Grypsera
Encyclopedia
Grypsera is a distinct non-standard dialect of the Polish language
, used traditionally by recidivist prison inmates. It evolved in the 19th century in the areas of the Russian partition
.
The basic substrate
of the dialect is Polish, but with many notable influences (mostly lexical) from other languages used in Polish lands at that time, most notably Yiddish, German
, Ukrainian
and Russian
. It was also heavily influenced by various regional dialects of the Polish language, most notably the Bałak of Lwów and the Warsaw dialect
.
Initially it served the role of a secret language
, but in the late 19th century it became a standard sociolect
of criminals. Grypsera is constantly evolving to maintain the status of a language understood only by a select group of inmates and not by the wardens or informers. Because of this it is currently one of the lexically most rich dialects of the Polish language. Also, it is not possible to prepare a comprehensive dictionary of the dialect since it differs from prison to prison.
Phonetically, Grypsera is similar to the Warsaw dialect
and shares its most notable features of assimilation of i i into y ɨ and the disappearance of nasal vowel
s, especially in word-final syllable
s.
Similar to it there was a word Liemberzki meaning criminal-like. In 19th century city of Lviv
carried the name of Lemberg.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
, used traditionally by recidivist prison inmates. It evolved in the 19th century in the areas of the Russian partition
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
.
The basic substrate
Substratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum...
of the dialect is Polish, but with many notable influences (mostly lexical) from other languages used in Polish lands at that time, most notably Yiddish, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. It was also heavily influenced by various regional dialects of the Polish language, most notably the Bałak of Lwów and the Warsaw dialect
Warsaw dialect
The Warsaw dialect is a regional dialect of the Polish language spoken in Warsaw. The dialect evolved as late as 18th century, mainly from the Masovian dialect of the Polish language, under notable influence of several languages spoken in the city of Warsaw...
.
Initially it served the role of a secret language
Secret language
Secret language may refer to:* Cryptography, the practice and study of hiding information* Language game, a system of manipulating spoken words to render them incomprehensible to the untrained ear...
, but in the late 19th century it became a standard sociolect
Sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language associated with a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an age group, etc....
of criminals. Grypsera is constantly evolving to maintain the status of a language understood only by a select group of inmates and not by the wardens or informers. Because of this it is currently one of the lexically most rich dialects of the Polish language. Also, it is not possible to prepare a comprehensive dictionary of the dialect since it differs from prison to prison.
Phonetically, Grypsera is similar to the Warsaw dialect
Warsaw dialect
The Warsaw dialect is a regional dialect of the Polish language spoken in Warsaw. The dialect evolved as late as 18th century, mainly from the Masovian dialect of the Polish language, under notable influence of several languages spoken in the city of Warsaw...
and shares its most notable features of assimilation of i i into y ɨ and the disappearance of nasal vowel
Nasal vowel
A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through nose as well as the mouth. By contrast, oral vowels are ordinary vowels without this nasalisation...
s, especially in word-final syllable
Syllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
s.
Similar to it there was a word Liemberzki meaning criminal-like. In 19th century city of Lviv
Lviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
carried the name of Lemberg.