Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 146-171)

To what extent was German unification (1989-90) a turning point (Wende) for the Sorbian national minority? Although a majority of scholars and commentators understand the period as one of ‘revolution’, there are grounds to query how radical or widespread were the changes which the collapse of communism promised to bring. In the case of the Sorbs – a national minority in Germany which was persecuted under the National Socialist regime, which became a protected minority under the German Democratic Republic, and which remains a protected minority under the Federal Republic of Germany – many difficulties persist in the relationship between the Sorbs, the German government, and wider German society, as well as amongst the Sorbs themselves. There have been extensive policy, legal, and constitutional changes since unification, but these have often led to similar outcomes as would have been expected under the GDR. The economy is one of the biggest challenges in the post-unification era, as the government and broader society seek to balance the legally recognised rights of national minorities with the economic interests of the state and society at large. This conflict is most evident in the continuation of brown coal mining in the Sorbian area of settlement, as well as in the privatisation of the GDR’s agricultural collectives after unification. Sorbian cultural institutions and organisations have remained relatively unreformed, which means that traditionalists have retained the upper hand in successive institutional debates. The case study of Horno, a village in south Brandenburg, illustrates these issues well, as it was destroyed in 2004 to make way for brown coal mining, and was the first village after unification to be relocated in this manner. These factors lead to the conclusion that German unification was not quite the turning point that it is commonly believed to be, as in many areas of Sorbian life, the continuities seem to outweigh the changes.

This thesis deals with the influence of nazi ideology on language in the Sorbian press of the 1930s. The predominantly Upper Sorbian material presents lexemes that were associated with the terminology of the nazi regime. While some lexemes have persisted in the language and have not changed their form ever since, others are completely forgotten. Furthermore, some ideologemes of nazi propaganda and their adaptation in the Sorbian environment are presented. In particular, the areas of identity are unique to the Sorbian context, as they shift the meanings contained in the official conception of ideology. Furthermore literature which was published on the pages of the Sorbianpress is presented as a specific area where the language influenced by nazi ideology has penetrated. Key words: Sorbian press, Upper Sorbian, totalitarian language, propaganda, identity, ideology

Over the last few decades, minority language issues have been attracting increasing attention in the media, among academics, and in the affairs of national governments and international organizations. Nowhere has this been truer than in the European Union, where concern over the ‘endangered languages crisis’ has led to an increasing awareness of Europe’s small languages and of the challenges they face in a globalised, English-dominated linguistic marketplace. A more tangible outcome of this concern has been a growth in rhetoric within EU institutions advocating a general respect for multilingualism and linguistic diversity, and a series of support measures and resolutions designed to guarantee this. Despite the widespread rhetoric of concern and support, however, in terms of concrete legislation there is still a wide gap between debate and policy in Europe, and until now it has been left unclear to what extent this gap is actually affecting the vitality and prospects of individual minority languages. This dissertation addresses this question by analysing how the European Union, both in the by-products of the integration process and in its deliberate rhetoric of support, is impacting the vitality of three specific minority language communities: Galician in Spain, Corsican in France and Sorbian in Germany. Drawing upon research collected via sociolinguistic surveys in these communities, it attempts to gauge whether Europe as an integrated entity is positively or negatively affecting the prospects of minority languages within its borders; if member state policies toward their minorities have been positively swayed by European rhetoric; if minority language speakers themselves see a positive effect on language use from European policy and promotion; and whether the role of English as a necessary lingua franca inside and outside Europe is eroding the position of the minority languages as the second language of choice. Quantitative and qualitative analysis on the survey results indicate that unfortunately, despite the amount of attention these minority languages receive from both government and media, language decline seems to show no sign of abating in any of these communities, and indeed the actions of the EU are apparently having very little impact on individual language situations. In addition, the survey indicates that hostile or indifferent member state policy is continuing to be one of the biggest stumbling blocks to minority language maintenance in Europe. From this perspective it seems reasonable to assess that the EU has in effect failed at what it claims to be trying to achieve, namely to provide a social and political climate that is favourable to minority language maintenance, and to assume that if this is the case in these three communities it is likely to be the case across Europe. With this in mind, the study concludes with the recommendation that the EU reconsider its involvement in language matters across the board, particularly in its current working-language structure and the reluctance to put some force of law behind its minority language support, and cautions that without this, the EU will likely face the imminent erosion of much of the very diversity upon which it has been built.

