Series:Językoznawstwo

Greek roots in the lexis of the Russian and Polish languages (semantic, morphological-derivational and stylistic aspects)

Греческие корни в лексическом составе русского и польского языков (семантический, словообразовательно-морфологический и стилистический аспекты)

Author(s): Maciej Walczak / Language(s): Russian

Keywords: lexical units; Greek language; root morphemes; Polish-Russian studies

The object of research in the following work are the autonomous lexical units (for instance: dramat, estetyka, technika, technologia, energia, energetyka, etc. with their derivatives) and the root morphemes borrowed from the Greek language (bio-, cyber-, eko-, ekono-, elektro-, and mega-) in the structure of selected parts of speech in Polish and Russian. The object of analysis are semantic, morphological-derivational and stylistic features of these parts of speech in the Polish-Russian confrontation. The choice of the research subject was dictated by the need to describe in detail a selected fragment of lexis of related languages with regard to the influence of foreign elements on their vocabulary, and furthermore, their evolution and expansion into other areas of the linguistic system. This choice is even more justified regarding the lack of specific Polish-Russian studies on the subject (with an emphasis on the most recent phenomena in both languages). The existing and quite extensive literature discussed in chapter one allows us to draw the conclusion that borrowings were first and foremost studied as lexical phenomena. These issues were also often analysed in terms of the word formation, morphology and adaptation processes of the foreign elements. The questions of borrowings in phraseology and dialectology have been described to a lesser extent. It should be noted that the borrowings from Greek constitute quite a large body in the lexis of the Russian language. Therefore, they have been more thoroughly and broadly reflected in Russian linguistic literature than in Polish. Moreover, different methods were applied for the analysis of the borrowings, as well as not always coinciding typologies and classifications. In chapter two of the following dissertation, we managed to discover, unlike analogical comparative studies, the potential conceptual mechanisms affecting the synonymy of the foreign morphemes (mega-, super, hiper- and ekstra-) not only with their native counterparts, but also with other evaluative phrases (mainly positive). It seems that we have also explained the question of collocations, in both languages, of the lexoid mega- with appropriate nouns (against the background of Greek). These collocations may stem from its two established main meanings vectorial and scalar, depending on whether it collocates with a concrete or abstract noun. The vectorial meaning is hereby understood as a feature related to space, that is as size oriented horizontally (length, width) and vertically (height), like mega bluza, mega kolczyki; мега сборник, мега карандаш. The scalar meaning, on the other hand, is interpreted as a feature manifesting itself through intensity (for example mega energia, mega masa, and mega moc). Furthermore, in this chapter, we have proposed a classification of lexemes with morphemes of our interest according to meaning (e.g. in different contexts, the adjective электронный / elektroniczny can be interpreted as: 1.‘Internet’; 2. ‘virtual’ – that is materially nonexistent; 3. ‘computer’; 4. ‘related to electronics’ – а) ‘a field of science’, b) ‘equipment’. In addition, semantic parallelisms have been indicated between the parts of speech containing the discussed morphemes and the lexemes regarded as their synonyms (e.g. экологичный / ekologiczny = зелёный / zielony) or antonyms (e.g. Polish eko- ≠ techno-).

Certainty and doubt in academic discourse: Epistemic modality markers in English and Polish linguistics articles

Certainty and doubt in academic discourse: Epistemic modality markers in English and Polish linguistics articles

Author(s): Krystyna Warchał / Language(s): English

Keywords: certainty; doubt; academic discourse; epistemic modality; English; Polish; linguistics articles

Certainty and doubt in academic discourse: Epistemic modality markers in English and Polish linguistics articles: 01 Academic discourse and its rhetoric02 Rozdz. 2, cz. 1. Linguistic modality: Approaches and concepts; Modal meanings and values03 Rozdz. 2, cz. 2. Linguistic...: Epistemic modality markers; Modality in academic discourse: Previous studies; Concluding remarks04 The project05 Rozdz. 4, cz. 1. Markers of (un)certainty in English and Polish linguistics articles: High-value markers06 Rozdz. 4, cz. 2. Markers of (un)certainty in English and Polish linguistics articles: Middle-value markers07 Rozdz. 4, cz. 3. Markers of (un)certainty in English and Polish linguistics articles: Low-value markers08 Conclusions; ReferencesThe subject of the work are linguistic indicators of the degree of judicial certainty in scientific articles in the field of linguistics in English and Polish. The starting point for the research undertaken is the conviction that the different intellectual traditions in which Polish and English academic communication was shaped - traditions that perceive the status of scientific knowledge and the process of its creation differently, the relationship between the author and the reader, and finally the act of writing and the degree of dialogicality of a scientific text - may be reflected in various beliefs about what a scientific fact is and what remains in the realm of hypotheses, assumptions and proposals awaiting confirmation and acceptance of the academic community. These differences, in turn, would suggest that authors from these two cultures may attach different importance to the clear marking of hypothetical content and judgments accompanied by a high degree of certainty, mark them in different ways, with different frequency and in different places of argument. This paper attempts to determine whether such differences exist and, if so, which exponents of epistemic modality they relate to and how they proceed. // The work can be a voice in the discussion on the differences in the styles of academic argumentation characteristic of particular cultures and disciplines, provide data for comparative research on epistemic meanings and their function in different types of discourse, and be a reference point for further analyzes taking into account other languages, genres and disciplines.

