Permalink : http://hdl.handle.net/2115/83580

JaLCDOI : 10.14943/jbr.11.1

This paper focuses on language mixing as a strategy of interlingual communication to cross language borders. Although language mixing is a frequent phenomenon in language contact situations, it is not fully integrated into discussions of interlingual strategies. This may reflect the ideology of homogeneous languages. This ideology also results in the absence of language mixing in formal settings. This paper analyzes the use of language mixing in the German-Polish border region as a test case to examine the potential of this strategy in intercultural contexts. This border, drawn after World War II, had no prior tradition of “border bilingualism,” and thus the emergence of language mixing in the region can give valuable insights into the significance of this strategy for establishing new cross-border contacts. The data evaluated in this paper, based on previous studies by Barbara A. Ja.czak and on fieldwork by the author, is analyzed from the perspectives of form, the level of communication and the social function of mixing. The article offers several examples of language mixing, including spontaneous encounters on the street and in border markets. Additionally, it examines language use in a number of cross-border initiatives, including a youth orchestra, a twin cities cooperation center, and a social art project called “Nowa Amerika” which seeks to develop a common regional identity across the border. The results show that, besides ideological reasons, variability and instability may hinder the use of this strategy in formal situations. On the other hand, language mixing is not restricted to basic, practical communication, but can be used in high-level discussions, and has immense symbolic value for creating a sense of community across language borders. The findings of this study suggest that language mixing should be recognized as a valid interlingual strategy on par with other strategies. It may serve as a complement to other strategies, themselves characterized by different strengths and weaknesses.