DEVIL-LIKE VOCABULARY Cover Image

Z „diabelskiego” słownictwa
DEVIL-LIKE VOCABULARY

Author(s): Wanda Budziszewska
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Applied Linguistics
Published by: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Sklodowskiej
Keywords: the Virgin Mary; the word Szeroka [wide]; linguistic taboo; magical texts

Summary/Abstract: The Polish words szeroka, szerocy ‘wide’ have been noted to mean, surprisingly, ‘the Virgin Mary’ and ‘the saints’. The oldest recorded evidence presumably comes from the year 1560. The speaker was the devil, who wanted to avoid mentioning the names proper. Having compared Latin, Polish and Slovak records, the author concludes that the expressions are indicative of linguistic taboo. Their origin, it is hypothesized, is the Latin expression extensa mulier, used in reference to the Virgin Mary in magic texts.

  • Issue Year: 13/2001
  • Issue No: 13
  • Page Range: 227-230
  • Page Count: 4
  • Language: Polish