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Adam Pawłowski : Polish Language in the European Union: Chances and Threats
The paper presents some quantitative data concerning the number of native speakers of the official languages in the EEC and the EU member states. Chances and threats of Polish in the EU are discussed with regard to the number of its native speakers (demographic aspect), its geographic position, its linguistic characteristics, as well as economic and cultural conditions. Special attention is paid to such factors influencing the prestige of Polish, as the level of education in Poland and the international importance of Russian. Finally, a preliminary list of consequences of the low prestige of Polish in the EU is presented.
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Wojciech Chlebda : O roku ów!... A Brief Report on Mickiewiczian Winged Words
150th anniversary of Adam Mickiewicz’s death has become an occasion to check which of the winged words of the national Polish poet function in the journalistic area of contemporary Polish public discourse and how 240 units have been distinguished and compared with the selection of Mickiewiczian words used in Skrzydlate słowa (Winged Words) by H. Markiewicz and A. Romanowski as well as in three dictionaries of Polish. The comparison has led to the following conclusions: 1. most winged words of Mickiewiczian origin have not been registered in dictionaries of standard Polish; 2. the meanings of most Mickiewiczian words have not been defined, and those which have been defined need to be re-defined; 3. Mickiewiczian words have different usage in the Polish discourse and appear in various formal and semantic forms. Due to their significant role in Polish language and in Polish culture code, they need to be fully listed, defined and introduced into dictionaries of standard and specialized Polish.
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Jolanta Mędelska : Vilnius Dictionary of Language Errors by Julian Szwed
Dictionary of Language Errors by J. Szwed, published in Vilnius in 1931, is worth linguists’ attention, particularly those interested in Polish language used by inhabitants of the Northern Borderlands and experts in lexis of the Interwar period. The dictionary contains authentic language materials excerpted from learners’ compositions, press, literature as well as ‘everyday Polish’. The handbook written by a Vilnius teacher of Polish completes our knowledge about Polish language used after the Partition period.
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Tamara Graczykowska : Formal Terminology Used in „Chata Rodzinna”, the Weekly Magazine Published in Kovno (1922–1940)
There is a presentation of regional vocabulary associated with state institutions and its administration, excerpted from the weekly “Chata Rodzinna” published in Kovno in the years 1922-1940. Words which were unusual for ethnic Polish in the Interwar period are analyzed here. Forms influenced by Russian (20 lexemes) and of Lithuanian origin seem predominant in the samples. Old vocabulary (8 units) forms another group. The most numerous part of vocabulary of Russian origin indicates the great impact of political dependence on Russia in official terminology. Among 43 excerpted lexemes, 14 ones still function in Polish used in Northern Borderland, which proves their strong roots in the speech of the Poles inhabiting these areas today.
