Deliverable 4.1 Podlachian
The Podlachian case: Svoja.org
The Podlachian language, locally known as Po-svojomu, is a vibrant yet unrecognized voice of northeastern Poland. Rooted in centuries of multilingual coexistence, it continues to be spoken by thousands of people in everyday life. Recent initiatives, most notably the project Svoja.org, have worked tirelessly to preserve and promote Podlachian as a symbol of cultural identity and diversity.
The Linguistic Landscape of Podlachia
The Podlachian Voivodeship, situated in Poland’s northeast borderland, has long been home to a rich tapestry of languages, including Belarusian, Ukrainian, Yiddish, Lithuanian, Russian, and Polish. According to the 2021 National Census, 4.8% of the region’s population speaks a language other than Polish at home. Podlachian is spoken in municipalities between the Narew and Bug rivers, where it is commonly referred to as Po-svojomu. Because neither Podlachian nor Po-svojomu is officially recognized, the census categorized it under Belarusian, Ukrainian, and “Polish-Belarusian-Ukrainian dialects” (gwary polsko-białorusko-ukraińskie). Despite this lack of recognition, estimates suggest that more than 13,000 people use Podlachian at home, often in slightly differing varieties.
The Birth of Svoja.org
In 2008, language activists Jan Maksymiuk and Aleksander Maksymiuk launched Svoja.org, a website dedicated to the promotion of standard Podlachian in both print and digital media. Their mission was to preserve the unique linguistic heritage of the region and to position Podlachia as an attractive destination for tourists interested in cultural and linguistic diversity. Over time, the project became a central hub for developing a standardized orthography, publishing texts in Podlachian, and raising awareness of the language as a distinct identity.
Impact on the Community
The influence of Svoja.org has been profound. In January 2015, Radio Białystok introduced a Podlachian-language segment within its Belarusian minority programme Pod znakiem Pogoni (“Under the Sign of Pogoń”), conducted in Podlachian according to the standard developed by the project. Svoja.org also played a pivotal role in the successful fundraising campaign for the publication of The Little Prince in Podlachian, which raised PLN 26,000 from approximately 300 contributors. This achievement not only brought Podlachian literature into the spotlight but also demonstrated the community’s willingness to support cultural initiatives in their own language.
Over the past fifteen years, Svoja.org has effectively educated its community, showing that their authentic language is valuable and capable of serving as a tool for cultural pride. The project has also gained recognition in academic and activist circles. At the University of Warsaw’s 2025 conference On the Side of Agency: How to Affirm Linguistic Diversity in Poland, Svoja.org was highlighted in the segment Podlachian Coming-Out – Indigenous Multilingualism in Podlachia. The workshop, organised by Joanna Dolińska, Justyna Olko and Tomasz Wicherkiewicz, provided a platform for exchange among Podlachian activists, researchers, artists and journalists.
Furthermore, the initiative has provided essential linguistic data for the grant proposal Digital Survival: AI, Digital Technologies and the Revitalisation of Minority Languages in Poland. The proposal, co-authored by Joanna Dolińska and Artur Jabłoński, was submitted to the National Programme for the Development of Humanities competition in 2025.
Looking Ahead
The Podlachian case illustrates how grassroots activism, digital platforms, and community engagement can breathe new life into minority languages. While Podlachian remains unrecognized at the state level, projects like Svoja.org continue to affirm its legitimacy, empower its speakers, and inspire broader conversations about linguistic diversity in Poland.
