Lower Sorbian language
Lower Sorbian (endonym: dolnoserbšćina) is a West Slavic minority language spoken in eastern Germany in the historical province of Lower Lusatia, today part of Brandenburg.
| Lower Sorbian | |
|---|---|
| dolnoserbšćina, dolnoserbski | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈdɔlnɔˌsɛrskʲi] |
| Native to | Germany |
| Region | Brandenburg |
| Ethnicity | Sorbs |
Native speakers | 6,900 (2007) |
Indo-European
| |
| Latin (Sorbian alphabet) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | dsb |
| ISO 639-3 | dsb |
| Glottolog | lowe1385 |
| ELP | Lower Sorbian |
| Linguasphere | 53-AAA-ba < 53-AAA-b < 53-AAA-b...-d (varieties: 53-AAA-baa to 53-AAA-bah) |
Standard Lower Sorbian is one of the two literary Sorbian languages, the other being the more widely spoken standard Upper Sorbian. The Lower Sorbian literary standard was developed in the 18th century, based on a southern form of the Cottbus dialect. The standard variety of Lower Sorbian has received structural influence from Upper Sorbian.
Lower Sorbian is spoken in and around the city of Cottbus in Brandenburg. Signs in this region are typically bilingual, and Cottbus has a Lower Sorbian Gymnasium where one language of instruction is Lower Sorbian. It is a heavily endangered language. Most native speakers today belong to the older generations.