[Ger-Poland-Volhynia] Germans speaking Polish in West Prussia

[remus at hawaii.edu]

West Prussia is an interesting case for languages and there will be more on that. But first, West Prussia (or Royal Prussia) was the region between Hinterpommern (Pommerania in Poland) and East Prussia. It was a semiautomous part of Poland until the partition of 1772 when it became part of Prussia. Later between the great wars, it was split between Germany and Poland so as to form the Polish Corridor (to the sea). Danzig (a Hanseatic League city) and Thorn (birthplace of Kopericus) were its most famous cities. Geographically, its scenery and climate is like MN or MI. 

Prior to the first partion of 1772 if you were of German ancestry, it was useful to speak Polish (or is some regions Kasubian) to talk with the neighbors and transact business with the West Prussian (largely Polish) nobility (contracts were in Polish or Latin), Yiddish to talk with merchants, and German to talk with family and fellow Germans (many of the Polish nobles also spoke German).  

After 1772 German was the official language including schools and offices and useful in almost all circumstances - but still Polish (or is some regions Kasubian) was helpful to talk with neighbors and Yiddish helpful to shop. Although the general trend was toward German for all. Given the amount of intermarriage of Poles and Germans, you might also need Polish for in-laws.

Between the great wars, the German part of West Prussia became more German speaking and the corridor more Polish speaking although both languages would be useful. And the Kasubian regions still maintained their culture and language.

Given the sad experience of the second world war, Polish is the only language widely spoken in old West Prussia. Some still speak Kasubian. And German is the language of tourism. (English is useful  in the big cities or with young people learning it in school).

Regards Bill Remus
Family Names Remus, Hardwardt, Hoffmann, Spitzer, Radke, Krassin, and Lehmann (and others) from Volhynia, Russian Poland, Poznan region of Poland, and West Prussia