Language as an ethno-identification sign of the German minority in the upper Nitra in the context of historical and social changes
Language as an ethno-identification sign of the German minority in the upper Nitra in the context of historical and social changes

Summary/Abstract: Some Germans are among the traditional national minorities in Slovakia. Theirancestors came to this territory from the 13th century onwards, mainly as miners. Oneof the locations where they settled was the upper Nitra and the surroundings of NitrianskePravno. Until the late 1940s, the German population had a majority representationin these municipalities. Due to the political and social changes after the Second WorldWar, when they were displaced, their numbers are radically reduced and the ethnic identityis also weakened. The study focuses on historical and social changes that conditionthe ethnicity of this minority community. It focuses on the elements by which theGermans in the upper Nitra declare their togetherness and difference from the majoritypopulation. We pay particular attention to language as one of the essential componentsof ethnic identity, its practice and significance in the self-identification of the Germanminority. The main methodological procedure is a biographical and oral history interview,conducted with respondents from the municipalities of Nitrianske Pravno, Malinová,and Tužina in 2022.

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