Die vorliegende Ausgabe der „Potsdamer Beiträge zur Sorabistik – Podstupimske pśinoski k Sorabistice“ Adam Mickiewicz, Gedichte in sorbischer Übersetzung, zusammengestellt von Alfred Měškank stellt den Jubiläumsband Nr. 10 unserer Serie dar. Wir sind sehr stolz darauf, die Serie herausgeben zu dürfen und vor allem darauf, das Jubiläum mit so einem würdigen Inhalt zu begehen. Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) gilt als der größte polnische Dichter, vergleichbar mit J. W. v. Goethe in Deutschland oder John Byron in England. Seine Werke sind in viele Sprachen übersetzt und dadurch in der ganzen Welt bekannt geworden. Bedeutende sorbische Dichter und Übersetzer, wie z.B. Jakub Bart-Ćišinski und Otto Lehmann-Wićaz haben seine Gedichte auch ins Sorbische übersetzt, doch diese Übersetzungen sind verstreut und dem heutigen Interessenten kaum zugänglich. Einige seiner bedeutsamsten Werke, besonders sein Versepos „Pan Tadeusz”, sowie Teile seines dramatischen Werkes „Dziady” fanden erst in neuerer Zeit einen Übersetzer. Die vorliegende Edition, die eine Zusammenstellung aller bisher ins Sorbische/Wendische übersetzten Werke des großen polnischen Dichters der Romantik darstellt, schließt diese Lücke nun. / This edition of Adam Mickiewicz’s poems in Sorbian translation, compiled by Alfred Měškank, represents the anniversary edition # 10 of our series "Potsdam Contributions to Sorabistics - Podstupimske pśinoski k Sorabistice” . We are very proud to release the series and especially flattered to celebrate the anniversary with such a worthy content. Adam Mickiewicz (1798-1855) is considered the greatest Polish poet, comparable to JW Goethe in Germany or to John Byron in England. His work has been translated into many languages, and thereby become known throughout the world. Significant Sorbian poets and translators, such as Jakub Bart-Ćišinski and Otto Lehmann-Wićaz have also translated his poems into Sorbian language, but these translations are scattered and difficult to access from today's prospective. Some of his major works, particularly his epic poem "Pan Tadeusz", as well as parts of his dramatic work "Dziady" found only recently a translator. The present edition, which is a compilation of all previously published works of the great Polish romantic poet in Sorbian/Wendish language, fills this gap now.

Zwischen den Polen „hier und dort“, „bei uns und bei denen“ oder „wir und die“ werden Stereotype verhandelt. Sie kontrastieren das Fremde und das Eigene. Das Eigene, das Innen, das Wir sind unsere Nation oder Ethnie, unsere soziale Gruppe, unsere Familie. Die anderen sind das Draußen, das uns Fremde. Wir charakterisieren uns mit Bildern von uns selbst. Diese entstehen in Auseinandersetzung mit der „fremden“ Gruppe, von der wir uns abgrenzen, um unsere Identität zu schaffen und zu erhalten. Ein wechselseitiges System von Stereotypen entsteht. Wo Menschen miteinander interagieren, gibt es solche Stereotypsysteme. Manche sind durch geografische Eckpunkte bestimmt, andere durch religiöse, soziale oder ethnische. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich der Analyse eines Stereotypsystems, das sich zwischen einer deutschen Mehrheit und einer slawischen Minderheit entwickelt hat. Seit Jahrhunderten teilen sich Deutsche und Sorben ein Siedlungsgebiet. Das „Miteinander“ von Deutschen und Sorben erscheint heute friedlich. Die gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen für ein verträgliches Zusammenleben zwischen Deutschen und Sorben sind geschaffen. Und doch besteht eine große Differenz zwischen den äußeren gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen und der inneren Akzeptanz der heterogenen Strukturen in der Lausitz.