Proper name towards genre and discourse

Nazwa własna wobec gatunku i dyskursu

Author(s): Artur Rejter / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: proper name; genre; discourse

The monograph proposes a description and interpretation of genre and discourse from the onomastic – or to be exact literary onomastic – perspective. Therefore, it constitutes an attempt at bringing together different conceptions of language description and communication, while broadening and enriching the scope of research. The aim of the study is to present certain angles for reading, description and interpretation of the higher levels of communication (text, genre, discourse) in the context of literary onomastics. It purports to describe the process in which proper names co-form the particular levels and areas of communication. The source material is comprised of Baroque literary texts representing different aesthetics and all stages of development within the period. The author drew abundantly from the works of many poets, both major and minor. That approach allowed to arrive at an averaged, relatively holistic and idiolectically balanced image of the epoch. The study includes a theoretical chapter and two comprehensive empirical chapters. The first chapter of the monograph (“Proper name – text – culture”) constitutes a theoretical study of the methodological contexts of contemporary literary onomastics, the text-centric nature of communication as well as a reflection on its essence, the markers of the cultural formation of Baroque, and, last but not least, proper names as elements of cultural memory. Chapter two (“Proper name towards genre. A study of the epigram and related literary forms”) is devoted to the description of the epigram as well as similar literary forms from the onomastic perspective. In particular detail the author discusses the various components of the genre model–structural, stylistic, pragmatic and semantic. The analysis serves to demonstrate certain tendencies and functions connected with the presence of proper names in the text, paying particular attention to the aspects of the genre model. The analysis of the special components of the genre model of the epigram and related literary forms from the perspective of onomastics shows that the particular aspects can be successfully characterised according to proper names. At the structural level, proper names demonstrate, for example, their formative function through their presence in titles relating to the main link. The stylistic aspect is, on the other hand, framed by the cultural and communication category of colloquialism, and, on the one hand – by the markers formulated in poetics and rhetoric of the epoch, which can be identified precisely by the proper names. In the sphere of pragmatics, the onomasticon confirms two primary functions of the genre – ludic and didactic ones. The proper names analysed due to their participation in the formation of the text’s semantic layer reflect the topicality of the matters discussed by Baroque epigram writers; moreover, they convey the varied character of the stereotypes as well as social and cultural cliches of those times. In the following chapter (“Proper name towards discourse”), the author attempts a discourse analysis from the perspective of proper names present within the discourse itself. To illustrate the point, the author discusses two discourses crucial to the Baroque culture –metaphysical as well as erotic and romantic discourse. The onomasticon, interpreted according to its participation in the formation of the level of discourse, displays both markers typical for the culture of the epoch, and – even more importantly – certain extracultural characteristics. The confirmation of that fact can be found in the presence of multiple mythological names and proper names connected with the Christian formation, which could be called topical, especially in relation to the entirety of Old Polish writing. The proper names of both – the metaphysical and erotic and romantic discourses testifies also to the Baroque idea of varietas, which outlined the cultural map of the epoch, regardless of the discourse, even at the peripheries. The observations concerning the onomastics of the chosen Baroque discourses in turn have leaded to the conclusions that specific affinity and kinship of the genre and discourse, since both of them oftentimes cannot be separated. The richness, but also certain standardisation of the Baroque onomasticon remains closely connected with the cultural characteristics of the epoch. Baroque was, in fact, an extremely complex system, not only within the sphere of ideas and discussed topics, but also that of aesthetics and roles of expressions, which could be interpreted from the perspective of social communication. Moreover, while speaking on the subject of the Baroque, one needs to consider the longevity of the epoch, its rhetorical conventions, but also – the other extreme – the transgressive tendencies, search for new solutions, strong individualisation of languages and cultural programs of the epoch. Many of the discussed markers of genre and discourse, described from the onomastic perspective, could be also found in texts representing other epochs in the history of the civilisation. It, in turns, demonstrates the universality as the quality appropriate for the human civilization.

The International Phonetic Alphabet in Slavic Studies

Międzynarodowy alfabet fonetyczny w slawistyce

Author(s): Piotr Rybka / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: International Phonetic Alphabet; IPA; phonetics; transcription; articulation; Slavic Studies

The monograph is an extensive guide to international transcription. All currently used symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet are incorporated along with the explanation of their meaning and uses. Among many examples of transcription derived from phonetic publications, original transcriptions of more difficult articulations are also included in the book. It may be noted, therefore, that the book bridges the gap in Polish linguistic literature where–for many years–a full description of present standard of international transcription has been missing. The examples of transcriptions and sets of symbols are gathered to meet the needs of Slavonic researchers. The present monograph may be, therefore, recognized as intended for scientific rather than general reader. It may prove useful to specialists in different linguistic fields as well as in speech therapy. The book might be used by students of various philological subjects provided that they have acquired the essentials of articulatory phonetics. The monograph comprises ten chapters along with the unpaginated preface and a list of phonetic symbols at the end. General assumptions of the study are introduced in the preface as well as possible uses of international transcription and reasons behind preferring this system of transcription to traditional Slavonic alphabet. The first chapter outlines the history of the International Phonetic Association and its alphabet since its beginnings in late 19th century until the latest changes in the 21st century. All currently used sets of international phonetic symbols with essential explanations are introduced in the second chapter. Understanding of the use of the symbols is facilitated by means of original typology of the symbols contained in this chapter. The third chapter depicts the so-called Principles of the International Phonetic Association defining the application of the alphabet, the evolution of its symbols, as well as basic rules of international transcription. The Principles are discussed according to the official handbook of the International Phonetic Association. In the following chapter, symbols of both Slavonic and International Phonetic Alphabets are compared, each group of equivalents being accompanied by essential explanatory notes. The list of symbols introduced in chapter four enables the reader to compare both alphabets and become familiarized with the major differences between them. Ways of transcribing different actions of the larynx (i.e. phonation) are presented in the fifth chapter, whose latter section consists of symbols which may be used to transcribe prosodic features of speech including tone, word stress, length, boundaries of prosodic units, intonation contours and many others. The most important consonant symbols arranged according to the place of articulation are discussed in the subsequent chapter, which begins with the description of the model of vocal organs with its divisions. More unusual articulations are introduced in the footnotes, since they may occur in Slavonic languages only as incorrect realizations of sounds. The main text, however, is centered around articulations that are most common in the above-mentioned languages. In the seventh chapter, vowel symbols are elaborated with reference to the vowel quadrilateral model which provides the basis of the international system of vowel transcription. This section contains the symbols of the most important central approximants as well as symbols of particular Slavonic vowels. Chapter eight includes review of symbols for essential complex articulations, such as palatalization, labialization, affricates, nasalization and diphthongs. In a separate section, transcription of different types of release–also called ‘plosion’ in some works–is presented along with types of consonant gemination. In the subsequent (ninth) chapter much space has been given to particular issues concerning phonetics of Slavonic languages. Transcription of coronal, palatal and palatalized consonants is discussed in great detail, the discussion being an attempt at organizing different transcriptions found in literature. The last chapter consists of additional examples of transcriptions of words and sentences in Czech, Polish, Russian and Slovenian languages. Due to sporadic application of the International Phonetic Alphabet to Slavonic languages, providing examples from other languages was not possible. Nevertheless, the transcriptions gathered allow to observe wide range of possibilities of the International Phonetic Alphabet which serves as a device for marking minute articulatory features. The list of references provides all publications used in the monograph as well as offers additional information on the International Phonetic Alphabet. All phonetic symbols and all complex symbols available in computer fonts are listed at the end of the book. Value description as well as Unicode number are provided for each symbol. Additional explanatory notes on structure and common erroneous substitutions of similar letters are given to most complex symbols. Many of the international symbols have their equivalents in simplified phonetic scripts which are also added to the closing list of symbols.

