LSSlaL 03: Grammar of the Upper Sorbian Language

Grammar of the Upper Sorbian Language

Phonology and Morphology

H. Schuster-Sewc
Gary H. Toops, trans.,
Wichita State University

Upper Sorbian is the fourth largest of the West Slavic literary languages. Together with its various dialects, it is spoken today by an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants of Upper Lusatia (Oberlausitz), a region of the eastern German state of Saxony (Bundesland [Freistaat] Sachsen). The literary language is actively used in journalism, broadcasting, publishing, and the performing arts. The city of Bautzen/Budyšin, with a population currently estimated at 46,000 (only 2% of whom are Sorbs), is the center of Upper Sorbian literary, scholarly, and broadcasting activity.

Chapter 1 of the present volume provides an introduction to basic linguistic concepts from the viewpoint of Upper Sorbian. Chapter 2 provides an exhaustive description together with pictorial illustrations of both general and Upper Sorbian literary and dialectal phonology. Chapter 3 presents in both narrative and tabular form the complete morphology of the Upper Sorbian literary language together with notes on dialectal developments and current trends in colloquial usage.

ISBN 9783895860591. LINCOM Studies in Slavic Linguistics 03. 270pp. 2nd edition. 1999.