WOBEC POLSKOŚCI. Z DOŚWIADCZENIA NAUCZYCIELA JĘZYKA POLSKIEGO JAKO OBCEGO
TOWARDS POLISHNESS. FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF POLISH AS FOREIGN LANGUAGE TEACHER

Summary/Abstract: The study is concerned with the idea of polishness as a bisemic concept. It reveals the complexity of references connected with this idea, amongst the teachers as well as amongst the students of PAFL (Polish as Foreign Language) courses who have Polish origins. The article also seeks to define the factors influencing the understanding of polishness by the PAFL teacher and young Poles from the East. The teacher’s concept of polishness is formed by years of humanistic studies. Still, social changes and tasks set by the glottodidactic course confront that concept with the one formed in different social groups, like PAFL students. Sociological investigations indicate that the real attitude of Poles to their cultural heritage differs from the one created by mass media. The criteria of polishness set by the young generation of Poles (born in Poland), formed the basis of a questionnaire aimed to analyze the attitude of PAFL students. The results show that the majority of students officially belong to the Polish society, with 54% emotionally identifying themselves with it (and 52% with the Roman Catholic faith), while the identity of the rest cannot be unequivocally described. 88% of them had been learning Polish before, and 96% declare familiarity with Polish customs, while only 25% practice them. The majority (66%) would like to stay in Poland after having graduated, and none of them opposes to this idea.

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