Wymysorys language
Wymysojer or Wilamowicean (Wymysöryś) is a dialect of Middle High German spoken in the small town of Wilamowice (Wymysoj in Wymysojer), on the border between Silesia and Lesser Poland. At present, there are about 100 native users of Wymysojer, the majority of them elderly people; Wymysojer is therefore an endangered language.
History
In origin, Wymysojer appears to derive from 12th century Central German, with a strong influence from Low German, Dutch, Frisian, Polish and Old English. The inhabitants of Wilamowice are thought to be descendants of Dutch, German and Scottish settlers who arrived in Poland in the 13th century. However, the inhabitants of Wilamowice always refused any connections with Germany and proclaimed their Dutch origins.
Wymysojer was the vernacular language of Wilamowice until 1945–1949. After World War II, local communist authorities forbade the use of the language. Despite the fact that the ban was lifted after 1956, Wymysojer has been gradually replaced by Polish, especially amongst the younger generations.
Wymysojer was the language in which the poetry of Florian Biesik was written, during the 19th century.
Wilamowicean alphabet
The Wilamowicean alphabet consists of 34 letters:
| a | ao | b | c | ć | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | ł | l | m | n | ń | o | ö | p | q | r | s | ś | t | u | ü | v | w | y | z | ź | ż |
| A | AO | B | C | Ć | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | Ł | L | M | N | Ń | O | Ö | P | Q | R | S | Ś | T | U | Ü | V | W | Y | Z | Ź | Ż |
Short dictionary
A short dictionary of Wymysojer with German, Dutch and English translations. Note that ł is read in Wymysojer like English w and w like v:
| Wymysojer | German | Dutch | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| ałan | allein | alleen | alone |
| ana, an | und | en | and |
| bryk | Brücke | brug | bridge |
| duł | dumm | dom | dull |
| fuylgia | hören | horen | to hear (but cf. Dutch volgen and German folgen "to follow", which also mean "to understand, hear", also cf. eng "follow?" "understand") |
| ganc | ganz | gans | entirely |
| gyrycht | Gericht | gerecht | court (cf. German Recht "{legal} right" and English right) |
| dyr hymół | Himmel | hemel | heaven |
| łove | Liebe | liefde | love |
| a mikieła | ein bisschen | een beetje | a bit (cf. Old English "micel") |
| muter | Mutter | moeder | mother |
| myttółt | Mitte | middel | middle |
| nimanda | niemand | niemand | no one |
| ny | nein | nee | no |
| ödum | Atem | adem | breath (cf. Old English "ǽðm" and archaic German Odem) |
| olifant | Elefant | olifant | elephant |
| öwyt | Abend | avond | evening |
| śraeiwa | schreiben | schrijven | to write (cf. English "scribe") |
| syster | Schwester | zuster | sister |
| śtaen | Stein | steen | stone |
| trynkia | trinken | drinken | to drink |
| uöbroz | Bild | beeld | picture (cf. Polish obraz and cognates in other Slavonic languages) |
| wełt | Welt | wereld | world |
| wynter | Winter | winter | winter |
| zyłwer | Silber | zilver | silver |
| zyjwa | sieben | zeven | seven |
| sgöekumt | wilkommen | ? | welcome |
Example lullaby
A lullaby in Wymysojer with English translation:
- Śłöf duy buwła fest!
- Skumma frmdy gest,
- Skumma muma ana fettyn,
- Z' brennia nysła ana epułn,
- Śłöf duy Jasiu fest!
- Sleep, my boy, soundly!
- Foreign guests are coming,
- Aunts and uncles are coming,
- Bringing nuts and apples,
- Sleep Johnny sound
Further reading
- Ludwik Młynek, "Narzecze wilamowickie", Tarnów. 1907: J.Pisz.
- Józef Latosiński, "Monografia miasteczka Wilamowic", Kraków, 1909.
- Hermann Mojmir, "Wörterbuch der deutschen Mundart von Wilamowice" (Słownik niemieckiej gwary Wilamowic), Kraków, 1930-1936: Polska Akademia Umiejętności.
- Adam Kleczkowski, "Dialekt Wilamowic w zachodniej Galicji. Fonetyka i fleksja". Kraków, 1920: Polska Akademia Umiejętności.
- Adam Kleczkowski, "Dialekt Wilamowic w zachodniej Galicji. Składnia", Poznań, 1921: Uniwersytet Poznański.
- Maria Katarzyna Lasatowicz, "Die deutsche Mundart von Wilamowice zwischen 1920 und 1987". Opole, 1992: Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna.
- Tomasz Wicherkiewicz, The Making of a Language: The Case of the Idiom of Wilamowice, Mouton de Gruyter, 2003, ISBN 3-11-017099-X