Security discourse from the perspective of linguisecuritology

Dyskurs o bezpieczeństwie z perspektywy lingwosecuritologii

Author(s): Jadwiga Stawnicka / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: security; crisis situation; communication in crisis situations; discourse; linguistics

In the following book, an attempt has been made to indicate practical application of linguistic knowledge in actions undertaken by law enforcement and aimed at public security and public order. The book puts forward a proposition to create a sub-field of linguistics under the term „linguisecuritology” – theory and practice of the langugae of security. A semantic field of linguisecuritology encompasses all terms related to vital characteristics of a crisis situation conceptualized by its every participant. It has been indicated how to conduct talks with the perpetrator of a crisis situation with use of the theory of speech acts, and how to optimalize the flow of information between all the public service forces involved in a threat situation. // The book consists of an introduction, three chapters and a conclusion. The introduction specifies the purpose of the book and the contents of the chapters. A conceptual framework of the term „linguisecuritology” has been proposed. In chapter one „W kręgu dyskursu kryzysowego. Konceptualizacja pojęć” (Within crisis discourse. Conceptualization of notions), the notions of discourse and crisis discourse have been discussed from the perspective of pragmatic linguistics, and the possiblilities of use of the psycholinguistic knowledge in crisis situations have been indicated. The subject of chapter two is the specificity of the crisis discourse with the perpetrator considering the theory of speech acts. Strategies of communicating with the perpetrator have been discussed, including issues of promising, witholding information and lying during negotiations. // This chapter also contains general remarks on the subject of the flow of information in crisis situations. Next, the flow of information during regional multi-level simulations in crisis management „Lotnisko 2011”(„Airport 2011”) has been characterized. In chapter three „Perspektywy badawcze lingwosecuritologii. Opis projektów badawczych” (Research perspectives of linguisecuritology. Description of research projects), a few linguisecuritological projects by the author have been discussed in the context of perspectives for development of this sub-field. The book is addressed for a broad circle of recipients including law enforcement, academic and research environment, students and lecturers involved in the fields of security, crisis situations, psychology and notably linguistics. The book is a continuation of my research and an attempt at applying linguistic knowledge for the optimalization of the flow of information in crisis situations.

Nomina Agentis in the language of Shakespearean drama

Nomina Agentis in the language of Shakespearean drama

Author(s): Aleksandra Kalaga / Language(s): English

Keywords: wine; antique; Noe; Dionizos; Orfeusz; Aleksander Wielki; Horacy; Nemezjan; alcoholism; Mediterranean culture

