Ukrainian dialects of Northern Pidlasie: historical and cultural context

Abstract

The article deals with the current sociolinguistic situation in the autochthonous Ukrainian dialects of Northern Podlasie (the territory of Poland) against the background of historical and cultural circumstances in which they have existed, especially in ХХ and early ХХI century. Particular attention is paid to the triad of “confessional – ethnic – linguistic affiliation”; the inculcation of the idea of “Belarusianness” to the population of this dialectal area, which has influenced the modern linguistic and ethnic consciousness of dialect speakers. The peculiarities of language education in Northern Podlasie are also analyzed. The factors that led to the preservation of Northern Podlasie dialects in multicultural conditions and, in fact, in the absence of direct contacts with Ukrainian dialects of the metropolis are identified; and on the other hand, the leveling of ethnic consciousness while preserving the specific language code. The current linguistic situation in the Northern Podlasie dialects is determined by the following main factors: age group of respondents, social status, occupation, family traditions, and, to a large extent, the size of the society, which determines the vitality of the dialect or, conversely, the loss of its prestige. The features of linguistic self-identification by modern speakers of Northern Podlasie dialects are investigated. The role of the idiolect in forming the portrait of the lateral dialect is studied. The tendency to the stability of idiolects in the context of the tangible dynamics of the dialect space is emphasized. The article also examines the written tradition of Northern Podlasie in the dialect, texts in the dialect of various functional styles, and different views on the status of Northern Podlasie dialects, including an attempt to establish a “Podlasie literary micro-language”. Dialectal features in the onomasticon and written microtexts of some other types are analyzed. Keywords: Ukrainian North Podlasie dialects, Ukrainian dialects in a foreign language environment, preservation of lateral dialects, language enclave, Ukrainian dialects of the borderlands.