Klątwa w praktykach komunikacyjnych mieszkańców Grodziska Wielkopolskiego w XVIII wieku
The curse in the communicative practices of the inhabitants of Grodzisk Wielkopolski in the eighteenth century

Summary/Abstract: This article examines the significance of the curse in the communicative practices of the in-habitants of Grodzisk Wielkopolski in the eighteenth century, treating it as an expressionof the persistence of oral culture. Drawing on the conceptual framework proposed by AnnaEngelking, the author distinguishes six semantic spheres of the verb kląć (“to curse”): to curse,to excommunicate/expel, to cast a spell, to swear profanely, to adjure someone, and to swearan oath. Based on the court records of Grodzisk, the article demonstrates that words wereheld to have causative power — they could create or destroy social order. Curses served notonly as verbal aggression but also as a tool for regulating relationships within the community.Spoken formulas, oaths, and curses were ritual in nature and produced tangible social effects.

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