Lemko Language

[cybrlee]

Hi,

I would like to learn the Lemko Language and would like to travel to the Lemko area in the distant future. My problem is finding resources to learn this language.


My thoughts are since other languages (Ukranian, Polish, and Slavic) are somewhat similar, should I try learning one of these languages and honing in on the language from that? If so, which one would be the closest?


Thanks for any input you may have to offer.

Karen

[Kathy]

Karen, Lemko is not a language. Lemkos speak Ukrainian. Lemko is the name for Ukrainians from a particular region in Ukraine, just like Boykos, Hutsuls, Bukovintsi, etc.

Lke most regions in Ukraine, Lemkos at one time had their own dialectical variances. Less so now than a century or half century ago, likely now because of the influence of television, though all regions use words that are not common throughout the country.

If you are American, think of the difference between a Boston accent and a Houston accent. They both speak English, but with some regional differences.

[cybrlee]

Thank you Kathy, somehow I knew that .. but wasn't sure. With your recommendation, I should learn Ukraine. Do you know of any good places to point me in the right direction?

[Kathy]

I don't know - it depends on where you live and your age. I know of only one Ukrainian language CD Rom, but many schools offer Ukrainian language courses.

[Kathy]

You are wrong, Prawda. The Lemko region is in the Carpathian Mountains, known as "Lemkivshia". They are Ukrainians. Next you'll be posting that Boykos, Bukovintsi, and the populations of Ternopil, whose Ukrainians were all largely Uniate or Catholic, area also all distinct nations. How about Shevchenko? Was he a Pole because he wrote poems in Latin script?

From childhood, I knew a priest from the Lemko region of Ukraine. He certainly spoke Ukrainian. Ukrainians from other regions of Western Ukraine would tease Lemkos about their Ukrainian - mainly because their accents are different.

Karen - Some Western Ukrainian regions refer to themselves as "Rus'", or Ruthenians. Lemkos, as well as Boykos (from which my Grandmother, God rest her soul, came) are among those. Speculation is they emigrated from Kiev-Rus' in the 11th century, and that could be true based on certain words they use, but historians are fairly consistent in their views that these are not a distinct people, but a regionalization.

[Kathy]

I am not a Ukrainian nationalist Prawda. So what if they were deported from Poland? A lot of Ukrainians were deported from Poland before and after WWII, and many Poles moved from Ukraine to Poland. Similarly, Poles and Germans were deported on Poland's Western borders.

Lemko villages also exist in Hungary. Does that make them Hungarian?

Last I checked, the Lemko region of Berezhany was in Ukraine.

[Zbyszek]

Greetings Kathy, I spent some time in the Oslava valley, in the Polish Carpathians last year and I spoke with many people on Lemkos.
Lemko people have relatively distinct identity, much more developed than Boykos. Being Ukrainian mountaineers, they keep the reasonable span of separation from more general national feelings.
Polish Communist government made a pretty bad move resettling Lemkos together with Boykos and other Ukrainians after WWII (1947). It was a blow for the Lemko culture. What's interesting the "lemko" word was considered as derogatory nickname in the beginning based on parrot copying of a popular expression used maybe too often by these people. At the same time, it should be mentioned that the mountainous Carpathian region was extremely poor and the resettled people were given a chance for better life because they often took houses abandoned by the Germans who were resettled from western Poland.
Boykos and Lemkos have been living peacefully for centuries without knowing who they really are. Only in the XIXth century of expanding nationalism, someone commanded them to determine their nationality. The worse, there were two commanders: Austrians who rather considered Lemkos and Boykos as Ukrainians, and Russians who claimed they they are Russians. This conflict was eventually won by the Ukrainians and the ironic epilogue took place in 1947 when Lemkos were resettled from eastern Poland together with all other Ukrainians and this deplorable decision made them sure that they were Ukrainians in fact. I do not think that Lemkos are naturally very Ukrainian - they are just Lemkos in the first place. Their identity was and still is a source of extensive etnographic research.
One of the best skansens in the world devoted to Lemko, Boyko and other eastern cultures is placed in Sanok (Poland). One can order an individual tour with the English-speaking guide and it is very inexpensive. A vast area of 2 hectares placed partly in the wood is a first-class tourist attraction! The guides are very good and they do not count every minute of touring.

[Edited by Zbyszek on 8th July 2003 at 10:57]