Belarusian dialects in Latvia, Kraslav region. A sociolinguistic study Cover Image

Gwary białoruskie na Łotwie w rejonie krasławskim. Studium socjolingwistyczne
Belarusian dialects in Latvia, Kraslav region. A sociolinguistic study

Author(s): Mirosław Jankowiak
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics, Descriptive linguistics, Eastern Slavic Languages
ISSN: 1230-1302
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Latvia; Belarus; Belarusian dialects in Latvia; sociolinguistics
Summary/Abstract: "Belarusian dialects in Latvia, Kraslav region" looks into the sociolinguistic situation of people speaking different varieties of Belarusian in an area that is a sui generis borderland of borderlands, where the Balts (Latvians, Latgalians, Lithuanians) live together with the Slavs (Russians, Poles, Belarusians, Ukrainians), and numerous religions (Catholicism, Orthodox Christianity, Lutheranism and Old Believers) co-exist. All of these factors resulted throughout history in the development of a multilingualism that is much more complex than in other borderlands. The Kraslav region is a place where three languages (Latvian, Russian and Polish) and numerous dialects (Latgalian, Belarusian and Polish of the Northern Borderlands) co-exist and intermingle.

  • E-ISBN-13: 978-83-64031-79-3
  • Print-ISBN-13: 978-83-89191-83-0
  • Page Count: 248
  • Publication Year: 2009
  • Language: Polish, Belarusian