Polska grzeczność językowa – dawniej i dziś
Polish language politeness – then and now

Summary/Abstract: The paper discusses the major changes that have occurred in Polish linguistic etiquette and that have resulted mainly from the changing communication styles of young Poles. The author juxtaposes these changes with the so-called traditional language politeness in Polish and points to a fundamental transformation in the politeness model that involves a change in the orientation from You (the hearer) to I (the speaker). Among the most significant factors that have influenced this shift we address the following: politeness egalitarianism, the tendency to remove distance between interlocutors, speeding civilisation development, the cult of youth, women’s emancipation, as well as the Americanization (McDonaldization) of lifestyle, related to the influence of postmodernism.

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