Zwischen den Polen „hier und dort“, „bei uns und bei denen“ oder „wir und die“ werden Stereotype verhandelt. Sie kontrastieren das Fremde und das Eigene. Das Eigene, das Innen, das Wir sind unsere Nation oder Ethnie, unsere soziale Gruppe, unsere Familie. Die anderen sind das Draußen, das uns Fremde. Wir charakterisieren uns mit Bildern von uns selbst. Diese entstehen in Auseinandersetzung mit der „fremden“ Gruppe, von der wir uns abgrenzen, um unsere Identität zu schaffen und zu erhalten. Ein wechselseitiges System von Stereotypen entsteht. Wo Menschen miteinander interagieren, gibt es solche Stereotypsysteme. Manche sind durch geografische Eckpunkte bestimmt, andere durch religiöse, soziale oder ethnische. Die vorliegende Arbeit widmet sich der Analyse eines Stereotypsystems, das sich zwischen einer deutschen Mehrheit und einer slawischen Minderheit entwickelt hat. Seit Jahrhunderten teilen sich Deutsche und Sorben ein Siedlungsgebiet. Das „Miteinander“ von Deutschen und Sorben erscheint heute friedlich. Die gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen für ein verträgliches Zusammenleben zwischen Deutschen und Sorben sind geschaffen. Und doch besteht eine große Differenz zwischen den äußeren gesetzlichen Rahmenbedingungen und der inneren Akzeptanz der heterogenen Strukturen in der Lausitz.

TITLE Motifs of Sorbian Lusatia in contemporary literature focusing on the genre of modern fairy-tale AUTHOR Bc. Tereza Valášková DEPARTMENT Department of German Studies SUPERVISOR PhDr. Tamara Bučková, Ph.D ABSTRACT This master thesis deals with the motifs of Sorbian Lusatia in the selected modern fairy-tales in contemporary children's and young adult literature. The problem is explained on the basis of fifteen books by eight Sorbian writers and one German writer. The motifs of Sorbian Lusatia are sought in the Sorbian cultural history, mythology and folklore. This master thesis wants to prove, if motifs of Sorbian Lusatia are used in contemporary children's and young adult literature of the selected authors in the genre of modern fairy-tale. It demonstrates that the issues associated with the culture of this West Slavic minority are in contemporary, especially in Sorbian, but also German literature, a popular source of multicultural enrichment in Europe, which is threatened by monoculture. The methods include especially motif analysis, verification or falsification of the hypothesis, then interpretation and comparison. The work is constructed deductively and it focuses on the description of the issue. It was found that in the selected modern fairy-tales these following motifs occur: history of the Sorbian...

In this thesis, I attempt to describe and analyse language ideologies relevant in the specific situation of the Sorbian minority in the city of Bautzen (Sorbian: Budyšin) - a city with a clear German majority at the same time considered a cultural, social and political centre of Sorbs - with a special emphasis on links between language and nationalism. Focusing on these links, I also examine the specific role of language for maintainance of Sorbian national identity. I also view Sorbian language ideologies in the broader context of social and political relations in and around Bautzen, whereas I, among other topics, inquire into recently significant hatred of local German radical right towards the Sorbian minority. At the same time, I attempt to capture the power relations between German and Sorbian languages. Apart from the paradigm of language ideologies, I am also informed by works of certain poststructuralist authors, especially due to their emphasis on constructivism regarding identities and language mechanisms. Keywords: language, language ideologies, nationalism, language nationalism, identities, national identity, ethnicity, language and power, Sorbian, German, language and politics, language contact