Belarusian and Polish Languages During the Occupation

Abstract

The article deals with the language policy of the occupation authorities towards the Belarusian and Polish languages during the Second World War. The regions where the Belarusian and Polish population resided are considered: Western Belarus, the General Commissariat of Belarus, Western Poland, the General Government and some others. An analysis of archival sources suggests that differing policies were applied to the Belarusian and Polish languages during the occupation: while the Belarusian language was supported both as a state language and as a language of a national minority, the Polish language was subjected to a policy of oppression in the entire occupied area.