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

Abstract

Some Germans are among the traditional national minorities in Slovakia. Their ancestors came to this territory from the 13th century onwards, mainly as miners. One of the locations where they settled was the upper Nitra and the surroundings of Nitrianske Pravno. Until the late 1940s, the German population had a majority representation in these municipalities. Due to the political and social changes after the Second World War, when they were displaced, their numbers are radically reduced and the ethnic identity is also weakened. The study focuses on historical and social changes that condition the ethnicity of this minority community. It focuses on the elements by which the Germans in the upper Nitra declare their togetherness and difference from the majority population. We pay particular attention to language as one of the essential components of ethnic identity, its practice and significance in the self-identification of the German minority. 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.