MŁODZI KASZUBI I JĘZYK – DYLEMATY MIKROPOLITYKI JĘZYKOWEJ
YOUNG KASHUBS AND THEIR LANGUAGE – DILEMMAS OF LANGUAGE MICROPOLITICS

Summary/Abstract: The article is based on participatory observation and semi-structured interviews conducted in 2012 with young Kashubs (aged 16-25). The research carried out has combined a cultural (anthropological) and a sociolinguistic viewpoints. The language policy not only concerns important bottom-down acts and laws established by the state and by minority activists, but is also based on people’s everyday practices, such as their choice of language. This is why activists responsible for the minority language policy should make use of the ethnographic methodology which would make the minority members the subject of the research. Their experiences related with using the minority language, attitudes toward their language and culture can be an important component and indicator for policy decision-makers. This article presents the statements of young Kashubs referring to their culture and language, difficult experiences related to the prohibition of speaking Kashubian, and the language shift which emerged with the coming into force of the Act on National and Ethnic Minorities and the Regional Language. The teaching of the Kashubian language in schools is one of the most important achievements of the language policy – although, in the opinion of young people, it is a challenge. Young Kashubs tell about the decisions they took concerning their language and what motivated them to use the language of their ancestors. They speak about their attitude towards the Kashubian culture and its stereotypical, folkloristic image.

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