Kashubian and modern forms of media – new survival chances for endangered languages

Abstract

Indirect communication channeled through various forms of media is undoubtedly dominant in the modern world. This is especially true in a situation when a minority language is no longer the most important means of communication within a given community, i.e. when most direct contact between representatives of that minority take place in the dominant language. If the use of a minority language therefore becomes impossible in direct situations, it becomes increasingly eagerly used in forms of indirect communication. Minority language can find natural niches where it can be used in the contemporary world, the most important of these being the mass media. During past 20 years the situation of Kashubian language has changed. The very interesting, complex, and not yet complete processes of standardization, codification,and propagation of a literary language have enabled the Kashubian language to establish its presence in schooling, literature, and the media. Not only has the character of the language changed thanks to these new niches of occurrence, but new cultural niches where the language is used and groups which use it have also emerged.