“The Ostrava Language” in the travelogue narrative

Abstract

The article considers the Slavic micro-language formed by the dialects of the inhabitants of Czech Silesia, which is able to form something like the diglossia with the Standard Czech language on the territory of the region. In most of the territory of the Czech Republic (the western two-thirds of its area), the Standard Czech language forms a diglossia-like relations with the so-called Common Czech language. The language of the works of the modern Ostrava blogger and writer L. Větvička represents a successful symbiosis of the southern dialects of Czech Silesia, the Standard Czech language and partly the Common Czech language. The analysis of the language of his travelogue published in 2019 led us to the conclusion, that the so-called Ostrava micro-language is a dynamically developing phenomenon, the functioning of which is by no means limited to oral speech. The appearance in print and on-line form of such literary texts destroys the diglossia that has historically developed in the region, since the non-literary idiom penetrates into the position of the literary one. On the other hand, such texts strengthen the position of the Ostrava micro-language, which sounds in the reader’s mind whenever the texts are read.

Received: 13.07.2023.
Revised: 16.02.2024.
Accepted: 12.03.2024.

Citation
Izotov A. I. “The Ostrava Language” in the travelogue narrative // Slavic Almanac. 2024. No 1–2. P. 185–204 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2024.1-2.09