This article examines proper nouns in the works of Olga Tokarczuk. I analyse critical assumptions of literary onomastics and try to understand to what extent the onimic layer of the works of the Polish Nobel laureate can be considered as a system. The cited examples of literary proper names appearing in selected Tokarczuk novels allow us to understand the individual features of naming (especially the use of capital letters and the creation of individual descriptors) as well as the way this is rooted in the broader context of literature, culture, science and history, which also influence the use of proper names in the author’s works. The theories put forward by Italian literary historian Franco Moretti provide a complementary analytical framework.
The article analyses the names that define colours of interior wall paints that are currently available on the Polish market. The results of the analysis are then used to identify and discuss substantial problems that accompany unequivocal classification of these descriptions (descriptors) into a delimitatrion of the category of proper names. More detailed analyses, approaching the available linguistic material from the perspective of their marketing value and function, have made it possible to reveal the manifestations of the ritualisation of language, and to provide a typology for the most frequently used themes employed by creators of names, such as “closeness to nature” or “virtual journey” that, in the process of perception, provoke and enhance particular associations in the recipient’s consciousness.
Zbigniew Herbert in the volume titled Barbarian in the garden said: “The description of the wine is more difficult than the description of the cathedral”. The subject of this article is to answer the question, if there is any objective way of describing sensations connected with wine tasting and estimation strategies used by Marek Bieńczyk in his oenological columns to talk about wine. In the first part of the article the most important features of wine discours, methods of linguistics depiction of flavour, the etymologically variety of wine vocabulary and the most important elements of tasting terminology are showed. Hereinafter of the article author’s attention is focused on Marek Bieńczyk’s columns about wine and wine culture (from volumes ‘Chronicles of wine’ and ‘New chronicles of wine’). These texts present not only how complicated is the systematic description of wine, but what is more, show the importance of subjective impressions and individual way to show this using the language.
This article deals with issues related to the giving of proper names by designers of objects. Briefly discussing the history of Polish (and global) design and recalling the names of contemporary projects, the author points out the basic research problems, such as the issue of the individuality and seriality of projects and their names, the functions of chrematonyms (aesthetic and pragmatic), and onymic strategies. The description uses the findings of cultural theorists, art historians and onomastics researchers. An additional, interpretative context is provided by issues from the field of ‘thing studies’.
PL
Artykuł podejmuje zagadnienia związane z nadawaniem nazw własnych przez projektantów przedmiotów. Omawiając krótko historię polskiego (i światowego) designu oraz przywołując nazwy współczesnych projektów, autorka wskazuje na podstawowe problemy badawcze, takie jak kwestia indywidualności i seryjności projektów oraz ich nazw, funkcje chrematonimów (estetyczne i pragmatyczne) oraz stosowane w nazewnictwie strategie onimiczne. W opisie wykorzystano ustalenia teoretyków kultury, historyków sztuki i badaczy onomastyki. Dodatkowym kontekstem interpretacyjnym są zagadnienia z obszaru thing studies.
The subject of the discussion is the linguistic image of the body in people with eating disorders (ED) who communicate via the Internet. The analysis concerns the language and style of blogs and microblogs written in 2012–2020 by people (mostly young women) identifying with the pro-Ana and pro-Mia movements. The most important transformations taking place in this cyber-community were indicated, including the transition from somatic exclusion, through body neutrality, to body acceptance. Leanness, even excessive leanness, is now often interpreted in this context not as a disorder (disease), but as a synonym for a healthy, responsible lifestyle. The purpose of the analysis, apart from updating the findings of linguists and researchers representing other disciplines (especially psychologists and sociologists writing about eating disorders), was to recreate the relationship between the medial (constructed) and perceived body image (resulting from self-exclusion practices) and to observe the linguistic mechanisms that build and maintain a sense of community among people with ED spectrum. In discussing these issues, the author combines a linguistic approach with findings in the field of cultural studies and sociology, with particular emphasis on research in the field of sociology of the body. The subject of observation are lexical and onimic contexts in which the attitude of people with eating disorders to the body is visible, especially in the aspect of its fragmentation and transformation. These findings are part of a broader context related to the interpenetration of (contradictory) discourses: diet discourse and the so-called body positivity (anty-body shaming), i.e. accepting your natural body.
PL
Przedmiotem omówienia jest językowy obraz ciała u osób z zaburzeniami odżywiania, które komunikują się za pośrednictwem internetu. Analiza dotyczy języka i stylu blogów i mikroblogów prowadzonych w latach 2012–2020 przez osoby (najczęściej młode kobiety) utożsamiające się z ruchem pro-Ana i pro-Mia. Wskazano najistotniejsze przemiany zachodzące w tej cyberwspólnocie, m.in. przechodzenie od somatycznego wykluczenia, poprzez neutralizację ciała (body neutrality), po jego akceptację (body acceptance). Szczupłość, nawet nadmierna, jest dziś w tym kontekście często interpretowana nie jako zaburzenie (choroba), ale jako synonim zdrowego, odpowiedzialnego stylu życia. Celem analiz, oprócz uaktualnienia ustaleń językoznawców oraz badaczy reprezentujących inne dyscypliny (zwłaszcza psychologów i socjologów piszących o zaburzeniach odżywiania) są odtworzenie relacji między medialnym (konstruowanym) i odczuwanym (będącym efektem praktyk samowykluczających) obrazem ciała oraz obserwacja mechanizmów językowych, które budują i pozwalają utrzymać poczucie wspólnoty osób ze spektrum ED. Autorka, omawiająca podejmowane zagadnienia, łączy podejście językoznawcze z ustaleniami z zakresu kulturoznawstwa i socjologii, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem badań z zakresu socjologii ciała. Przedmiotem obserwacji są leksykalne i onimiczne konteksty, w których uwidacznia się stosunek osób z zaburzeniami odżywiania do ciała, zwłaszcza w aspekcie jego fragmentaryzacji i przekształcania. Te ustalenia wpisują się w szerszy kontekst związany z przenikaniem się (sprzecznych) dyskursów: dyskursu diety oraz tzw. ciałopozytywności (anty-body shaming), czyli zaakceptowania swojego naturalnego ciała.
