Managing linguistic heritage in interlingual families: language, church, and customs in Catholic Upper Lusatia

Sara Mičkec

doi:10.32798/zl.1910

Published: 22025-12-13 — Updated on 2025-12-19

Vol. 63 No. 2 (2025)

Managing linguistic heritage in interlingual families: language, church, and customs in Catholic Upper Lusatia

Sara Mičkec

Zeszyty Łużyckie

Section: Articles

https://doi.org/10.32798/zl.1910

Abstract

This paper examines language maintenance in interlingual Sorbian–German families within the minority–majority context of Upper Lusatia, Germany. Drawing on narrative language–biographic interviews with six Upper Sorbian–German families in Catholic Upper Lusatia, and applying the framework of Language Management Theory, the paper analyses frequent reminders from adults to children to speak Sorbian. It also explores the influence of the church, local Catholic customs, and the wearing of Sorbian traditional costumes on the use of Upper Sorbian linking intangible and material heritage. The discussion reveals that different norms for language choice exist within and beyond the religious context.

Supporting Agencies

NCN Preludium-19: 2020/37/N/HS2/01444

Keywords:

language management theory, family language policy, linguistic heritage, interlingual families, Upper Sorbian

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Mičkec , S. (2025). Managing linguistic heritage in interlingual families: language, church, and customs in Catholic Upper Lusatia. Zeszyty Łużyckie, 63(2). https://doi.org/10.32798/zl.1910

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Sara Mičkec

sara.mickec@ispan.edu.pl
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0300-8687

Affiliation:

Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk Poland

Bio Statement (e.g., department and rank)

Sara Mičkec completed her PhD at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Polish Academy of Sciences with a dissertation about the negotiations of language practices and policies in interlingual Sorbian–German families in Upper Lusatia. Her sociolinguistic research interests include family language policy and minority languages in Europe.