Burgenland Croatian language
Encyclopedia
Burgenland Croatian is a regional language variant of the Chakavian dialect
of the Croatian language
spoken in Austria
, Hungary
, the Czech Republic
and Slovakia
. Burgenland Croatian is recognized as a minority language
in the Austrian state of Burgenland
where it is spoken by 19,412 people according to official reports (2001). Many of the Burgenland Croatian speakers in Austria also live in Vienna
and Graz
, due to the process of urbanization
, which is mostly driven by the poor economic situation of large parts of Burgenland.
Smaller Croatian minorities in western Hungary, southwestern Slovakia and southern Czech Republic are often also called Burgenland Croats
. They use the Burgenland Croatian written language and are historically and culturally closely connected to the Austrian Croats. The representatives of the Burgenland Croats estimate their total number in all three countries and emigration at around 70,000.
refugees who fled Croatia
during the Turkish Wars and settled in the western part of what was then Hungary, the area where they still live. Burgenland Croats included speakers of all three dialects of the Croatian language
(Shtokavian, Chakavian and Kajkavian), with the majority being the Chakavians who originally stem from the northern Adriatic coast.
Burgenland Croats did not take part in the shaping of the present Croatian standard language in the 19th century. Instead, they constructed their own written standard based mainly on the local Chakavian speech and adopted the Croatian alphabet
, a modified Latin alphabet, as their script.
It is still a matter of debate whether Burgenland Croatian should be classified as a Slavic micro-language of its own. Burgenland Croatian dialects are mostly viewed as isolated dialects of the Croatian language
.
The Burgenland Croatian language and the Prekmurian language (this is a Slovene language-variant in the Prekmurje
and Hungary) was to press with interact. The first prekmurian works (for exampl. Old hymn-book of Martjanci) was apply to the Burgenland Croatian books. Few writer of the prekmurian language was Burgenland Croatian descent (for exampl. Jakab Szabár
) and also the Burgenland Croatian language (József Ficzkó).
with the same diacritical modifiers as the Croatian alphabet
. In the course of language development it acquired some of its own specialised vocabulary, sometimes different from that used in standard Croatian.
) the Chakavian dialect.
(See Lord's Prayer
for English versions).
Chakavian dialect
Chakavian or Čakavian is a dialect of the Croatian language. The name stems from the word for "what?", which is "ča" in Čakavian...
of the Croatian language
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
spoken in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
. Burgenland Croatian is recognized as a minority language
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
in the Austrian state of Burgenland
Burgenland
Burgenland is the easternmost and least populous state or Land of Austria. It consists of two Statutarstädte and seven districts with in total 171 municipalities. It is 166 km long from north to south but much narrower from west to east...
where it is spoken by 19,412 people according to official reports (2001). Many of the Burgenland Croatian speakers in Austria also live in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, due to the process of urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, which is mostly driven by the poor economic situation of large parts of Burgenland.
Smaller Croatian minorities in western Hungary, southwestern Slovakia and southern Czech Republic are often also called Burgenland Croats
Burgenland Croats
Burgenland Croats are ethnic Croats in the Austrian state of Burgenland. Although an enclave hundreds of kilometres away from their original homeland, they have managed to preserve culture and language for centuries...
. They use the Burgenland Croatian written language and are historically and culturally closely connected to the Austrian Croats. The representatives of the Burgenland Croats estimate their total number in all three countries and emigration at around 70,000.
Dialects
- Štoj dialect: dialect of the Croatian folklore groupe Štoji (GüttenbachGüttenbachGüttenbach is a town in the district of Güssing in Burgenland in Austria.-External links:*...
, StinatzStinatzStinatz is a town in the district of Güssing in Burgenland in Austria. According to the last census 62% of the population are members of the Burgenland Croat minority.-Geography:...
, NeubergNeuberg im BurgenlandNeuberg im Burgenland is a town in the district of Güssing in Burgenland in Austria.-External links:*...
), is a štokavian-čakavian mixed dialect - Vlah dialect: dialect of the Vlahi, is a štokavian dialect in Weiden bei RechnitzWeiden bei RechnitzWeiden bei Rechnitz is a town in the district of Oberwart in Burgenland in Austria....
, Zuberbach, Althodis, SchandorfSchandorfSchandorf is a village in the district of Oberwart in Burgenland in southeast Austria.- History :The earliest record of the village's existence dates to 1244. In the first half of the 16th century, the region was devastated by attacking Turkish troops, and villages were depopulated...
, Dürnbach, Allersdorf, etc. - Dolinci dialect: dialect of the Dolinci in Unterpullendorf, FrankenauFrankenau-Location:Frankenau lies in the Kellerwald range southwest of the Talgang . It is found on the southern edge of the Kellerwald-Edersee National Park on the upper reaches of the Lorfebach, a tributary to the Eder...
