The Ways of Addressing Interlocutors on the Example of the Programme To był dzień (This was the day) on Polish Radio 3

Abstract

In the radio political commentary the interlocutors - journalists addressing each other most often use the official, not too varied, address forms PAN/PANI (formal YOU). However, these forms can have various functions in the text: phatic, appellative, as well as expressive one. They may also be interjections used involuntarily in an utterance. Their function depends on meta-text operators that accompany them in the utterance.

The ways of addressing interlocutors are not only address forms of the YOU type, but also forms characteristic of the definite situation in the conversation which are used in connection with them, e.g. phrases that are used to express one's disagreement to the previous speaker's opinion, to make sure if one understood a partner's utterance well, to express a reproach, reprimand, etc. The frequency of the address forms use seems to be significant for the character of the utterance; e.g. accumulation of forms of YOU type may be a sign of a greater distance between the interlocutors and it may express offence, reprimand.