The Upper Sorbian Language Commission (HRK) is a body appointed and authorised by Maćica Serbska to codify the Upper Sorbian language. It deals with all aspects of the written language where regulation and standardisation are required.

Taking into account the results of linguistic research and observing language use in practice, it develops binding rules and recommendations for the practical application of the Upper Sorbian written language. At the same time, as language practice changes, it ensures that existing regulations are reviewed and, where necessary, adapted to new conditions. In this way, the Language Commission seeks to strengthen and further develop the written language standard.

Its tasks include resolving issues of orthoepy, orthography, morphology, lexis and syntax. The decisions of the Language Commission are published in the form of dedicated reference works or individual contributions in newspapers and journals and are reflected in dictionaries, terminologies and grammars, all of which are reviewed by the HRK prior to publication.

The work of the HRK is geared towards the practical use of the written language. For this reason, in addition to specialists in Sorbian linguistics (researchers from the Sorbian Institute in Bautzen and the Institute of Sorbian Studies in Leipzig), the Commission also includes staff from Sorbian institutions in which the use and dissemination of the Upper Sorbian written language play a central role. These include Sorbian educational institutions (schools and the WITAJ Language Centre) as well as Sorbian media (the book division of LND, newspapers and journals, and broadcasting).

Board and Members

Dr Anja Pohontsch (Sorbian Institute) – Spokesperson
Dr Fabian Kaulfürst (Sorbian Institute)
Michael Nuck (Domowina Publishing House)
Contact: hrk@serbski-institut.de

Members
Katrin Zschornack (LaSuB)
Jadwiga Dürlich (WITAJ Language Centre)
Franziska Grajcarek (Service Office for the Sorbian Language)
Jadwiga Kaulfürst (WITAJ Language Centre)
Sara Mitschke
Bosćan Nawka (Serbske Nowiny)
Alena Schmit (LaSuB)
Dr Leńka Scholze (Sorbian Institute)
Dr Jana Schulz (Sorbian Institute)
Theresa Witschas (LaSuB)
Till Wojto (Institute of Sorbian Studies, Leipzig University)
Dr habil. Sonja Wölke
Prof. Dr Eduard Wornar (Institute of Sorbian Studies, Leipzig University)
Janek Schäfer (Sorbian Broadcasting, MDR)

History of the Upper Sorbian Language Commission

The codification and standardisation of the Upper Sorbian written language began with the publication of the first dictionaries and grammars in the 17th and 18th centuries. Decisive impulses for strengthening the written language norm came during the period of national revival with the founding of the scholarly society Maćica Serbska in 1847. Under its auspices, an analogous orthography with diacritical marks based on Slavic models was developed. At the same time, the language changed in a Slavic spirit: German influences were to be replaced through the introduction of Slavic lexis. Corresponding developments also took place in morphology and syntax.

However, all of this was still the work of individuals. There was no authorised body able to determine what was linguistically correct and what was not. In addition, Sorbian played only a marginal role in school education until 1945, so (German) educational institutions generally saw no need to establish firm norms for Sorbian in teaching. As a result, a degree of inconsistency persisted in Sorbian written usage.

In 1903, Arnošt Muka therefore called for a linguistic reform with stricter rules.

After the Second World War, when Upper and Lower Sorbian were recognised as languages equal to German, their use in spheres of public communication—especially in education—increased. New demands for further codification of the written language led in 1948 to the establishment of the “Committee for the Regulation of Upper Sorbian Orthography” within Maćica Serbska. The outcome of the committee’s work was the publication Regelung sorbischer Rechtschreibung (Nowa Doba, 1 December 1948) by the Sorbian Authority for Public Education, comprising eleven paragraphs that came into force on 1 January 1949. Grammatical and lexicographical works published in the 1950s were based on these regulations.

In October 1952, the first Upper Sorbian Linguistic Commission was constituted at the newly founded Institute for Sorbian Folk Research in Bautzen. In addition to orthography, its tasks focused particularly on lexicography, meaning that newly emerging dictionaries and terminologies were to be examined for linguistic correctness. Within the framework of the linguistic commission, a smaller terminology commission was established in 1955. Further results of the commission’s work included various recommendations on specific issues of Upper Sorbian orthography and the agricultural terminology edited by Rudolf Jentsch (1966).

