Kinship and identity

Classification according to the Ethnologue:

• Indo-European

• Germanic

• Western Germanic

• High German

• German

• Middle German

• East Middle German

• Silesian German dialects

Silesian German dialects belong to the East Middle German dialect group. Despite the (rare) amount of borrowings and words of foreign origin, these dialects are of purely Germanic origin and they have not changed significantly over the past 600-700 years (Jungandreas 1928: 15

Jungandreas 1928 / komentarz/comment/r /
Jungandreas, Wolfgang 1928. Beiträge zur Erforschung der Besiedlung Schlesiens und zur Entwicklungsgeschichte der schlesischen Mundart. Breslau: Verlag von M. & H. Marcus.

). The level of similarity of their features is due to the constant migrations that decreased the differences between them, and, finally, that led to the uniformity of the dialects that had been first brought by various settlers to Silesia (Kryszczuk 1991: 77, 78

Kryszczuk 1999 / komentarz/comment/r /
Kryszczuk, Grażyna 1999. Świadomość językowa i kompetencja komunikacyjna Niemców na Dolnym Śląsku. Lublin: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Skłodowskiej-Curie.

).
Scholars are not in complete agreement on the date of when the first shared features of different dialects emerged in Silesia. It is estimated that the phenomenon could have taken place in the 14th century, which seems to be evidenced by the common features across different German language enclaves (Księżyk 2008: 25

Księżyk 2008 / komentarz/comment/r /
Księżyk, Felicja 2008. Die deutsche Sprachinsel Kostenthal. Geschichte und Gegenwart. Berlin: trafo Verlag.

). It could have been as early as in the 13th century, however, that German dialects had begun to transform into Silesian dialects (Jungandreas 1928: 6

). It has been suggested that the Middle Ages saw the emergence of the following dialects: Lusatian-Silesian, Diphthongizing, Highland, Southern-Silesian, Posen as well as the Upper Silesian language enclaves (Księżyk 2008: 25

Księżyk 2008 / komentarz/comment/r /
Księżyk, Felicja 2008. Die deutsche Sprachinsel Kostenthal. Geschichte und Gegenwart. Berlin: trafo Verlag.

).
It is uncertain, as well, whether these Silesian German dialects come but from one German dialect. The analysis of 13th century documents (such as population censuses) conducted by Wolfgang Jungandreas (1928: 294-298

) provide evidence for linguistic influences from different parts of Germany. This can be confirmed by the last names that appear in these documents: Friese (Frisian), Sachse (Saxon), Westfal (Westphalian), Meissner (Meissener), Franke (Franconian), Bayer (Bavarian) (Jungandreas 1928: 16

). Another confirmatory factor is that the surname element "von" placed before the surname per se was used exclusively to point to a geographical area of origin (Jungandreas 1928: 19

).
Many linguistic features point to a connection with the Franconian dialect, which is, of course, related to the influx of Franconian settlers to Silesia. Presumably the term "Silesian Franconians" (Schlesiche Franken) denotes a group of peasants who emigrated from the area of Nuremberg (Nürnberg), Bamberg, Saale, Meissen and Magdeburg (Kryszczuk 1999: 77

). Furthermore, it is unlikely that they arrived to Silesia without prior settlement on the way. This can be evidenced by the clear Saxon-Thuringian linguistic influences as well as the cultural ties with Upper Franconia (Oberfranken) and the region of Magdeburg (Kryszczuk 1999: 77

). Another hypothesis worth considering is that of Heinrich Rückert. According to him, the original settlers began their journey in East Franconia (Ostfranken) and the dialect closest to the Silesian German dialects is that of Thuringia - which seems to be confirmed by lexical analyses in both of the dialects (Jungandreas 1928: 2

). Censuses themselves, however, do not provide sufficient information about the connections with Eastern Franconia. They merely highlight the fact that Saint Hedwig of Silesia had connections with Bamberg and that she invited Cistercians nuns to Trebnitz/Trzebnica in 1203.
It seems probable that the Silesian German dialects might have emerged from Meissen German, as it contains features shared by the Eastern-Franconian and Thuringian dialects (Kryszczuk 1999: 77, 78

). By analysing the last names of Silesian settlers during the Middle Ages it is, also, possible to notice some rare instances of a Low-German element (e.g. Döring, Diering). It did not influence the development of Silesian German dialects, however (Jungandreas 1928: 2, 180

). According to the theory put forward by Wolf von Unwerth, it is also quite conceivable that the Silesian German dialects have been closely connected to the Upper-Saxon German varieties as well as the dialect from the Western Ore Mountains (Westerzgebirge) which coincided with the area of the March of Thuringia (Thüringische Mark) only to a slight degree (Jungandreas 1928: 4, 16

). Another viable, however weak, connection can be made with Hesse and Palatine of the Rhine. Settlers from these regions were on the increase between 1776-1785, as noted in the official documents of the town hall of Wąsorz/Herrnstadt in Lower Silesia (Jungandreas 1928: 18, 140

). As a result of the unification of Silesia with Bohemia in the 14th century by the House of Luxembourg, the influx of settlers from Austria and Bavaria expanded and, thus, influenced the linguistic features of Silesian German (Jungandreas 1928: 113

). The emergence of these German dialects becomes even more complex once the close relations between Silesia and Rhineland in the Middle Ages are taken into account. The Lower Rhineland written standard affected that of Silesia; the way coins were produced also bore a resemblance. Both the Cologne mark and the Rhineland gulden were in circulation in Middle Age Silesia (Jungandreas 1928: 162, 163

). Since 1250, Silesia was also inhabited by the Alemanni who settled in its Southern part, near Katscher/Kietrz, Troppau/Opava and Bielitz/Bielsko (Jungandreas 1928: 205

). It can be, thus, summed up that Silesian German dialects were most heavily influenced by West German features (Jungandreas 1928: 282

), although Kleczkowski (1915: 389

Kleczkowski 1915 / komentarz/comment/r /
Kleczkowski, Adam 1915. „Dyalekty niemieckie na ziemiach polskich”, w: H. Ułaszyn i in. (red.) Język polski i jego historya z uwzględnieniem innych języków na ziemiach polskich cz. II. Warszawa, Lublin, Łódź: Akademia Umięjętności. 387-394.

) postulates that given how diminutives are formed in the Bavarian German dialect, that is by adding the suffix -l, it is the Upper German (Oberdeutsch) varieties that can be found present in Lower Silesia.
What is worth mentioning is that in all Polish dialects, as well as in the literary Polish language, out of all other German dialects the Middle German variety's influence is clearly prevalent. This stems from the process of colonizing Poland, the fact that the Magdeburg Rights were always written in Middle German, and even the Kulm Law ('Chełmno Law') was merely a modification of the Magdeburg Rights whose language was slightly changed by the Templar Order. Numerous Prussian towns (e.g. Danzig/Gdańsk) also took the legal language of Middle German as their own. Beginning in the 16h century High German dialects started to strongly influence the Polish language (Kleczkowski 1915: 394

German dialects in Silesia

Kinship and identity

Classification according to the Ethnologue: