Kamasze and bure suki – Responses on Newspeak Cover Image
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Kamasze i bure suki – o sposobach reagowania na nowomowę
Kamasze and bure suki – Responses on Newspeak

Author(s): Ewa Kozioł
Subject(s): Cultural Essay, Political Essay, Societal Essay
Published by: Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego
Keywords: nowomowa; PRL; słownictwo polityczne; polszczyzna ogólna; wypowiedzi polityków; Jerzy Bralczyk

Summary/Abstract: The discourse of finished in 2007 the fifth term of the Sejm (lower house of the Polish parliament) abounded with many features characteristic for newspeak from the Polish People’s Republic times. The most distinctive difference between the classic newspeak and its elements that appeared in the language of contemporary members of parliament was breaking with antyclarity: the material that covered speeches of the deputies from the fifth members. Reactions (which contain elements of newspeak) to speeches can be divided considering the criterion of: a) the kind of the statement recalled, b) the way of recalling. As far as the kind of statements is concerned, the author distinguished reference to the specific statement (e.g. „branie lekarzy w kamasze”) and to the type of discourse. In the second criterion the following elements can be distinguished: quotations, quotations with ironic comments, quotations with elements mentioned and metalinguistic statements. The material gathered from parliamentary speeches certifies numerous attempts to respond to the elements of newspeak that appear in public discourse. This fact proves the high level of language awareness; is also a positive phenomenon that neutralizes and even reverses the newspeak’s negative influence on the public language. Trans. A. Gierba

  • Issue Year: 430/2010
  • Issue No: 04
  • Page Range: 43-50
  • Page Count: 8
  • Language: Polish