Mehrsprachigkeit in der Literatur Galiziens

Abstract

From the historical perspective, multilingualism is a characteristic feature of Galician literature. It indicates the multiculturalism of the region, in which writers of many ethnic backgrounds came into contact. This leads to the question: given the multilingualism of the literary works in the region, how should the texts written in Polish but by Ukrainian writers be classified? Perhaps it would be useful to create a category of ‘Galician literature’? The article, focusing on the above, also tackles the differences between intertextuality (speaking and writing in many languages) and intratextuality (one common code with a mixture of elements from many different languages). The latter has been observed by the author as early as in the 17th and 18th century, when the old Ukrainian language was enriched with Polish and Latin words. In the 19th century, on the other hand, bilingualism was a characteristic feature, with German-Polish and German-Ukranian works.