Authors

Kajetan Stobiecki¹;  ¹ Herder Institute , Germany

Discussion

In the late 19th-century Bohemia, the politicization of language use reached its peak. For Czech- and German-speakers this meant that their daily interactions were more and more often read as taking a political stance in the developing national conflict. Issues like the language of instruction at schools, the language used by public servants, or the language on inscriptions in the public space were hotly debated in press and political bodies, sometimes resulting in street violence. At the same time, the ongoing standardization of languages changed the character of bilingualism and suppressed local linguistic diversity.

However, everyday life in a bilingual society could hardly follow the patterns imposed by the nationalists and purists. In my paper, I will use examples from Plzeň/Pilsen to demonstrate the practices of language use present in the city. I will try to estimate the extent of bilingualism and map the linguistically contested urban spaces and institutions. Simultaneously, I will focus on how different actors adjusted their language use to various social and political settings. Finally, I will analyze how these actions were perceived by their fellow Bohemians.