What's it like? What kind of words does it have? How does it differ from other known languages? What's the writing and alphabet system like? What are the origins? Etc, etc... --grin 07:12, 2004 Apr 5 (UTC)
Anon inserted this in the article while removing See also, so I moved it here for someone to verify: Nikola 21:03, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
after ca. 600 several Slavic tribes moved to the west, roughly to the river 'Elbe' (don't know what it is called in English). In the middle ages (from about 1100-1200 onwards) the kings of the 'Heiliges Römisches Reich' (foundet in 800 by 'Karl dem Großen') started to colonise this Slavic areas east of the Elbe, to expand the territory of the Kingdom, all under the official explanation to bring Christianity to the still non-christian Slavs.
Along with Christianisation, the slavic tribes were defeated, absorbed oder 'blown out' - and with them their languages. The last Slavic languages to survive in a German-speaking-area were the Polabian Language (Area of Hannover, so-called 'Wendland') until mid-18th century, the Slovincian Language in today's West Poland (until the beginning of the 20th century), and both the upper- and lower sorbian Language (until today) in East Germany. Kashubian (Kaschubisch), still spoken west of Danzig in Poland, is also a west-slavic language that fits into that context, but I'm not sure whether the Kasubian people was surrounded by German-speaking areas at any time to a considerable extend.
Lower Sorbian is in fast decline, there are approximately not more than 6-8.000 Speakers left, of which almost all are aged over 70. In fact, there is one single Gymnasium ('high school'), that teaches the language, and also a handful of younger people having lower Sorbian as their mother tongue. (all are bilingual). I've been in the "heartland" of Lower Sorbian for many times, but almost never really heard a spoken word of the language - you just come across it on road signs etc.
Upper Sorbian is a completely different language (unintelligble to lower Sorbian), with some 10.000 speakers - the language is in a quite better state than its "sister"; I would say, it's endangered, but not moribund. There still are children learning it, and it's still in use as a community language (but with its area eroding).