Dziedzictwo staropolskie czy spuścizna zaborów – o składni języka urzędowego
The heritage of Old Polish or the legacy of the partition period – on the syntax of the official language

Summary/Abstract: This paper presents arguments substantiating the need to undertake systematic research on the syntax of the official Polish language of the partition and post-partition periods. The absence of such research, the practice of formulating evaluations based on random examples, and referring to predecessors’ opinions results in the establishment of negative judgements about the level of official Polish in the period of rebirth of Poland. The sources of such opinions can be found in the debate occurring in “Poradnik Językowy” (“The Linguistic Guide”), “Język Polski” (“The Polish Language”), and other interwar publications on Polish usage. The popular stereotypical judgements about the impact of German on the syntax of official documents require verification also in light of research on the official and legal variant of Polish of the pre-partition period so that it is possible to determine which properties constitute the Old Polish heritage and which are the legacy of the partition period.

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