Language situation

• The official language on the Polish side of Silesia is Polish, and on the Czech side, it is Czech.  In addition to these national languages, the Silesian dialect is spoken (based on Polish grammar with Polish, German and Czech vocabulary). A variation of this dialect, the Cieszyn Silesian dialect, is used on both sides of the border. Other languages spoken include minority languages such as German. 
• In May 2024, there were intensive efforts to legalise the Silesian dialect as regional language. Despite a positive decision by the Polish Parliament, the President refused to sign the law.  
• Neither of the neighbouring languages, Polish or Czech, has official status as a neighbouring language in the sense that they are used in daily life or in official communication. Further, Czech, for example, is rarely taught in schools. 
• Particularly on the Polish side of Silesia, recent efforts have focused on providing language and cultural support to Ukrainian citizens, whose numbers rapidly increased after the outbreak of the Ukrainian-Russian war. This has led to the creation of many new language and cultural programmes, courses, meetings and various kinds of support. While the similarities between Polish, Czech and Ukrainian enable mutual communication, they can also demotivate people from learning the languages, as communication is often possible without formal study.