, Kleinmutschen, etc. is čakavian dialect - Poljan dialect: dialect of the Poljanci near the Neusiedl Lake, is a čakavian speech
- Hac dialect: čakavian dialect of Haci near the Neusidl
- some Croats speak Kajkavian dialect near the Neusidl
- Grob dialect: Kajkavian dialect
History
Burgenland Croatian was the language of CroatianCroats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
refugees who fled Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
during the Turkish Wars and settled in the western part of what was then Hungary, the area where they still live. Burgenland Croats included speakers of all three dialects of the Croatian language
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
(Shtokavian, Chakavian and Kajkavian), with the majority being the Chakavians who originally stem from the northern Adriatic coast.
Burgenland Croats did not take part in the shaping of the present Croatian standard language in the 19th century. Instead, they constructed their own written standard based mainly on the local Chakavian speech and adopted the Croatian alphabet
Croatian alphabet
Gaj's Latin alphabet is a variant of the Latin script used for Croatian language. It was devised by Croatian linguist Ljudevit Gaj in 1835, based on Jan Hus's Czech alphabet....
, a modified Latin alphabet, as their script.
It is still a matter of debate whether Burgenland Croatian should be classified as a Slavic micro-language of its own. Burgenland Croatian dialects are mostly viewed as isolated dialects of the Croatian language
Croatian language
Croatian is the collective name for the standard language and dialects spoken by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighbouring countries...
.
The Burgenland Croatian language and the Prekmurian language (this is a Slovene language-variant in the Prekmurje
Prekmurje
Prekmurje is a geographically, linguistically, culturally and ethnically defined region settled by Slovenes and lying between the Mur River in Slovenia and the Rába Valley in the most western part of Hungary...
and Hungary) was to press with interact. The first prekmurian works (for exampl. Old hymn-book of Martjanci) was apply to the Burgenland Croatian books. Few writer of the prekmurian language was Burgenland Croatian descent (for exampl. Jakab Szabár
Jakab Szabár
Jakab Szabár was a writer and Roman Catholic priest. Szabár was a Hungarian Croat who wrote in Prekmurian and Hungarian....
) and also the Burgenland Croatian language (József Ficzkó).
Written language
Burgenland Croatian written language is based mainly on the local Chakavian speeches with some influences from the other Croatian dialects spoken in Burgenland. It uses the Latin alphabetLatin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
with the same diacritical modifiers as the Croatian alphabet
Croatian alphabet
Gaj's Latin alphabet is a variant of the Latin script used for Croatian language. It was devised by Croatian linguist Ljudevit Gaj in 1835, based on Jan Hus's Czech alphabet....
. In the course of language development it acquired some of its own specialised vocabulary, sometimes different from that used in standard Croatian.
Spoken language
Croats living in the south of Burgenland speak mainly the Shtokavian dialect, those in the central part the Kajkavian dialect, and in the north (close to ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
) the Chakavian dialect.
Differences between Standard and Burgenland Croatian language
| English | Standard Croatian | Burgenland Croatian |
|---|---|---|
| black | crna | črna |
| diver | ronilac | ronilac |
| word | riječ | rič |
| Jesus Christ | Isus Krist | Jezuš Kristuš |
| squash | buča | tikva, tikvica |
| floor | dno | tlo |
| village, settlement | mjesto, naselje | selo |
| rural | mjesni | seoski |
| lower | donji | dolnji |
The Lord's prayer in Slovene, Burgenland Croatian and Croatian
| Slovene | Burgenland Croatian | Croatian |
|---|---|---|
| Oče naš, ki si v nebesih, posvečeno bodi tvoje ime, pridi k nam tvoje kraljestvo, zgodi se tvoja volja kakor v nebesih tako na zemlji. Daj nam danes naš vsakdanji kruh in odpusti nam naše dolge, kakor tudi mi odpuščamo svojim dolžnikom, in ne vpelji nas v skušnjavo, temveč reši nas hudega. Amen. |
Oče naš, ki si na nebesi, sveti se ime tvoje, pridi kraljevstvo tvoje, budi volja tvoja, kako na nebu tako i na zemlji. Kruh naš svakidanji daj nam danas, i otpusti nam duge naše, kako i mi otpušćamo dužnikom našim, i ne zapeljaj nas u skušavanje, nego oslobodi nas od zla. Amen. |
Oče naš, koji jesi na nebesima, sveti se ime tvoje, dođi kraljevstvo tvoje, budi volja tvoja, kako na nebu tako i na zemlji. Kruh naš svagdanji daj nam danas, i otpusti nam duge naše, kako i mi otpuštamo dužnicima našim, i ne uvedi nas u napast, nego izbavi nas od zla. Amen. |
(See Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
for English versions).
External links
- Burgenland Croatian Center in Vienna (English, Croatian and German)
- Scientific Institute of the Burgenland Croats (Croatian and German)
- Croatian Cultural and Documentation Center in Eisenstadt/Željezno (German)