but slightly narrower, as it does not cover the Chełmno Land (including the Michałów Land). Its largest and most important city is Gdańsk. Since 1999, the region has formed the core of the Pomeranian Voivodeship.
The Duchy of Pomerania (Herzogtum Pommern; Księstwo pomorskie; Latin: Ducatus Pomeraniae) was a duchy in Pomerania on the southern coast of the Baltic Sea, ruled by dukes of the House of Pomerania (Griffins). The country had existed in the Middle Ages, in years 1121–1160, 1264–1295, 1478–1531 and 1625–1637. The duchy originated from the realm of Wartislaw I, a Slavic Pomeranian duke, and was extended by the Lands of Schlawe and Stolp in 1317, the Principality of Rügen in 1325, and the Lauenburg and Bütow Land in 1455.