A History of the Polish Language
Poland’s reputation as a fiercely independent nation extends to its linguistic history. Polish language history parallels the country’s against-all-odds narrative. From its time as a sleepy Baltic Sea territory in the Middle Ages to the modern era when Poland faced extinction from two of the 20th century’s most menacing powers – the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany – the origin and survival of the Polish language is a fascinating story, especially if you want to learn the language.
The Polish language faced obstacles few languages in Europe or around the world have endured. The Polish language’s complex history, growth, and eventual development into one of the main West Slavic languages, is a story that is part perseverance, part persistence, and wholly engaging. Just when you thought language history wasn’t exciting…there’s always Polish to fill the void!
Let’s dig into the history of the Polish language! Or, as the Polish would say, przygotuj się i zapnij pas (get ready and buckle up)!
Origins of the Polish Language
The origin of the Polish language, like many other European tongues, essentially starts with the adoption of Christianity. Religion has always been a galvanizing force to consolidate scattered communities – and part of this consolidation involved linguistics.
Poland adopted the Christian religion in the 10th century, an event known as the Baptism of Poland. Mieszko I, the Duke of Poland and the founder of the first Polish state, was baptized in 966. From that date forward, the Old Polish language took form – the distant predecessor of the modern Polish language.
Old Polish started as a collection of dialects and eventually took hold as a relatively common language. Initially just a spoken language, the journey from its Polish language origins to a written language took nearly 300 years from the Baptism of Poland. In 1270, the first-ever sentence in Old Polish was written in the Book of Henryków, a narrative of the Cistercian monastery in southwest Poland.
This landmark moment was specifically called out by the author, an interesting footnote in Polish language history. The monk who wrote it (a Cistercian monk named Peter) was somehow aware of the significance of the origin of the Polish language in written form – he actually wrote “This is Polish.”
The Evolution of Polish Through the Ages: Influences, Expansion & More
Old Polish existed from the 10th century to the 16th century. In the late 1600s and into the 1700s, the language entered the “middleman phase” of Polish language history: Middle Polish. This classification of the language bridged the gap between Old Polish and Modern Polish.
Middle Polish was distinguished by evolving, nuanced pronunciation, particularly with vowels. Other important linguistic milestones were achieved; Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny, the first Polish newspaper, hit the presses in Krakow, and later in Warsaw. The language flourished, even in tumultuous times. This period of the history of the Polish language is often regarded as the Golden Age of Polish literature.
Loan words from other languages were absorbed, but Polish wasn’t selfish in sharing its own linguistic legacy – languages like Czech, German, Yiddish, Italian, French, and Russian borrowed frequently from the ever-expanding Middle Polish vocabulary.
Polish became a major prestige language in Eastern Europe, thanks to the political and cultural force of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, a powerful state from the late 1500s until 1795. Commercially, the Commonwealth was the “breadbasket of Europe,” a fertile land sitting on east-west trade routes connecting Western Europe and the Ottoman Empire/Russia. Politically, the size and location of the state made the Commonwealth a major player in the region. Militarily, Polish troops famously relieved Vienna in 1683 by defeating one of the largest armies ever assembled by the Ottoman Empire. Due to the geopolitical positioning of the Commonwealth, Polish thrived as a lingua franca in Eastern Europe for around 200 years. And thus, the Polish language prepared for its final transition into what we now know as modern, standard Polish.
Modern Polish Dialects
The year 1795 marks an important turn in Poland’s history: statehood was at stake in the late 18th century as the country came under control of Prussia, Austria, Germany, and Russia. For over a century, the Polish language held on by a thread. After the First World War concluded in 1918, Poland regained its former sovereignty.
A generation later, when the Second World War broke out in Eastern Europe, Polish language history took another dramatic turn. When Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union partitioned Poland in 1939, roughly 20% of its population perished under occupation. Fortunately, the history of the Polish language wasn’t ready for its final chapter. The country became a beacon for freedom-loving peoples behind Russia’s Iron Curtain during the Cold War. During this time period, the Polish language gained four principal dialects (Greater Polish, Lesser Polish, Ilesian, and Masovian).
Modern Polish holds a rare distinction among widely-spoken languages. Despite the give-and-take history of the Polish language, defined by invading armies, shifting imperial allegiances, political turmoil, and large migrations, the language is surprisingly homogeneous within Poland. Nearly 98% of Poles today cite Polish as their native tongue – a high number compared to other European countries, especially those in Western Europe.
Write Your Own Personal Chapter in Polish Language History: Learn the Language Today!
Even if the Polish language hasn’t been part of your own personal history, that doesn’t mean you can’t make it part of your future. Pimsleur’s learning platform is specifically designed for beginners. If you’d like to add Polish to your repertoire, get started today with Pimsleur – we’re ready to get you speaking Polish!