State Language Policy versus Minority Protection Challenges of the 'Big' Polish Minority within the 'Small' Lithuanian Majority

摘要

Due to the shared history within the Polish-Lithuanian Union from 1386 to 1795 as well as the fact that Vilnius was a part of the Republic of Poland during the interbellum period, a large Polish minority exists within present day Lithuania, concentrated in and around the capital city Vilnius. The Republic of Lithuania regained its independence only in 1991, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Due to the domination of the Russian language in all spheres of life during the Soviet times, the language issue became one of the most important factors mobilizing masses to support the independence movements in the late 1980s. Hence, the strict linguistic policy was an instrument to strengthen and preserve the Lithuanian national identity. This paper closely examines the developments after 1991 regarding the Polish nationals in Lithuania focusing especially on the issue of language rights, which has been strongly influenced and restricted by the state's language policy. It begins by describing the historical background of the Polish-Lithuanian relations in the field of language preservation. Next, the legal provisions on the protection of the state and minority languages will be outlined. Finally, their implementation in selected spheres will be examined.