Lechitic languages

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The Lechitic languages include three languages spoken in Central Europe, mainly in Poland, and historically also in Brandenburg, Mecklenburg, and Vorpommern, in the north-eastern region of modern Germany. This language group is a branch of the larger West Slavic language family. The Lechitic group includes:

• Polish - (ISO 639-1 code: pl, ISO 639-2 code: pol)
  • Lesser Poland
    • Vistulans
    • Lendians
• Pomeranian
  • Kashubian - (ISO 639-2 code: csb)
  • Slovincian - extinct
• Silesian (ISO 639-3 code: szl)
• Polabian - extinct - (SIL Code: pox)

The characteristics of Lechitic languages are:

• Mutation of Proto-Slavic ě, e, ę before alveolars into a, o, ą, ǫ.
• Continuation of Proto-Slavic dj, gě, gi as dz [ʒ], dze [ʒe], dzy [ʒj].
• Lack of g → h transition.
• Preservation of nasal vowels.
• the so-called fourth palatalization of velars in Polish and Kashubian

The term Lechitic derives from the old alternative name *lěchy (see Lechia) for the Lechitic peoples (in contrast to *čěchy for the Czechs).

Slavic people using those languages were known as Lechites.

[edit] See also

• Lechia

[edit] External links

• Lechitic language tree

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