Czy polszczyzna odziedziczona jest językiem zagrożonym?
Is Polish as a Heritage Language an Endangered Language?

Summary/Abstract: Languages can be categorized in different ways. In the article, I refer to their vitality, bearing in mind, above all, Polish as a heritage language. I am trying to answer the question whether it is an endangered language. I explain the causes of various threats to languages, among which globalization, migrations and mixed relationships (marriages) come to the fore. They result in cultural and linguistic destabilization of emigrating families, in which adults – usually not having an adequate knowledge of the consequences of abandoning native values – tend to assimilate or switch to the „Polonia system” communicating in a language that is a mixture of several variants (including: country of residence). Their children, refraining from communicating in Polish, i.e. using Polish only in the oral version limited to the home and family situation, constitute a weak link in its transmission. The remedy for activation, sometimes even for revitalization of the language, is mastering the standard Polish language, which could take place in Polish / Polish diaspora schools. Unfortunately, many parents do not understand this and decide not to educate their children in Polish. Research on this issue is discussed at the end of the article.

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