William Shakespeare is considered to be one of the most fruitful neologists in the history of the English language. Although Shakespearean scholars are at variance in their estimates of the exact number of his neologisms,1 they are in agreement that he was “a most prolific coiner of words” (Willcock, 1934, p. 12). It seems surprising, therefore, that there are so few systematic, analytic studies of Shakespearean word-formation. Such established books as Evans (1952), Jorgensen (1962), Hulme (1962), Joseph (1947) portray the vocabularyof Shakespeare merely as a tool for achieving stylistic artistry, and they are not truly linguistic in their approach.2 The most celebrated linguistic accounts of Shakespeare’s language either disregard the word-formational component altogether (Abbott, 1883; Blake, 2002), or present only a brief, general discussion of the most productive processes (Brook, 1976; Blake, 1989). The most detailed word-formational accounts are studies by Garner (1982), Dalton-Puffer(1994), and Salmon (1987). These, however, are article-length and thus do not exploit the subject in full. The present monograph is an attempt at delivering a comprehensive studyof one aspect of Shakespearean word-formation, namely the category of Nomina Agentis. The greatest weight is attached to the morphological and semantic aspects of agentive derivation. The formal analysis, which covers the combinatorial properties of the agent-forming suffixes with respect to the etymological and syntactic features of their bases, is supplemented with the study of semantic effects of a given type of nominalisation. Although the approach is primarily synchronic, diachronic information is also provided where it seems beneficial in supplying a wider context, for instance, for the further attestations of a given Shakespearean neologism, or for a contrastive juxtaposition of a Shakespearean agentive formation with the Modern English one. Conceptually, the monograph falls into two parts: the theoretical-descriptive, whose main aim is to formulate a working definition of an agent, as well as todevelop an appropriate model within the frameworks of which the study could be conducted, while the second part is the proper morphosemantic analysis of the sampled data. Structurally, the work is divided into six chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on the problem of nominalisations in selected linguistic theories, such as, among others, TGG, GS, and Cognitive Linguistics. Attention is drawn both to those aspects of a given grammar which could profitably be employed in the study of nominalisations, as well as to the problems and difficulties stemming from the holistic application of a given model. The selection of the frameworks discussed in the chapter has been made with a view to develop the methodology that could be successfully applied to the analysis of the data sampled in the corpus of Shakespeare’s plays.Chapter 2 discusses the notion of productivity in word-formation. Different modes of the conceptualisation, operationalisation, and evaluation of productivity are surveyed, and a special emphasis is put on the problem of estimating the productivity of a given process in historical language studies. The following two chapters (3 and 4) relate Nomina Agentis to the theory of categorisation. It is shown how the prototype semantics, developed originallyby Eleanor Rosch and subsequently borrowed by cognitive linguists, can be employedto deal with fuzzy boundaries between some linguistic categories, like, for example, Nomina Agentis and Nomina Instrumenti. The theory also proves effective in incorporating denominal performers of actions into the category of agents (the problem is discussed in Chapter 4). Chapter 4 also discusses finer distinctions within subject nominalisations, for example, the notion of an experiencer. A brief survey of Modern English methods of deriving agent nounscan also be found here. Chapter 5 presents a linguistic and extralinguistic background of EarlyModern English. It provides an insight into external and internal factors that shaped the language of the Shakespearean epoch. The chapter focuses on issues directly connected with word-building and word meaning, hence the discussion of internal features of the language has been restricted to word-formation and semantic changes.Chapter 6 is the empirical part of the study, where Shakespearean agent-forming techniques are presented and analysed. Each suffix is studied from both the formal and the semantic perspective. An attempt at evaluating the productivity of a given process is also made.Since, as has been shown in Chapter 1, none of the currently available theories is inclusive enough to deal with the complex aspects of nominalisations, I have adopted a rather eclectic approach, the core of which constitutes the Generative Semantics framework enriched with the prototype theory attitude towards category membership, while the formal analysis is performed in conformity with the basic tenets of TGG.The corpus has been compiled from The first folio of Shakespeare: The Norton facsimile (2nd ed.), and the Arden Edition of Shakespeare’s Plays (second, and, where available, third editions). The etymological information, as well as the glosses, are cited after the OED. Line numbering and quotations are from the Arden Shakespeare. The glosses are illustrated with exemplary references. I have not provided references to all the occurrences of a given sense in the corpus, as presenting a complete typological compilation is not the aim of this study. (Introduction)

Polish and English diminutives in literary translation: Pragmatic and cross-cultural perspectives

Polish and English diminutives in literary translation: Pragmatic and cross-cultural perspectives

Author(s): Paulina Biały / Language(s): English

Keywords: diminutives; pragmatics; translation; culture

The book is devoted to the translation of diminutives from Polish and English into English and Polish, respectively. The author considers the pragmatic, cultural and sociolinguistic context of using diminutives in both languages, as well as the linguistic means of forming diminutives by analytic and synthetic mechanisms. The state of research indicates the necessity of conducting a cross-sectional analysis of the problems associated with diminutives, especially the problems associated with the influence of culture upon the occurrence of these elements in a given language. Even though many authors discussed the morphological processes which serve the creation of diminutives, less attention was devoted to the problems of translatorial equivalence of diminutives or to the pragmatic aspects of their use in conversation. The book is intended for linguists, theoreticians and practitioners of translation, researchers of the meeting points of culture and language and sociolinguists.

System of Organizational Terms. Methodological concept of organizational reality research

Układ wielkości organizacyjnych. Koncepcja metodologiczna badania rzeczywistości organizacyjnej

Author(s): Olaf Flak / Language(s): Polish

Reasons for raising the issueMethodological problems of management science are the subject of lively discussion and interest of many contemporary representatives in management science. The discussion about the identity of management science and its methodological assumptions dates back to 1961, when H. Koontz stimulated the awareness of organizational reality researchers with the concept of a „management theory jungle”, meaning a disordered way of practicing management science with its growing ontological and epistemological controversies. Although several decades have passed since then, „we‘re still dealing with the management theory jungle, and it‘s even more extensive and vivid than ever before”. Some authors emphasize that the current situation of management science represents a crisis of these sciences, especially their philosophical and methodological foundations. S. Sułkowski even writes that this science has neither „theories nor rights, nor even a substitute for the scientific method”. The first reason for undertaking the work on the system of organizational terms as a methodological concept of management science was the fact that on the one hand, unresolvedmethodological problems in management science are subject to criticism, and on the otherhand, there is a certain degree of reconciliation with the permanent state of the “managementtheory jungle”. The second reason was the specific problems of this science, including: a dilemma whether management science belongs to idiographic or nomothetic sciences; domination of the organizational reality research based on situations at certain moments of time, which leads to a static and only temporary assessment of this reality; creation of theory in management science under the clear influence of the researcher‘s evaluation of the elements of these theories; increasing diversity of the understanding of concepts; incommensurability of the entire scientific discipline, especially in the field of methods of conducting research and interpretation of their results.The third reason of raising the issue, which, unlike the two previous ones, concernsmore with the future than the past, is the progressive digitization and automation of themodern world. Already in 1967, P. Drucker wrote that computer systems (then – „computers“– an author‘s note) would not only serve to collect information, but the algorithmswritten in them would be able to replace managers over time. Although it has not happenedyet, IT systems fill and automate more and more areas of human life, and thus, alsomanager‘s work.Research problemThe research problem, which was stated after the preliminary literature studies and after determining the reasons to raise the issue, can be presented by means of the following research question: can there be a comprehensive, coherent and formalized methodological concept of the management science which allows practicing this science in a way that solves current problems of this science?Three concepts included in this question should be clarified. First of all, the condition was made that the concept should be comprehensive. It means that it should cover all or most of the issues necessary for practicing science, such as ontological and epistemological assumptions, defined elements of science, ways of using the language, methods of inference, etc. Secondly, the assumption in the research question states that the methodological concept should be coherent, and therefore internally consistent and internally complementary. Thirdly, the concept should be formalized, so there should be strictly defined rules on how to apply individual elements of the concept, defined either in details or in the form of universal and scaled principles.Subject of researchThe subject of this book is therefore a comprehensive, coherent and formalized methodological concept of management science, whose tasks have been identified in the mentioned research problem. The essence of this concept is to represent organizational reality with certain terms, just as physical phenomena can be represented by units and their corresponding physical quantities in the SI system. However, it should be emphasized that due to the ontological and epistemological conditions of management science, the SI system is only an analogy of the created concept, and from the point of view of the chronology of work on this concept, it was the author‘s inspiration to raise the above mentioned research problem. The core of the methodological concept of management science is the organizationalterms, which were divided into primary and derivative as a result of an analysis of ontological conditions. Organizational terms represent facts occurring in the organizational reality, and these facts correspond to the ontological conception of being, widely accepted in the philosophy of science. As a result of combining this type of ontological conditions and a farreaching analogy, which is the SI system, the name of the developed methodological concept was created – the system of organizational terms.This work is therefore a voice in the discussion on the need for new methods of studyingthe organizational reality. Perhaps the use of the system of organizational terms as a methodological concept of management science will also allow for the creation of more humanindependent systems of management organization which, in certain situations, will be able to replace a human manager with a more effective robot manager.

Historical Issues in Hamito-Semitic and Indo-European Languages. Zagadnienia historyczne w chamito-semickich i indoeuropejskich językach

Historical Issues in Hamito-Semitic and Indo-European Languages. Zagadnienia historyczne w chamito-semickich i indoeuropejskich językach

Author(s): / Language(s): English,Polish

The volume entitled Historical Issues in Hamito-Semitic and Indo-European languages is a collection of nine articles devoted above all to selected problems associated with the influence of Hamito-Semitic languages on certain Indo-European languages in the remote past. The articles also discuss other subjects associated with general linguistics (phonology, dialectology, linguistic shift and magic.

Kawa czy herbata? The first morning tv show. Polymodal message from the perspective of discourse linguistics

Kawa czy herbata? Pierwszy telewizyjny program śniadaniowy. Komunikat polimodalny z perspektywy lingwistyki dyskursu

Author(s): Ewelina Tyc / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: breakfast TV; Polish Television; television genres; discourse

The dissertation presents a detailed analysis of the first national morning programme Kawa czy herbata? [coffee or tea?]. The morning show was broadcast on TVP 1 from 1992 to 2013, i.e. for twenty one years. This was a period of major changes not only in the Polish television but also in all mass media.“Breakfast Television” as an idea of morning bands is willingly watched in Poland. It is proved by both the viewing ratings, as well as by the presence of the morning band not only in each of the leading television stations in Poland but also in local stations (eg. TVP Katowice). The work is made up of two main parts, which are divided into specific sections. In the theoretical part, we present the state of media research work. We describe in detail the methodology, that is, discourse analysis and the linguistic picture of the world , the world media and the discursive image of the world. In the second, analytical part of the study we have described the TV programme Kawa czy herbata?. The material has been discussed in terms of four aspects of the genre’s standard developed by Maria Wojtak: structural aspect, pragmatic aspect, stylistic aspect and cognitive aspect.As regards the structure, we have discussed both the whole programme and its individualparts. In terms of the pragmatic aspect, the analysis involves the actors of the discourse underanalysis, namely the presenters of the programme and the stage on which they act – the studio. In terms of the stylistic aspect, in turn, the research is directed at the individual style of selected hosts. The final, cognitive aspect relates to the concept of the media picture of the world which was created in the morning program Kawa czy herbata?.The considerations undertaken in the present work form part of the current research on discourse linguistics and media linguistics.

Studies in Contrastive Semantics, Pragmatics, and Morphology

Studies in Contrastive Semantics, Pragmatics, and Morphology

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: contrastive linguistics; cognitive linguistics; semantics; pragmatics; morphology

The book constitutes a collection of articles devoted to the problems associated with contrastive linguistics. The articles presented in the volume discuss above all the problems of contrastive cognitive semantics. Nevertheless, some articles are focused on morphology and contrastive pragmatics, owing to which the book may be a worthwhile item for a broader readership. The publication discusses linguistic phenomena which are featured mainly in the Polish and in the English language, although the reader may also be interested in references to the Croatian, French or Czech languages. Inasmuch as the introduction presents an overview of the most important problems of contrastive linguistics in a broader context, the purpose of the particular articles is to present the current trends in contrastive research and the varied research methods. Therefore the present publication is intended mainly for linguists, theoreticians and practitioner of contrastive linguistics, as well as the experts in the field of cognitive linguistics.

On the classification of predicatives

Zur Klassifizierung der Prädikative

Author(s): Justyna Dolińska / Language(s): German

Keywords: predicative; non-verbal part of the predicate; copulative; predicative clause; depictive predicative; resultative predicative; predicative complementation; predicative adjunction

The problems of classification of predicatives and related terminology remain unresolved. Which constructions should be included in this category and how to label their types? And how to call these elements that do not fall under the umbrella term of the predicative? This book classifies and provides terminology for predicative constructions on the basis of an analysis of selected grammars of German. To obtain a better insight into the problem area, some relevant aspects of the Polish language are also taken into consideration. The analysis of selected grammars focuses on words and word-groups which function as predicatives. The findings present a complex picture of various approaches to predicative expressions. This multiplicity of viewpoints results from different criteria of classification adopted in the literature and from the complexity of the problem itself.

