Search results for: Lětopis in All Content

Upper Lusatian villici: stewards, town iudices or territorial advocati?

Górnołużyccy villici w pierwszej połowie XIII wieku: włodarze, sołtysi czy wójtowie?

Author(s): Krzysztof Fokt / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2013

Keywords: Upper Lusatia; Kingdom of Bohemia; local administrative structures

The text deals with the problem of the proper interpretation of the institution of villicus, mentioned in Upper Lusatia in the 1st half of the 13th century. The article discusses all the hitherto attempts to identify the actual nature of the Upper Lusatian villici and proposes some new interpretations. The close relations of those villici with chartered towns (namely: Zgorzelec/Görlitz and Ostritz) and the virtual lack of royal estates around them makes it possible to state that they were not, as most scholars have claimed, royal stewards taking care of estates administered directly by the Bohemian kings (in Upper Lusatia such goods probably barely existed at all). Therefore, the most probable interpretation of the villici seems to be the one presented in 1923 by J. Bauermann, who identifi ed them with the sculteti hereditarii of particular towns.

The division of phonologically transcribed texts into syllables for application in speech signals’ processing

Podział tekstu transkrybowanego fonologicznie na sylaby dla zastosowań praktycznych związanych z przetwarzaniem sygnału mowy

Author(s): Daniel Śledziński / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 66/2015

Keywords: sylaba; fonologia; fonetyka akustyczna; morfologia; zasada sonorności; syllable; phonology; morphology; acoustic phonetics; sonority sequencing principle

The paper presents a satisfactory solution to the problem of dividing the phonologically transcribed texts into syllables. The solution relies on the conception of two-stage syllabification (as described in the author’s earlier publications), according to which the first stage consists in determining a broad range of division principles for the consonant clusters on the basis of phonological rules. In the second stage, detailed principles for the given consonant clusters are etermined either on the basis of morphological, phonetic and acoustic factors, or on the basis of subjective impressions’ assessment. The paper provides information on the preliminary optimization of the principles developed previously in view of determining the syllable borders in the recorded speech signal. A set of complimentary principles has been put forward in order to cover these categories of consonant clusters in which the phonological rules proved to be inapplicable. Thus, a comprehensive solution may be achieved. In addition, the analysis of geminate consonants that appeared in the corpus has been offered—the author suggests that such structures should not be separated during the syllabification of the recorded speech signal. The presented solution is one of the several variants of syllabification systems that the author is elaborating, and it is still preparatory.

Protest demonstrations by the Sorbs – a form of political communication

Protestdemonstrationen der Sorben – eine Form der politischen Kommunikation

Author(s): Małgorzata Mieczkowska / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2009

Keywords: protest; demostrations; sorbs; political; communication

Organisations representing national minorities give expression to their respective collective interests. The way this happens depends on the external political circumstances and the internal possibilities at the disposal of a particular organisation. The structures and means of communication in a pluralist democracy form the basis for the modern ways of exercising power, as is shown in European minorities policy. German unification in 1990 led in many fields to an extension of political activity. The Sorbs of Lusatia have since seen many examples of threats to their identity and have reacted to these in three fundamental situations: 1. the destruction of Sorbian and German-Sorbian villages as a result of lignite mining; 2. the cuts in the network of Sorbian schools in Saxony; 3. the reduction of financial resources for the Sorbian institutions by central government. The article describes demonstrations by Sorbs in Bautzen and Berlin in 2008, which represented a completely new form of dealing with national conflicts. Among other things, the question is raised about the political effectiveness of these communicative strategies.

Code-switching in Sorbian and Duokhobor-Russian as a Possible Intermediate Level in the Preservation and Revitalization of Minority Languages

Code-switching im Sorbischen und im Duchobor-Russischen als eine mögliche Zwischenstufe in der Erhaltung und Revitalisierung von Minderheitensprachen

Author(s): Gunter Schaarschmidt / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2008

Keywords: code-switching; sorbian; duokhobor-russian; preservation; revitalisation; minority languages

There is no agreement among sociolinguists and language planners concerning the scope of maintenance/revitalization efforts for minority languages. Specifically, there is a view that in the absence of a fully bilingual situation, certain linguistic domains (or levels) may need to be emphasized at the expense of others. Concentrating on Sorbian in Germany and Doukhobor Russian in Canada, it can be shown that while a fully developed level of LSP (“language for specific purposes”) is available for both language groups, a large percentage of speakers cite the lack of LSP terms for not using the language in business establishments (Sorbian) or ritual ceremonies (Doukhobor Russian). For this reason, it is perhaps necessary to aim for a “reconfigured” LSP, viz., a kind of “planned” code-switching within that level that will not necessitate the exclusive use of the LSP of the dominant language.

