WIA LANGUAGES PROJECT

[Day 23/221]

Kaszëbsczi jãzëk

 

Between Silence and Revival

According to the 2021 census, approximately 87,600 people primarily use Kashubian at home—a decrease from over 108,000 in 2011. More concerning, only 1,700 people reported speaking exclusively Kashubian within their homes, down from 3,800 in 2011. However, the number of people who can speak at least some Kashubian is significantly higher, around 366,000, suggesting that the embers of hope still glow.

UNESCO classifies Kashubian as “severely endangered.” All Kashubian speakers are also fluent in Polish, and younger generations tend to view Kashubian as a rural language, associated with uneducated people from countryside. The dialectal diversity is so pronounced that speakers of southern dialects have considerable difficulty understanding speakers of northern dialects. In some northern areas, the letter ‘ł’ doesn’t even exist in the alphabet, replaced entirely by ‘l’.

Yet there are those who refuse to give up. The Kashubian Language Council, established in 2006, spearheads numerous cultural initiatives. Over 17,000 students in more than 400 schools learn Kashubian as a second language, with parental consent. The University of Gdańsk operates a postgraduate program training Kashubian teachers, with 83 graduates earning diplomas. Local radio stations broadcast in Kashubian, and there’s even an online Kashubian dictionary. New books on Kashubian grammar and literature appear regularly, and the regional newspaper Pomerania with its literary supplement Stegna continues to publish.

The road to revival faces significant challenges. Sociolinguistic research by Nicole Dołowy-Rybińska reveals that many young Kashubians (aged 16-25) have only passive knowledge of the language and abandon it in favor of Polish, which carries more prestige. Many admitted treating Kashubian as “a language of jokes and games” rather than everyday communication. However, more than 12 active organizations promote Kashubian culture, working to bridge generational gaps and restore pride in this ancient tongue.

A World That Defies Translation

Kashubian possesses a unique phonological system even among Slavic languages. It contains significantly more vowel sounds than Polish and includes sounds not present in any other Slavic language. For instance, ‘ã’ represents a nasalized ‘a’ sound, ‘ô’ resembles ‘y’, and ‘ù’ sits somewhere between ‘łu’ and ‘ły’. The letter ‘é’ is a slanted ‘i’, an intermediate sound between ‘y’ and ‘i’. These distinctive phonemes make Kashubian particularly well-suited for pronouncing Anglo-Saxon sounds, as noted by Dr. Yurek Hinz of the University of Maryland—making it, in a sense, more westward-facing than other Slavic languages.

Due to German influence, Kashubian uses the auxiliary verb “to have” (jô mom) to form the past tense, just like German and very unlike Polish. While Polish only uses one word for the simple past, both German and Kashubian require a pronoun, the auxiliary verb conjugated for person, and the past participle. Additionally, Polish is a pro-drop language (meaning pronouns can be omitted), but Kashubian, like German, always requires explicit pronouns before verbs, even when the verb is already conjugated to show person and gender.

Approximately 5% of Kashubian vocabulary consists of loanwords from High German and Low German—compared to only 3% in Polish. These borrowings span commerce, farming, animals, plants, hunting, and home life—every domain where Germanic and Slavic peoples interacted most intensely. Yet paradoxically, many ancient Slavic words that have disappeared from Polish still survive in Kashubian. This led some linguists to joke that “Kashubian is older than Polish,” as it preserves archaic Slavic vocabulary that Polish has lost over centuries of linguistic evolution.

The early 20th century linguist Friedrich Lorentz documented 76 distinct Kashubian dialects—a testament to the language’s remarkable internal diversity. This dialectal richness reflects centuries of relative geographic isolation among Kashubian communities scattered across Pomerania’s lake-dotted landscape, where each village developed its own linguistic peculiarities while maintaining the core identity of Kashubian speech.

Creating an Eternal Digital Archive

WIA doesn’t simply translate. We digitally preserve every aspect of Kashubian in permanent, accessible formats. From the grammar book written by 19th-century nationalist Florian Ceynowa—the first known Kashubian activist who awakened Kashubian self-identity—to the literary works of Aleksander Majkowski, who led the Young Kashubian movement in 1912, to today’s textbooks used in 400 schools. Every resource becomes integrated into a unified digital archive.