Explicitation in Simultaneous Interpreting. A Study into Explicitating Behaviour of Trainee Interpreters

Explicitation in Simultaneous Interpreting. A Study into Explicitating Behaviour of Trainee Interpreters

Author(s): Ewa Gumul / Language(s): English

Keywords: Explanation; simultaneous interpretation; limitations in interpretation; retrospective protocols; directionality; interpretation strategies; interpreter style

The simplest and the most blunt definition of explicitation I can think of is that it is about adding. This imprecise and simplistic definition brings to my mind a certain interpreter who probably resorted to the most extensive additions I have ever heard of. It is Juan Ranz – one of the best-known interpreters, although he is only a fictional character in Javier Marías’s novel A Heart So White.1 It is his brilliantly unfaithful translation, full of additions, that transforms meaningless and insipid small talk of a Spanish and an English politician into a passionate conversation about love and Shakespeare. Thanks to the interpreter’s deliberate additions, the interlocutors become so involved that we come to think that perhaps he merely explicitates what in fact they meant and wanted to say. Obviously, explicitation is not about changing the course of conversation, as was the case of Juan Ranz, but the fictional interpreter in Marías’s book is a perfect example, albeit somewhat extreme (the right of literature, one may say), of an interpreter’s mediating role. In real life, interpreters do not add anything that could change the message, but they do add – usually to mediate the message. And such “additions,” denominated explicitations, appear to be a universal feature of all translational activity irrespective of the mode, genre, and language pair. / fragment of the introduction/

Various Dimensions of Contrastive Studies (full)

Various Dimensions of Contrastive Studies (całość)

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: phonological system; morphological system; syntactic system; lexis; culture and language; contrastive linguistics

The collective monograph entitled Various Dimensions of Contrastive Studies contains nineteen articles written by researchers from university centres in Poland and other European countries. The authors analyse mainly data from English and Polish, including also linguistic material from other Germanic or Slavic languages, as well as from Romanic, Celtic, Altaic and Finno-Ugric languages. The chapters that make up the first part of this volume discuss the theoretical issues of the phonological, morphological or syntactic system of the languages being compared. The chapters in the second part focus on lexical issues, referring, among others, to the mechanism of conceptual metaphor and specialist terminology. The third part contains chapters on academic discourse, on the relationships between culture and language, and on the process of acquiring a foreign language. The monograph presents a variety of research problems in the field of contrastive linguistics. It is also an illustration of the variety of research methods and theoretical assumptions adopted by the authors of the texts. The book is addressed to linguists engaged in contrastive research (in various theoretical approaches). It can also be useful for philology students and other readers interested in language contact and linguistic diversity.

Der Westslawische Name Niemcy für Deutsche und Deutschland im Schrifttum des Frühmittelalters

Der Westslawische Name Niemcy für Deutsche und Deutschland im Schrifttum des Frühmittelalters

Author(s): IDZI PANIC / Language(s): German

Keywords: West Slavic name Germany; early Middle Ages; Slavs and Germany in the early Middle Ages; Poles; the Czech Republic and Germany in the early Middle Ages

In the Czech and Polish literature of the subject, particularly the linguistic one, for a long time there has been a belief that the name Niemcy appeared among the West Slavs in the early Middle Ages (in a closely undetermined time). The name was used to describe the Germanic tribes that had been neighbouring Slavs since the very earliest moments of the migration of people. As it is widely accepted, the West Slavs coined the name for their Germanic neighbours as their language seemed incomprehensible and indistinct – to quote our southern neighbours: “byli to lidi pro Slovany jakoby nĕmi”, which translates mute (nĕmi) for the Slavs. Therefore, the country, zemĕ Nĕmců, inhabited by incomprehensibly speaking people, mute people, simply had to be called Niemcy. Taking into consideration the fact that the West Slavs – the progenitors of the Czechs and the Poles, the Polabians, and the South-West Slavs were the first to meet Germanic people, it was in this tribal and geographic area where the name Niemcy, describing the Germanic neighbours of the Slavs, was to be created. Consequently, a name for the country inhabited by the Germanic tribes was coined – Niemcy. The name of the tribes and later the country they lived in was adopted by other Slavic tribes and nations in the centuries to come. (part of the chapter: West Slavic name of Niemcy in the early medieval times)

Efficiency of treatment of articulation disorders. Analysis of research results from the vantage point of speech therapy and linguistics

Efektywność terapii dyslalii. Logopedyczno-lingwistyczna analiza wyników badań

Author(s): Danuta Pluta-Wojciechowska / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: speech impediments; disorders of phonemes production; speech-therapy diagnosis; speech-therapy theory; efficiency of articulation disorders therapy