Spuren des Dichters Mato Kosyk in Werben/Wjerbno

Spuren des Dichters Mato Kosyk in Werben/Wjerbno

Author(s): Alfred Roggan,Katja Atanasov / Language(s): German / Issue: 1/2015

Keywords: Mato Kosyk; Dichter; basnik; Werben; Wjerbno; Biografie; Familie; Geburtshaus; Denkmal; Matthew Kossick; poet; wendisch writer; biography; family; birthplace; memorial

Economic Transformation Processes and Socio-Cultural implications for the Macro-Region

Wirtschaftliche Transformationsprozesse und soziokulturelle Implikationen in der Großregion

Author(s): Malte Helfer,Christian Wille / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2010

Keywords: transformation processes; boarder area; boarder region; four-state-area; economy; culture; Saarland; Rheinland-Pfalz; Belgien; Luxemburg; Frankreich; Transformationsprozess; Grenzregion; Vierländereck; Wirtschaft; Kultur

This paper examines structural and identity changes in the so-called “Macro-region”, which comprises a European cross-border region of cooperation in the South-West of Germany. This macro-region is a cross-border, European area of cooperation where four countries meet: Germany – France – Luxemburg – Belgium. Its core area was dominated in the past by coal mining, as well as the iron and steel industry. However, the coal and steel crises in the 1950s and 1970s caused the disappearance of important key sectors of industry. The development or increase in cross-border movements of labour were linked to the dramatic economic changes in the region. Cross-border commuting was directed more and more towards Luxemburg. As a result the Grand Duchy has – after Switzerland - the most cross-border commuters in the EU. There has as yet been no investigation in Luxemburg of what effect their large presence, representing 44% of the workforce, has on identity creation. This paper provides first indications of a renaissance of national identity structures in the context of cross-border commuting in the Grand Duchy.

“Painter and Writer” and their National Mission. Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński (1900–1990) Died 20 Years Ago

„Maler und Schriftsteller“ in nationaler Mission. Vor 20 Jahren starb Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński (1900–1990)

Author(s): Dietrich Scholze-Šołta / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2010

Keywords: Měrćin Nowak; Nowak-Njechorński; Njechorński; painter; Maler; Grafiker; Schriftsteller; Reportagen; Märchen

The painter, journalist and writer Měrćin Nowak-Njechorński (German: Martin Nowak-Neumann), whose work spanned many decades, turned away from the avant-garde innovations of modernism at the beginning of the 1920s and chose a neo-romantic approach, designed to consolidate the national strengths of the Sorbs. As a painter and graphic artist he exploited the traditions of folk art and culture by focussing on the ordinary individual and in this way determined the preceptive rules of art. Nowak began to write professionally in 1924 as a reporter on the daily newspaper “Serbske Nowiny”. He introduced a new critical tone with his reports to the Sorbian press. His provocative attacks on the minorities policy of the Weimar Republic and the National Socialists required original means of expression: satire and irony, allegory and parable. Nowak-Njechorński put his whole work at the service of the Sorbiannation, which had been deprived of its rights. The precarious nature of its situation moved him to produce polemical representations of reality. At the same time, he recognised the growing conflict between the traditional village way of life and economic and cultural modernisation. At the same time he recognised the national question intuitively as a social problem, which also provided the basis for his political outlook and his extensive journalistic work after 1945. It was only shortly before his death, at the end of 1989, that Nowak came to support the “new movement” of glasnost and perestroika, which had by now reached Lusatia.