In order to enhance the authority of the commission and to give its proposals and recommendations the character of binding regulations, the Upper Sorbian Language Commission was assigned as a body to the Federal Executive Board of Domowina on 17 January 1969. Helmut Faska became chair of the commission. According to its statutes, the commission’s fields of responsibility were expanded; under § 2, it was now tasked with regulating the orthoepic, orthographic, punctuation-related, morphological, lexical and syntactic norms of the Upper Sorbian written language.

The first product published under this new authority was Pawoł Völkel’s Orthographic Dictionary of the Upper Sorbian Language (1970), which established the orthographic norm. For practical reasons, the Language Commission concentrated primarily on orthography and punctuation. Accordingly, Paul Völkel’s Upper Sorbian Orthography and Punctuation – A Set of Rules was published in 1974.

Between 1969 and 1978, the commission held 22 meetings. It was then decided that the Language Commission should be assigned to a state institution, the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. In 1978, its Vice-President, Werner Kalweit, convened a new Sorbian Language Commission. This meant, in particular, that a single commission was now responsible for the standardisation of both Sorbian written standards. Linguistic and cultural tasks were also expanded: the commission was increasingly required to address language education issues and to provide language advisory services.

On this basis, the new Language Commission was founded in Bautzen on 21 March 1979. The board was not elected but determined by statute. The role of chair was assumed by the Director of the Institute for Sorbian Folk Research, at that time Martin Kasper. The commission was divided into several sections: a Lower Sorbian sub-commission (headed by Manfred Starosta) and sections for orthography/punctuation and lexis/terminology. At times, a working group for grammar was also established. One year after its founding, the statute and programme of the Sorbian Language Commission were adopted (see Rozhlad 30 (1980) 5, pp. 192–200).

On 15 May 1989, the Language Commission was dissolved and reconstituted, with Helmut Faska once again becoming chair. Following a critical assessment of its ten years of activity, the commission’s tasks were reduced, focusing primarily on the publication of reference works for the use of Sorbian, the initiation of new research projects, and the support of publication outlets.

In 1990/91, the Academy of Sciences of the GDR—the body responsible for the commission—was dissolved. At roughly the same time, Maćica Serbska was revived. At the general assembly of Maćica Serbska on 9 April 1994, it was discussed whether the Language Commission could continue working in its existing structure. In view of the differing stages of development of Upper and Lower Sorbian and the wide range of linguistic issues, it was decided to establish two independent language commissions. For issues affecting both languages, a parity committee was to be formed, consisting of three members from the Upper Sorbian and three from the Lower Sorbian commission.

The new Upper Sorbian Language Commission was founded on 29 June 1994 at the House of the Sorbs, with 19 members appointed by Maćica Serbska. Since then, the Sorbian Institute has assumed organisational responsibility. The new board—initially Helmut Jentsch (Chair) and Sonja Wölke (Deputy Chair)—has since been elected internally.

Since 2001, the Upper Sorbian Language Commission has accompanied the compilation of the orthographic dictionary by Tim Meškank (published in 2005), making the necessary codification decisions and ensuring the dictionary’s approval by the Saxon State Ministry for Education (Administrative Regulation of 16 August 2006, published in the Ministerial Gazette of the Saxon State Ministry for Education and Sport, No. 13, 22 December 2006). New orthographic regulations were published in Sorbische Schule 2007/2, pp. 41–43, and in 2008 as a separate booklet by the WITAJ Language Centre. The HRK is currently involved in a similar way in the revision of the rules on orthography and punctuation by Tim Meškank, reviewing and adopting them.

Literature

K.: Serbska rěčna komisija załožena. In: Rozhlad 29 (1979) 4, pp. 152–153
Kasper, M.: Reorganizacija Serbskeje rěčneje komisije. In: Rozhlad 39 (1989) 7/8, pp. 228–230
Kasper, M./Michałk, F.: Zaměry a nadawki Serbskeje rěčneje komisije. In: Rozhlad 29 (1979) 4, pp. 121–128
Völkel, M.: Hajenje a wuwiwanje rěče spěchować. Serbskej rěčnej komisiji při Maćicy Serbskej. In: Serbske Nowiny, 26 July 1994, p. 1
Žur, H.: Serbska rěčna komisija a jeje dźěławosć. In: Rozhlad 35 (1985) 1, pp. 1–6
Wölkowa, S.: Wožiwjenje Hornjoserbskeje rěčneje komisije po přewróće 1989/90 a jeje dźěławosć w zańdźenych lětach. In: A. Pohončowa, Th. Jacobsowa, I. Kellerowa (eds.), Wědomosć za wšitkich. Maćica Serbska / Maśica Serbska po 1990, pp 113–118