Henryka Sienkiewicza głos „w sprawie (czystości) języka”
Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Voice in the Discussion on the Purity of Language

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses Henryk Sienkiewicz’s language awareness and his concern for language correctness. The analyses are based on the writer’s press releases available in the collected works edited by Julian Krzyżanowski. The analyzed material is presented in the context of the 19th-century statements about language correctness and the idea of passion for the Polish language, voiced by its lovers and defenders. The paper demonstrates that the writer’s concern for the condition of Polish language was three-fold; namely, it consisted of defending Polish (both in its specialist variants and every-day usage) against foreign influence, as well as emphasizing the correctness of usage and the quality of language or style in literary texts. All those issues were dealt with by several 19th-century language correctness researchers. Moreover, Sienkiewicz encouraged his compatriots to read good books, go to the theatre, and use Polish in public life in spite of the censorship.

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