The Function of (Protective) School Associations 100 Years Ago and Today, Using the Examples of Teschen in Silesia and Lusatia

Schützen und/oder unterstützen? Die Funktion der (Schutz-)Schulvereine vor 100 Jahren und heute am Beispiel des Teschener Schlesiens und der Lausitz

Author(s): Agnieszka Dudek / Language(s): German / Issue: 1/2014

Keywords: Teschen Scholl Association; Sorbian School Association; SŠT; protection; support; Schutz; Unterstützung; minorities;

Using the example of the Teschen School Association, Macierz Szkolna dla Księstwa Cieszyńskiego, (founded in 1885 in Teschen/Austrian Silesia) and the Sorbian School Association, Serbske šulske towarstwo, (founded in 1991 in Crostwitz/Upper Lusatia) the phenomenon of school or protective associations and their role in multi-ethnic regions 100 years ago and today are compared. Central to these discussions is the complex nature of these diffuse, delicate concepts, protective or school associations, peculiar to particular regions, which will be illustrated using the two examples mentioned above. The sets of diverse problems relating to cultural hybridity and multilingualism are discussed, which continue to be relevant in this context in border regions, and which are closely connected with the regional and national identities of mi-norities.

Mina Witkojc’s Description of her Visit to Slovakia in 1925

Mina Witkojc’ Darstellung ihrer Reise in die Slowakei 1925

Author(s): Stefanie Krautz / Language(s): German / Issue: 1/2013

Keywords: Mina Witkojc; Frauenbewegung; female movement; Slowakei; Slovakia; travel report; Reisebericht; Serbski Casnik

Mina Witkojc published travel reports in Serbski Casnik in 1925 and 1926 about her visit to Czechoslovakia. In them she propagated the idea of the common Slav ancestry of the Sorbs, Czechs and Slovaks. In this way she extended the traditional image of the “Sorbian island in a German sea” into that of a “Sorbian branch” of the Slav family of nations. She described Slovakia separately in these reports and gave an idealized picture of it in two respects. Firstly, she paid tribute to the fact that the Slovaks had freed themselves from Hungarian hegemony and had become a component part of a Slav state. Secondly, Mina Witkojc described Slovakia as a region, in which more women were “intellectual leaders” than men. Despite her enthusiasm she did not build up any long term contacts with the female authors and editors she visited, and very few of their texts appeared in Serbski Casnik.

Charity, Good Deeds and the Poor in Serbian Epic Poetry

Charity, Good Deeds and the Poor in Serbian Epic Poetry

Author(s): Sonja Petrović / Language(s): English / Issue: 36/2005

Keywords: epic poetry; oral literature; poor; good deeds; charity;

The analysis of relation between the poor and the concept of charity in Serbian epic poetry is initiated as part of the research project “Ethnic and social stratification of the Balkans”, which includes study of social margins and subcultures in oral literature. Charitable activities directed toward the poor are discussed as social models, but also as a complex way of social interaction between the elites and the poor, which left its mark on oral tradition and epic poetry. Care for the poor, almsgiving and charitable deeds were a religious obligation, and in the course of time, the repetitiveness and habitual character of poor relief became an important issue in structuring cultural patterns. Ethical, educative and humanistic potential of charity, and its being founded on cases witnessed in real life, directly connect charity to the shaping of poetic narrative models. Epic models reflect and poeticize socio-cultural patterns and characters, which is represented both in medieval documents and in epic tradition, in similarity of their themes and formulas on the level of contents and structure. This resemblance has led to the conclusion that charitable giving, care for the poor and salvation of soul existed as specific patterns and intergeneric symbols, which were handed down in various oral and written forms.

The Slavs as Perceived by Thietmar von Merseburg at the Beginning of the 11th Century

Die Slawen in der Wahrnehmung Thietmars von Merseburg zu Beginn des 11. Jahrhunderts

Author(s): Hans-Werner Goetz / Language(s): / Issue: 2/2015

Keywords: Thietmar von Merseburg; Chronik; 11. Jahrhundert; Merseburg; Slawen; Geschichtsschreibung; Zeitzeugnis; Wahrnehmumg der Slawen; Sichtweise; Thietmars Slawenbild; chronicle; Slavs; perception of the Salvs; Thietmars point of view;

The complex chronicle of Thietmar of Merseburg is an inestimable source not only for Ottonian history, but also for the ideas and conceptions of its author. Concerning his perception of the Slavs, Thietmar sets himself apart from the Slavs as a linguistic as well as an ethnic community. Concerning his terminology, the Slavic language includes Bohemia and Poland, whereas the “people” of the Slavs seem to be restricted to the region between the rivers Elbe and Oder. These Slavs are not a political unity, but divided into numerous peoples. After the great rebellion of the Liutici in 983, political delimitation corresponds to a religious perception that is central to Thietmar’s mindset: he regards the Slavs primarily as pagans. Although he offers detailed prescriptions of the pagan cults and admits the existence of different customs of every small region, these cults are not specifically Slavic, but testify to the stereotyped, characteristic features of a traditional image of paganism, with the worship of idols, sacred groves, sacrifices and oracles. Thietmar includes the superstitions of the (semi-Christian) population of his diocese into this picture. The close association of a Slavic population with paganism leads Thietmar almost throughout to a negative assessment, which, however, is not exclusively motivated by religious motifs and reveals his prejudices against both the ethnic and religious “Other”.

