Transylvanian Saxon: 900 Years Old, and Still Alive
Transylvanian Saxon: 900 Years Old, and Still Alive

Summary/Abstract: The present article provides an overview of the main features of Transylvanian Saxon, which may be characterized as a very special variety of German ‘outside’ and far apart from the main body of German in Central Europe, a kind of exclave but not really a ‘language island’ in the classical sense. For almost nine centuries, Transylvanian Saxon has been a privileged language, having had all the possibilities to flourish and to take part in all the cultural and linguistic developments within the larger German language and cultural area. Spoken in around 250 villages and towns, including cultural and economic centers like Hermannstadt, Kronstadt, and Bistritz, it developed its own very specific dialectal forms, heavily based upon Central Franconian due to the origins of the first settlers, and subsequently incorporating East-Central German and Bavarian features

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