A new type of guided-wave polarization splitter is proposed for the operation at optical frequencies. The basic structure of the device is a bifurcating waveguide fabricated in a uniaxial crystalline material such as LiNbO3. The splitting behavior of optical waves into two waves with mutually perpendicular directions of polarization by an optically anisotropic material is utilized in the branching section of the present polarization splitter. Once of the conspicuous features of the device is free of any electrical control via the electro-optic effects. Some numerical results obtained with the finite difference beam propagation method indicate that extinction ratios better than 20dB are possible of realization for both TE and TM modes.