Cultural Identity and Rebuilding of Indigenous Nations in Canada

Kulturelle Identität und Wiederaufbau der indigenen Nationen in Kanada

Author(s): Pierre Trudel / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2017

Keywords: Kultur; Identität; Wiederaufbau; indigen; Nationen; Kanada; culture; identity; rebuilding; indigenous; nations; Canada

First Nations are geographically widely dispersed in Canada. Those who occupy speci- fic territories – generally called „Indian´s reserves“ – constitute small populations. 60 % of these reserves have less than 500 habitants; only 6,5 % are occupied by more than 2 000 persons. How to conciliate „cultural security“, political self-determination and decolonization of indigenous peoples of Canada? To answer that question, we will first present the highlights of the Royal Commission on aboriginal peoples (RCAP) that was established after the 1990 Oka Crisis. We will then examine one of its key recommendations concerning the establishment of „modern polities“, that is the grouping of indigenous communities into modern nations along cultural and linguistic lines in order to significantly increase their political weight and thus ensure their cultural security on the long-run. However, it should be born in mind that such „modern“ political structures designed to strengthen and sustain aboriginal cultures conflict with the indigenous tradi- tional culture of non-delegation of power. Third and last, we will look how First Nations respond to such a dilemma and how challenging the restructuration of about 1 000 com- munities into 80 nations is for the Canadian state.

Cultural Security under Conditions of Challenged Livelihoods?

Kulturelle Sicherheit unter Bedingungen unsicherer Existenz?

Author(s): Huang Yunsong,Andreas Gruschke / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2017

Keywords: kulturell; Sicherheit; unsicher; Existenz; Bodenproblem; Tibeter; indisch; Exil; cultural; security; condition; challenges livelihoods; land issue; Tibetans; Indian exile

In comparison with other foreign communities in India, Tibetan exiles have widely been thought of as a privileged group of people where their culture can thrive even better than in their own homeland and their livelihoods have become stable. The threat of being deprived of one’s land would rarely occur to an outsider as an issue. This article explores the Tibetans’ land predicament and the causes that almost led to the targeted eviction of Tibetan exiles in the settlements scattered around 10 states of India. In vari- ous cases, the lawful and historical entitlements of Tibetan exiles to the leased land have come under question due to their increased thirst for real property and involvement in illegal benami transactions. We explore several aspects of the issue ranging from the logic behind the Tibetans’ higher demand for land, to the discourse by the specific groups and local authorities in the host states, the stance of the Government of India in light of its strategic potential repercussion to China-India relations, the legal restrictions that led to an escalation of tensions and the sense of insecurity among Tibetan commu- nities. We eventually offer an interpretation of the Tibetan Rehabilitation Policy 2014 that was merely a transient solution to the matter. Through a detailed examination, this article also reveals that India’s prevention of Tibetans attaining citizenship has resulted in New Delhi’s inability to address the land issue in a fundamental way, and that there- fore cultural security for Tibetans is a bigger issue than expected since it is challenged at its very basis: by a non-sustainable livelihood basis as well as by a sociopolitical en- vironment that expects them to integrate themselves and at the same time obstructs their attempts to avail the right to citizenship by birth.

Switzerland as a Language-hostile Country?

Die Schweiz als sprachenfeindliches Land?

Author(s): Manuel Meune / Language(s): German / Issue: 2/2017

Keywords: Schweiz; sprachenfeindlich; Revitalisierung; Frankoprovenzialische; Switzerland; language-hostile; revitalization; Francoprovençal

