Language and identity of the Bulgarians in Skorenovac

Abstract

The study presents the identity of Bulgarians in Skorenovac concerning their mother tongue use, bilingualism, religion and customs, based on linguistic and ethnographic fieldwork done in the past four years. It analyzes those main social and historical factors which were a drift for the identity of ?Paltyans? (Catholic Bulgarians living in Southern Banat). Paltyans living in Skorenovac, as part of the Catholic Bulgarian community in Banat, represent a hidden minority, and social cohesion within the community is guaranteed by their language, religion and customs. According to these, in our study we will examine elements of identity of Bulgarians living in Banat, based on metalingual narratives of several representatives of the Bulgarian language community. As a result of our research, some historic and social events and practices become visible, which induced almost complete termination of the mother tongue of Banat Bulgarians. Bulgarians in Skorenovac experienced a language shift due to their surroundings, speaking mainly Hungarian starting from the end of the 19th century. Further elements of their identity: tradition, religion, belonging to an ethnic community, all these are closely related to Banat Bulgarian identity. However, elements of the Bulgarian language occur very rarely.