On the language of Belarusian translations of the Gospels in North America

Abstract

The article is concerned with the language of three translations of the Gospels into Belarusian. The translations were made by the émigré authors J. Stankiewicz, M. Macukiewicz and M. Mickiewicz. They were published in the USA and Canada in the second half of the 20th century. The analysis of three separate texts provides a picture of the language used by Belarusian émigré elites 60 years ago, when the language was in isolation from linguistic changes taking place in Belarus at that time. In addition, the analysis offers an opportunity to see the evolution of Belarusian church language, with a particular emphasis on its unique terminology. The analysis shows differences and similarities in the way in which each of the authors selected linguistic means representing particular structural levels of the Belarusian language.