With its four official languages – German, French, Italian and Romansh, the latter with relatively few speakers – Switzerland appears to be a country committed to language minorities. However this flattering image proves to be exaggerated when one considers a l l indigenous languages, i. e. also Francoprovençal (often called Patois), which for centuries was the spoken language of today’s largely French-speaking Romandy. This paper deals with the situation of Francoprovençal in multilingual ‘nation of will’ Swit- zerland, but also in the nation-states of France (Savoy, Bresse, Lyonnais) and Italy (Ao- sta Valley, where young Francoprovençal speakers can still be found). The possibilities for the revitalization of this language, often thought to be dead, are discussed with re- gard to the feasibility of certain projects within the tri-national context, as well as with respect to common attitudes towards the language. These attitudes tend to promote the preservation of the current state of the numerous varieties of Francoprovençal rather than their resurgence as living languages through school teaching, or their standardiza- tion, which for some activists would overcome the dialectical fragmentation, make the text corpus more accessible and facilitate communication in the Internet era. The paper also analyses a survey of speakers from the dialect of Fribourg, a canton which together with the Valais can be seen as an archetypical Patois canton, as well as the discourse in the press of Geneva, a canton in which the language has long disappeared.

On the election (nomination) of the first bishops of Prague

Wokół wyboru (nominacji) pierwszych biskupów praskich

Author(s): Marzena Matla / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2016

Keywords: ecclesiastical organisation; bishops; the Přemyslids;Bohemia 10th-11th centuries;

Despite the fact that the Prague bishopric was subordinated to the metrop-olis of Mainz and that newly elected candidates were invested with office by the German ruler, most Czech researchers believe that the designation of a candidate for this position was an elementary right of the Bohemian duke. However, some authors suggest that that the German king/emperor could have had a decisive influence in the earliest period. This discrepancy is due to the dearth and contradictory purport of the earliest sources. The re-analysis of written sources pertaining to the first bishops of Prague has demonstrated that the Chronica written by Cosmas, the dean of the Prague, is unreliable as regards the tenth and the early eleventh centuries. The anal-ysis has also shown that although an independence of a Bohemian duke in the selection of candidates for the position of the bishop of Prague is more conceivable starting from Adalbert, the first bishop Dietmar was likely the nominee of Otto II, as indicated by the political context of the years 975–976 and the course of the Bohemian-German conflict.

The Correspondence between Jan Skala and Ota Wićaz (1921–1935)

Listowanje Jana Skale z Otu Wićazom (1921–1935)

Author(s): Franc Šěn / Language(s): Sorbian languages / Issue: 1/2018

Keywords: Jan Skala; Correspondence; Sorbian Literature; Lyric; Poetry; Weimar Republic; 20th Century; Weimarska republika; korespondenca; serbska literatura; lyrika; 20. lětstotk

Jan Skala (1889–1945) was a journalist, politician concerned with minorities, editor of “Kulturwehr”, the journal of national minorities in Germany, and also a Sorbian writer. So far only extracts of his correspondence have been published. This article contains the complete correspondence with Ota Wićaz (1874–1952), the grammar school teacher and Sorbian cultural historian living in Stollberg/Erzgebirge. The correspondence discusses issues related to literature and cultural politics. Skala also reports on his failed attempt as editor to revive the daily newspaper in Bautzen, “Serbske Nowiny”.

Semantra and Bells in Byzantium

Semantra and Bells in Byzantium

Author(s): Bojan Miljković / Language(s): English / Issue: 55/2018

Keywords: semantron; bell; monastery; typikon; belfry; church

According to written sources, semantra were used to summon the faithful to prayer throughout the history of Byzantium, during more than one millennium. Semantra were first made exclusively of wood, while as of the mid-11th century some monasteries used three types of semantra – a small and big semantron made of wood, and the third, bronze semantron. Up until the Fourth Crusade, lay churches in Constantinople, including Hagia Sophia, as well as cathedral temples in the interior, maintained the ancient tradition of using wooden semantra only. The first reliable example of the use of bells originates from the mid-12th century. At a least hundred years earlier, they were brought to the Empire’s territory by traders from the Apennine peninsula for their places of worship. The erection of a high belfry in front of the Constantinople Great Church at the time of the Latin Empire had the decisive influence on the acceptance of bells after 1261, first in the liturgical practice of the capital, and then in the entire territory of the restored Empire under the Palaiologoi dynasty. The new practice did not uproot the older one – semantra continued to be used.

