STAROPOLSKIE I WSPÓŁCZESNE GRUPY APOZYCYJNE TYPU MIASTO WARSZAWA
Old Polish and Contemporary Appositional Groups Like ‘the City of Warsaw’

Summary/Abstract: The object of analysis in the article is comparison of interior syntax of Old Polish and contemporary appositional groups like miasto Warszawa (the City of Warsaw), rzeka Wisła (the River Vistula), wieś Górki (the village Górki). The analysis of the collected material has proved the occurrence of significant differences between the past and present habit. In Old Polish syntactic agreement between the superior and subjected element was predominant (e.g. albo na gorze Kalwaryje – as on the mountain Carvary), while the syntax of government was rare (e.g. k temu miastu Betsaida – to the town of Betsaid). At present, though, both types of syntax compete with each other, resulting in doublets of similar frequency of usage, especially in the most irregular group of names containing the element miasto (city) (e.g. Urząd Miasta Toruń (the City Council of Toruń) / Nagrody Prezydenta Miasta Torunia (the Awards of the City of Toruń President). Not univocal is also the syntax of apposition with the noun rzeka (river) (e.g. podczas spływu rzeką Wieprz (during the rowing trip down the River Wieprz) / Most na rzece Wieprzu (the bridge over the River Wieprz); w rzece Wiśle (in the Vistula River) / na rzece Wisła (on the Vistula River). It causes hesitations among Polish language users and doubts about which syntactic type is correct. The described habit and opinions of many linguists show that it is not possible to form a univocal rule at present, which would handle the use of appositional groups with the noun ‘miasto’ (‘city’). However, there are more predictable groups containing such elements as: gmina (region), wieś (village), góra (mountain), jezioro (lake) – almost without any exceptions, they are dominated by the syntax of government (e.g. na jeziorze Jeziorak – on Jeziorak Lake).

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