In terms of methodology, this monograph is based on the thesis claiming that speech therapy is a study of biological determinants of language and linguistic behaviours, which underpins contemporary speech-therapy research. This very publication provides the results of empirical research relating to diagnosis and therapy of speech disorders stemming from malfunction of peripheral factors – malformations of speech organs and/or impaired biological functions. The main subject of analyses is the efficiency of speech-therapy treatment provided to persons with impaired phoneme production – children, adolescents, and adults. As a source of those nonnormative sounds discussed herein I pinpoint biological factors, such as ankyloglossia, malocclusions, breathing difficulties and swallowing impairments, difficulties in biting and chewing, parafunctions, such as thumb or finger sucking. The efficiency of a particular speech therapy is assessed by utilizing the elaborated paradigm, also employing statistical tests, which meets the assumption of Evidence Based Practice. Therefore, research like these are unprecedented either in Polish or world speech-therapy studies. For the assessment of therapies, I developed the Strategic Method of Improving Phonemes Implementation (hereinafter referred to as SMIPI, Polish Strategiczna metoda usprawniania realizacji fonemów,) of my own authorship. Some threads of my study occasionally refer to previously elaborated methods of treating speech impediments, yet I challenge or discard quite a few of them as methodologically invalid, for instance, exercising the tongue outside the oral cavity, tensioning the tip of the tongue. The monograph opens with a chapter placing speech therapy – metaphorically – between linguistics and medicine, which pertains to a place of the discipline on the epistemological plane. In the chapter I present analyses relating to particular cognitive background of speech therapy and its place amongst other disciplines. My considerations underscore the originality of speechtherapy approach – considered against the background of other scientific fields – in case of impediments in producing peripherally-determined phonemes. In Chapter 2 of the monograph I investigate issues of diagnosis and treatment of phoneme production disorders as speech-therapy procedures. The chapter commences enumeration of assumptions embedding the subsequent comments. Assuming a number of notions fundamental for both linguistics and speech therapy imposes some order on thinking and allows the Readers to notice the broader context behind the topic this treatise is concerned with. Consecutive parts of Chapter 2 deal with the significance of diagnosis in its heuristic dimension for designing and carrying out treatment. I assume that what ought to result from the examination process of a given speech impediment’s symptom along with its aetiology, is not solely establishing the name of a given nosological unit relating to the diagnosed condition, but also preparing a kind of diagnostic narrative depicting mechanism behind occurrence of speech impediments, however, within the confines of up-to-date knowledge (thus, I do not discard the event that contemporary speech therapy is oblivious to some causes of speech disorders, which results from the scope of human knowledge coming from various disciplines dealing with speech, e.g. medicine). The mode of operation defined in such a way enables us to reconstruct the development of speech disorder. In the discussed chapter I also comment upon early and contemporary approaches to treatment of phoneme production disorders. Having paid a necessary homage to the work of past researchers, I undertake analyses that show both advantages and deficits characterising hitherto used methods of treatment, also in the context of the most recent studies of phoneme production disorders. Chapter 3 is focused on methodology of research, including problems, hypotheses and methods of studies, accepted terms and assumptions, ordering the research process; therein I also discuss the limits of research carried out. The major study problem is assessing the efficiency of speech therapy with the usage of previously mentioned SMIPI method.. Among the most important research methods the following can be counted: analytical-phonetic method of speech evaluation, anatomical-functional method of assessing speech organs (anatomical structure of speech organs, the respiratory, swallowing, and chewing processes), interview, an experimental study consisting in carrying out speech therapy (based on SMIPI, and akin to it – FTM, Polish fizjologiczna terapia miofunkcjonalna ‘physiological myofunctional therapy’) encompassing 69 subject, 3 to 40 years of age (they were divided into three age groups), and finally, analysing the research results and establishing statistical correlation. In turn, Chapter 4 of the monograph gives the account of research results referring to efficiency of utilizing SMIPI method and provides analyses of the studied facets of therapeutic efficiency: the pace of improvements taking place that regard primary functions (e.g. initiating vertical-horizontal tongue position, initiating tongue resting posture, initiating proper swallowing), the rate of uttering/emitting the initial sound, the pace of transformations occurring within the patients’ phonetic system. This part of the monograph also contains some linguistic and speech-therapy analyses pertaining to important, from the vantage point of designing and carrying out therapy, aspects of undertaken actions, such as sequencing of speech-sounds disorders therapy and methods of prompting speech sounds. I also discuss the “domino effect” and selfregulation phenomenon it involves. In my analyses of SMIPI method’s efficiency, I devise the general approach (relating to the results of therapy distinguished for the age group of patients) as well as individual one (relating to therapy efficiency in case of a particular patient). The research results indicate that SMIPI is an efficient treatment method, however, its efficiency varies dependent on age group. In the aspect of normalizing primary abilities, the rate of attaining desired changes is greater in persons 15 to 40 years of age than in children 3 to 6 years of age. The research results show, in turn, that the latter group displays the greatest improvements in terms of phonetic changes. The chapter that follows is a summarizing one, and it distinguishes the crucial research results from the analyses undertaken along with proposals of future necessary analyses and empirical procedures pertaining to upcoming scientific problems. In this part, I additionally address so-called wizardry and tricks used while eliciting sounds, the issue of so-called therapeutic methods universality, and I also present SMIPI against the backdrop of different ways of speech-therapy interventions. Finally, I account for the possibility to alter or modify the mode of proceeding I propose.

It is, was, will be, or would be? The puzzles of tenses and moods in French

Jest, był, będzie czy byłby? Zagadki czasów i trybów w języku francuskim

Author(s): Katarzyna Kwapisz-Osadnik / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: Picturing; data processing; French; tense; mood

This volume is addressed not only to teachers, students, and all intermediate and advanced learners of French, but also to those who study other languages and wish to expand their general knowledge of how people perceive the reality, how they process data, how they encode them in language, and, finally, how they construct utterances. The book explains the use and function of tenses and moods in French, at the same time drawing attention to the fact that the same situation may be expressed with various tenses and moods. With the help of well-chosen figures and a style of exposition which resembles a conversation with the reader, it describes the process of choosing a particular tense and/or mood in an accessible way, pointing to the mechanisms of processing data by native speakers. In this way, it demonstrates in what ways French speakers picture various situations and what grammatical and lexical consequences these visualisations entail. The book includes also verb conjugation patterns, with particular emphasis on high-frequency verbs. A separate chapter discusses the choice of the auxiliary verb in complex tenses. The book will be of interest to those who enjoy learning languages, are fond of puzzles, and do not avoid challenges.