There are many studies concerning Wisława Szymborska’s works, especially in the field of literary studies. Researchers (including S. Balbus, E. Balcerzan, A. Legeżyńska) have discussed in detail the features and the most important themes of her poetry. They also paid attention to stylistic devices and language games used by the poet. However, they were little interested in the onymic layer of her poems. Meanwhile, Szymborska’s poetry is a rich source of proper names, which appear independently or constitute elements of metaphors and comparisons. Among these onyms, there are both anthroponyms and place names, hydronyms and ideonyms. The poet’s oeuvre also includes works devoid of proper names, which is also an important signal of textual functions (e.g. concealment, evanescence, uncertainty). The conducted analyses (e.g. of the poem “Portrait of a woman”) show how the analysis of proper names enriches the interpretative conclusions.
PL
Utwory Wisławy Szymborskiej doczekały się wielu opracowań, zwłaszcza literaturoznawczych. Badacze (np. S. Balbus, E. Balcerzan, A. Legeżyńska) szczegółowo omówili najważniejsze tematy tej poezji oraz cechy jej poetyki. Zwracali też uwagę na zabiegi stylistyczne oraz stosowane przez poetkę gry językowe. Jednak w niewielkim stopniu interesowała ich warstwa onimiczna wierszy. Tymczasem poezja Szymborskiej jest źródłem bogatego zbioru nazw własnych, występujących samodzielnie lub stanowiących człony metafor i porównań. Są to zarówno antroponimy, jak i nazwy miejscowe, hydronimy oraz ideonimy. W dorobku poetki są też utwory pozbawione nazw własnych, co także jest sygnałem funkcji tekstowych (np. przemilczenia, przemijania, niepewności). Przeprowadzone analizy (np. wiersza „Portret kobiecy”) pokazują, jak objęcie obserwacją nazw własnych wpływa na wzbogacenie interpretacyjnych wniosków.
The article focuses on issues connected with contemporary urbanonymy. From the example of the most recent layer of urban onomastics, it is demonstrated to what degree the intentions of names’ creators coincide with the expectations of their users. The primary onomastic perspective is complemented by determinations from the field of architecture, urbanistics, and cultural studies.
The authors of the article, knowing about Wat’s interest in language mechanisms, focus their attention on namopaniki – the genre created by the poet. Arguing with the previous findings which concentrated on the presentation of the properties of semantics of the non-rational futuristic word, they propose an interpretation based on the demonstration of the inner energy of text.
The subject of the article are names of delegates to the Polish District Parliament in Poznan in 1918. The authors undertook an anthroponomastic analysis which allowed to classify surnames on the basis of their motivation and etymology. The influence of German spelling on Polish names and manifestations of Polish spelling of surnames after Poland regained independence were also discussed. The analysis is preceded by comments on the history of Polish surnames. Particular attention was also paid to female names, because in 1918 women obtained full electoral rights and could become delegates to the Parliament.
Theoreticians of Literature and Proper Names (Introductory Remarks) The article expands and modifies the contexts in which literary onomastics currently operates. This strictly interdisciplinary field of research, primarily originating from linguistics, has sought out the contexts that triggered non-obvious meanings of names readable in the artistic work from the outset. The references were varied – stylistics, textology, philosophy, structural poetics. All of them significantly enriched onomastic nalyses, leaving some fundamental sense of insufficiency at the same time. That is the reason why we propose the project of the connection between literary onomastics and - now extremely extensive - theoretical thought. The article is not the end of this discussion, but rather an exploratory study and the beginning of scientific research. Consequently, there is no one ordering and chronological concept with a clear conclusion, but the main aim is to show the analysis of the claims relevant for further research. Therefore, several concepts of theoreticians interested in proper names in literature were discussed (far from a common phenomenon in this case). From the research projects analyzed, including among others: U. Eco, J.F. Lyo tard, P. de Man, there emerges a clear conviction of the need to end the search for a referential, texted name. In this place it refers, on the one hand, to itself, establishing its own unreal meaning (image-forming, phonic, intertextual); on the other, it concerns the author’s system of naming (and beyond), which is also an epistemological concept. The starting point of these diagnoses was the thoroughly interpreted self-analysis of artistic works made by Marcel Proust; for further analysis, the thesis of Walter Benn Michaels was also employed, which brings interest in proper names from literature to the domain of artistic experiences. The conducted analysis (designing future literary onomastic research) leads to the final conclusion that the proper name indicates the essence itself, the arche of our existence.
A Name in a Buttonhole - Onymy in Poetic Texts (Based on the Example of Bruno Jasieński’s Poetry)This article addresses the issue of the interpretation of proper names in poetry. The state of research on the functions of proper names in literature is well described, but it is possible to note the lack of a fixed interpretation strategy in poetry which means that, despite little interest in poetry, its researchers often try to propose their own methods of analysis. The authors of the article, who tackle onyms in the poetry of Bruno Jasieński, present their own methodological approach to the matter, based on B. Waldenfels’ concept of the “phenomenology of the alien”.
JavaScript is turned off in your web browser. Turn it on to take full advantage of this site, then refresh the page.