Explain the role of language in …

Poland had been partitioned at the end of the 18th century by ‘The Great Powers,Russia, Prussia and Austria. Even though Poland no longer existed as an independent country but national feelings were kept alive through the language.

(i) The emphasis on language was made not just to recover an ancient national spirit but also to carry the modern nationalist message to large audiences who were mostly illiterate.
(ii) After the Russian occupation of Poland, Polish language was forced out of schools and the Russian language was imposed everywhere.
(iii) Many members of the clergy in Poland began to use language as a weapon of national resistance.
(iv) Polish was used for church gathering and all religious instructions.
(v) The use of Polish thus came to be seen as a symbol of struggle against Russian dominance.