Kresy - Kresy Dialect of Polish Language

Kresy Dialect of Polish Language

Since Polish presence in the area of Eastern Borderlands dates back to hundreds of years, in the course of the time two groups of Kresy dialects of Polish language emerged: northern (dialekt północnokresowy), and southern (dialekt południowokresowy). Both dialects have been influenced by East Slavic languages, mainly Ukrainian and Belarusian (but also Lithuanian), and to Polish speakers in Poland, Kresy dialects are easy to distinguish, as they sound more "musical". Before World War Two, both dialects were commonly used in Eastern Poland, but after the war, when thousands of people were forced to move out of Kresy, and settle in Western Poland, Kresy dialects lost its speakers. Northern Kresy dialect is still used along the Lithanian-Belarusian border, where Poles still live in large numbers, but southern Kresy dialect has been on the decline, as in Western Ukraine Poles are scattered and do not make a majority of population in any district. Among Kresy dialect arguably the most notable and popular is Lwów dialect, which emerged in 19th century and gained much popularity and recognition in the 1920s and 1930s, in part due to countrywide popularity of numerous artists and comedians using it (see also: Dialects of the Polish language).