LANGUAGES AND CULTURES IN CONTACT. THE PLACE OF NEW SPEAKERS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN UPPER LUSATIA

LANGUAGES AND CULTURES IN CONTACT. THE PLACE OF NEW SPEAKERS IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN UPPER LUSATIA

Author(s): Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska,Cordula Ratajczak / Language(s): English / Issue: 19/2019

Keywords: minority language learners; Upper Sorbian; bilingual education; new speakers; community of practice;

Upper Sorbs are a Slavic minority group living in eastern Germany. The number of Upper Sorbian speakers is diminishing. Upper Sorbs, the majority of whom are Catholics, have a strong ethnic identity based on language, faith, and tradition and they form a rather closed community in relation to the surrounding German population. To counteract the process of language loss, the Sorbs have established an educational project called ‘Witaj’. The continuation of this project is the ‘2 plus’ program of bilingual education in schools, which has been implemented by the federal state of Saxony. The idea behind these initiatives is to connect native Upper Sorbian speakers and learners in order to facilitate the achievement of language competence and to break down existing ethnic boundaries. The realisation of this concept has encountered numerous problems. The German-speaking pupils involved often feel unmotivated to learn Sorbian and are often rejected by the Sorbian-speaking community as (potential) members. This article presents the results of a research project examining the way young people from German-speaking homes who attend one of the Upper Sorbian middle schools acquire Sorbian language competence and how they create an identity in relation/opposition to their Sorbian speaking peers. The analysis is based on the sociolinguistic observations of language practices conducted in the school in 2017 and on interviews with both native speakers and learners of Upper Sorbian.

The Development of a Text-to-Speech Function for the Lower and Upper Sorbian Literary Languages – Introduction and Survey

Zur Vorlesefunktion für die nieder- und obersorbische Schriftsprache – Einführung und Überblick

Author(s): Jan Měškank,Astrid Schmiedel / Language(s): German / Issue: 1/2022

Keywords: text-to-speech; language synthesis; unit selection; MaryTTS; Lower Sorbian; Upper Sorbian; Vorlesefunktion; Niedersorbisch; Obersorbisch;

The development of a text-to-speech function for the Lower and Upper Sorbian literary languages is the subject of a five-year research project. The desired goal of creating a user-friendly service, which enables its users to read out texts in the Sorbian language comprehensibly on the website of the Sorbian Institute, as well as on other websites, requires basic research on the phonetics and phonology of Sorbian. The project makes it possible to combine providing an online service with closing a large gap in research in this area. A well-founded description of the orthoepy of both Sorbian languages can contribute to the preservation of Lower and Upper Sorbian. The results of the research outcomes and the technical developments, which follow from this project, are intended to be published in a series of further articles.

The Corpus of Latgalian in the Context of Other Lesser Used Languages of Europe: Characterization, Usage and Potential

Latgaliešu valodas korpuss citu Eiropas mazāk lietoto valodu kontekstā: korpusa raksturojums, lietojums un potenciālā iespējošana

Author(s): Sanita Martena,Ilze Briška,Nicole Nau / Language(s): Latvian / Issue: 47/2022

Keywords: Latgalian; corpus; corpus of Latgalian; MuLa; regional languages; lesser-used languages of Europe;

The article reports on the current process of completing and further developing the corpus of contemporary written Latgalian (MuLa). It gives an overview over the sources and the principles of compiling the corpus and compares it with corpora of other lesser used languages of Europe. In addition, it analyses the profile of current and potential users, users’ experience with the corpus so far and their wishes for the future. The first version of the corpus MuLa, which has been publicly available since 2012, contains 1 million running words. It will be enlarged to 2 million words in the extended and corrected version prepared 2020–2022. Corpora of lesser used languages play an important role in the documentation and development of the language. They are also a valuable resource for the preparation of linguistic tools and teaching materials. While MuLa does not have either the size or the functionality of corpora of such well-cared-for European regional languages as Basque, Welsh, or Sami, the fact that a corpus exists and is being further developed puts Latgalian in a better position than some other regional languages in Europe. Due to a shortage of financial and human resources, corpora of lesser used languages are often compiled from sources automatically gathered from the Internet. MuLa, in turn, is still compiled manually, which allows higher control of register diversity and balance, as well as linguistic quality. The corpus is not tagged, but it is accessible to everyone. Data about the usage and users of MuLa since 2012 have been collected with an online questionnaire answered by 214 respondents. The study shows that the corpus has been used very little, mostly by researchers and a few other professionals. On the other hand, many respondents expressed a potential interest and ideas about potential uses of the corpus for learning about Latgalian as well as further developing their linguistic skills. In order for the corpus to be used more broadly, promotion and the spread of information within society is indispensable. Still more important is cooperation and a constant dialogue with teachers and university students.