(Nie)honoryfikatywne sposoby określania znanych publicznie osób w polskim dyskursie medialnym na Litwie
(Non-)Honorific Ways of Referring to Public Figures in the Polish Media Discourse in Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the ways of referring to public figures which involve the use of honorifics when talking about high-ranking representatives of society. In the Polish cultural tradition this function is performed by official and professional titles and the honorific pan/pani ‘mister/misses’. The study analyses designations used by participants of the discussion programme “Szósty dzień tygodnia” [The Sixth Day of the Week], which is broadcast on the Polish Radio “Znad Wilii” [By the Wilia River] in Lithuania. The research material includes 10 radio broadcasts aired in 2015 and 2016, featuring a total of 24 people (the host and 23 guests). The aim of the study is to identify the most frequently applied constructions that consist of personal names and official/professional titles, and to determine different functions of the honorific pan/pani in these constructions. The quantitative analysis makes it possible to identify the frequency of particular constructions and the tendencies prevailing in the media discourse. The qualitative analysis of the collected material reveals a variety of functions performed by the honorific pan/pani. Depending on the formal or pragmatic context, this item may endow a construction with a shade of respect or, conversely, make it derogatory. The female honorific pani firstly has a grammatical function: it is used with the titles and surnames which are masculine in form as the only indicator of female gender (e.g. pani prezydent, pani premier Szydło).

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