Friedrich Lorentz’s early 20th-century documentation of 76 dialects, the phonetic differences between northern and southern variants, the unique pronunciation of northern speakers who use ‘l’ instead of ‘ł’. We preserve this entire spectrum of diversity through audio files, text databases, and visual documentation, making it accessible to anyone worldwide. The archive includes recordings demonstrating Kashubian’s free stress placement and mobile stress patterns, its distinctive consonant system, and the archaic word-final stress preserved in some dialects.

Researchers at the University of Gdańsk, teachers across Pomerania, Kashubian descendants scattered abroad in places like Wisconsin, Minnesota, Canada, and Brazil, and language enthusiasts from around the globe—all converge on a single platform. Kashubian is no longer confined to a small region along the Baltic coast. It lives and breathes eternally in digital space, accessible from Seoul to São Paulo, from Toronto to Tokyo.

Think of this parallel: Korean faced similar threats under colonial rule, with the language suppressed and relegated to private spheres. Yet today, through successful preservation efforts and digital technology, Hangul is recognized as one of the world’s most scientific writing systems, and Korean thrives globally through K-pop, K-drama, and Korean cultural exports. Kashubian can experience similar renewal through digital preservation—not replacing traditional transmission but creating new pathways for cultural continuity and pride.

The Culture Embodied in Language

Kashubian is far more than a communication tool. It embodies the natural philosophy of the Kashubian Lake District with its 700+ interconnected lakes, the wisdom of Baltic fishing traditions passed down through generations, and centuries of embroidery and pottery artistry. All of this cultural knowledge lives within the language itself.

Kashubian embroidery is renowned for its vibrant colors and intricate designs. Each pattern symbolizes elements of the natural world and Kashubian life—flowers representing spring renewal, geometric shapes embodying cosmic order, colors carrying specific cultural meanings. The names of these patterns, the techniques for creating them, and the meanings they carry can only be fully conveyed in Kashubian. Translate them into Polish and nuances disappear; render them in English and cultural context evaporates.

Kashubian cuisine offers unique culinary insights shaped by Baltic fishing heritage. Dishes like Baltic fish soup made from fish bones, traditional smoked fish preparations, and regional specialties reflect centuries of adaptation to coastal life. The vocabulary surrounding fishing practices, boat construction, weather prediction, and seasonal cycles exists in richness and precision within Kashubian that other languages cannot replicate.

In June 1987, Pope John Paul II visited Kashubia and appealed to the Kashubians to preserve their traditional values, including their language. The Pope’s words resonated deeply: losing Kashubian means losing not just a means of communication but a millennium of cultural wisdom and the unique worldview of Baltic civilization. In 2005, Kashubian became the first language ever included as an official subject on the Polish matura exam (equivalent to A-Levels or Baccalaureate)—a milestone in official recognition and educational integration.

The Tomorrow We Will Create Together

After 221 days, when all languages are preserved in digital archives, we will finally possess a complete map of human linguistic diversity. Kashubian will shine as one constellation in that map—not merely a small language of the Baltic coast, but one of humanity’s precious windows for understanding the universe.

When a student in Gdańsk learns their ancestral language, when a Kashubian descendant in Chicago discovers their roots, when a linguist in Seoul researches Slavic diversity, when a language enthusiast in Tokyo explores Pomeranian culture—they all meet in the same digital archive. A language community transcending time and space emerges.

This journey began quietly with Day 1, but it touches millions of hearts and creates permanent change. One day at a time, one language at a time, we preserve 221 voices digitally for eternity. The 366,000 people who can speak some Kashubian, the 12+ organizations working tirelessly for revival, the teachers in 400+ schools—they are not alone. Through WIA’s global digital platform, their efforts connect with supporters worldwide, creating unprecedented momentum for language preservation.

This is WIA’s promise: what starts as a quiet revolution becomes a movement that resonates across continents. Every language deserves eternity. Every voice matters. And together, we ensure that no language—no matter how “small” or “endangered”—ever truly falls silent again.

221 languages. 221 days.
Today, Kashubian’s voice echoes across time, reaching your heart.
Like the Baltic waves, carrying a song a thousand years old.

With WIA, every voice becomes eternal.

WIA Language Institute

221 Languages – Digital Preservation Project

Every voice is eternal | 모든 목소리는 영원합니다

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