“I know that I am Bulgarian, but I feel like a Hungarian”: Bilingualism and language shift of Bulgarians in Skorenovac (Székelykeve)
Part 1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18349/MagyarNyelv.2022.3.343Keywords:
Banat Bulgarians, Székelykeve (Skorenovac), bilingualism, language shift, language biographiesAbstract
The study examines the language use, bilingualism and language shift of Bulgarians in Skorenovac based on Hungarian language narratives referring to language use. It also takes into account the social factors that induce language changes in the given settlement. Skorenovac has a relatively short history, as it was founded barely 140 years ago by the settling of Seklers from Bukovina, Hungarians from the Szeged region, as well as Bulgarians and Germans from Banat. In this paper I first outline the historical background of language use and bilingualism of Bulgarians, then, on the basis of metalinguistic narratives of several members of the Skorenovac Bulgarian community, examine the social and linguistic events and practices that pushed Bulgarian-Hungarian bilingualism towards language shift. The language of education, the lack of codification of the Banat Bulgarian language and other social factors that characterized Yugoslavia at the time also played an important role in this process. Finally, I give an insight into the personal efforts and (meta)linguistic practices that aim at strengthening the vitality of the Bulgarian language, as well as the reversal of its decline.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Éva Vukov Raffai
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