A contrastive perspective on figurative language

A contrastive perspective on figurative language

Author(s): / Language(s): English

In recent decades, linguistics has witnessed a rising interest in figurative language. The inspiration for this kind of research may be connected to the rise and development of cognitive semantics, which has made metaphor one of its key notions. George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, in their seminal work titled Metaphors We Live By (1980, modified and republished in 2003), denied the conviction that figurative speech is an aberration or anomaly that speakers use only in a limited number of special contexts. Lakoff and Johnson postulated that metaphor, together with metonymy, are actually pervasive ways of thinking and common cognitive tools that motivate a remarkable amount of our language (2003/1980: 3). Their findings have been developed by numerous authors, who have contributed to the Conceptual Metaphor Theory with both empirical research into various languages, as well as elaborations on the theoretical issues.1 Furthermore, it has been observed that metaphors and metonymies may vary among languages: the ways speakers use non-literal language is not universal, but to a large extent it depends on the culture, including the background of the speaker, or the specific context of language use (Kövecses 2005: 292–294). The aim of this volume is to present various examples of research into figurative language from the cross-linguistic perspective. However, first, we want to focus on the notion of figurative language as such, and notice how its understanding in linguistics has changed over the past decades. Next, we will focus on the cross-linguistic research into figurative language in contemporary linguistics. Finally, the topics undertaken in the subsequent chapters of this volume will be shortly presented and discussed. (fragment of introduction)

Translation in Culture. (In)fidelity in Translation. Vol. 2

Translation in Culture. (In)fidelity in Translation. Vol. 2

Author(s): / Language(s): English

Keywords: translation; culture

Polish expressions with a polar answer function – the history and the present

Polskie wyrażenia o funkcji dopowiedzeniowej – historia i współczesność

Author(s): Magdalena Pastuch / Language(s): Polish

Keywords: linguistics; history of Polish language; metatextual expressions; polar answers

The monograph is devoted to the topic of language expressions which function in Polish as self-standing answers to decision questions. In terms of research material, the work does not restrict it to a single selected period, but rather obtains it from various epochs, since the paramount purpose of the presented research is to describe the dynamics of language development, and therefore assigning particular language facts to corresponding historical periods is here of a lesser significance. What is the most important here is searching for certain patterns along with historical justifications facilitating a functional shift in uttering of a given expression (e.g. naturalnie (adverb) > naturalnie (particle) > naturalnie (self-standing answer to a decision question)). The purpose of the presented investigations is eliciting expressions which appear in the function of self-standing answers to decision questions, defining their relation with homonymous forms occurring in other functions, and identifying the historical sources of their contemporary semantic values. Moreover, the attempts are made to indicate mechanisms of creating new expressions with a polar answer function.The work’s structure is entirely derivative of the semantic criterion, therefore, the language units/expressions which are subsequently discussed include: units/expressions which answer decision questions, express disagreement or lack of consent, or negate the content expressed by preceding decision question (Chapter III); then there are discussed units/expressions which stand as autonomous expressions of agreement/consent or an affirmative answer to a decision question (Chapter IV). The final research material-based chapter (V) describes the units which express various degree of the interlocutor’s unsureness in relation to a question asked. The semantics of the sequences under analysis is encapsulated by the following paralocutions [phrases expressing analogous content]: ‘yes, I agree with what my interlocutor has said’ / ‘yes, I confirm what my interlocutor has said’ or ‘no, I do not agree / no, I do not confirm’; in the case of units expressing unsureness, the generalised meaning is the following: ‘the unsureness (of a judgement) in relation to the question asked by another participant of a dialogue (the previous speaker)’. The research material-based chapters have been designed according to similar pattern, so that a reader can compare both historical and lexicographic knowledge related to the topic of expressions selected for description with the conducted interpretations.I approach the development of a new function as a kind of functional derivation. The material gathered testifies to the fact that in many cases a polar answer function is created based on a particle which, in turn, is derived from a homonymous adverb (e.g. oczywiście, absolutnie). The transitions of the said kind are sometimes accompanied by mechanism visible in surface structure, that is, ellipsis and composition. The former is among others represented by być może > może, as illustrated by the following examples:Miałby pan kłopoty, prawda? Być może. Kloss nie tracił spokoju.Co, miałaś wizje religijne? – Może.While an example of composition as a mechanism resulting in expressions with a polar answer function are contemporary colloquial answers to decision questions, for instance:Czy jak się spotykasz z przyjaciółmi, to oferujesz im granie na konsoli? No raczej.Gorzałka. Chcesz? No chyba.The point of departure for the provided descriptions of answers to decision questions is always semantics, yet complemented with pragmatic information in accordance with the cumulative pragmatic theory. The foregoing assumption mainly necessitates referring to the semantic values of particles which have become a basis of a polar answer function’s development. Epistemic particles are naturally predisposed to this aim, since they comment upon epistemic acts, that is, operate within the realm of knowledge. In the case of answer to decision questions, so a answer that occurs in a dialogue, it is necessary to specify that such a commentary, which conveys the sender’s information regarding the level of sureness, in fact refers to a question from the dialogue. This very reservation bars some of the epistemic particles from becoming polar answers. Since an interrogative sentence is neither a sentence in the understanding of logic, nor is it a judgement, answers to decision questions may, therefore, originate from both the particles implying that a given state of affairs is actual (e.g. na pewno) and from the particles devoid of the mentioned feature (e.g. chyba). However, particles implying factuality of a given judgement may not be, for the reasons already stated, basis for polar answers (e.g. faktycznie). Also units which, from today’s point of view, qualify as instances of meta-textual commentary, constitute bases for their usage as polar answers (e.g. ba).