Językowe nośniki prestiżu społecznego na przykładzie spójnika natomiast
Conjunction natomiast - stylistic character

Summary/Abstract: This article seeks to respond to the question why the conjunction natomiast (‘however; on the other hand; whereas; while’) used in the written language is so popular in the spoken Polish language. The phenomenon of language style has a psychological rationale: people treat language as a tool to present themselves and the word natomiast, that comes from a high level of language style, as a determinant of their social prestige. They include, words that contain in themselves positive “psycho-energy”, in their daily use of language, in order to make themselves appear more noble. There are some other words that are perceived as prestigious words, such as the particle bynajmniej (‘not at all; not in the least’) and the adverb generalnie (‘generally’). The use of these words by those who have low language competences and narcissistic faith in their knowledge of language, almost always leads to their being misused. In this way the self image that the person wants to acquire is achieved in caricature way. The words: natomiast, bynajmniej or generalnie instead of ennobling – reveal the social characteristics that the person wants to hide. Language that is intended to serve as a mask, in reality, reveals a lack of education, social complexes and an ambition beyond personal abilities

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