▁until ▁the ▁ 1 8 th ▁century , ▁and ▁there ▁is ▁a ▁written ▁chron icle ▁and ▁dictionary ▁still ▁in ▁existence ▁drawn ▁up ▁by ▁Johann ▁Par um ▁Sch ult ze ▁of ▁the ▁village ▁of ▁Sü then , ▁in ▁around ▁ 1 7 2 5 , ▁which ▁marks ▁the ▁increasing ▁loss ▁of ▁the ▁old ▁language . ▁The ▁area ▁of ▁its ▁historical ▁use ▁is ▁now ▁often ▁called ▁Wend land ▁after ▁those ▁S lav ic ▁pe op les ▁who ▁were ▁called ▁the ▁W ends , ▁and ▁it ▁corresponds ▁more ▁or ▁less ▁with ▁the ▁current ▁administrative ▁boundaries ▁of ▁the ▁district ▁of ▁Lü ch ow - D ann enberg . ▁Two ▁related ▁S lav ic ▁eth nic ▁groups ▁were ▁the ▁W enden ▁of ▁the ▁S pre ew ald ▁and ▁the ▁L us at ian ▁Sor bs ▁of ▁Upper ▁L us atia ▁( O ber laus itz ), ▁together ▁making ▁a ▁group ▁of ▁about ▁ 6 0 , 0 0 0 ▁who ▁still ▁are ▁said ▁to ▁be ▁able ▁to ▁speak ▁S orb ian ▁in ▁the ▁S pre ew ald , ▁an ▁area ▁of ▁Eastern ▁Germany ▁near ▁the ▁Polish ▁border ▁around ▁the ▁towns ▁of ▁B aut zen ▁and ▁C ott bus . ▁ ▁S lav ic ▁or ▁German ? ▁▁ ▁Rund ling e ▁are ▁therefore ▁closely ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁the ▁S lav ic ▁eth nic ▁group ▁of ▁the ▁W ends , ▁but ▁seem ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁German ▁in vention . ▁There ▁is ▁absolutely ▁no ▁evidence ▁that ▁the ▁round ▁form ▁of ▁those ▁early ▁settlement s ▁was ▁essentially ▁S lav