Cyprian Norwid's Language Against the Backdrop of the Epoch (transl. by Jan Kłos)

Abstract

This paper seeks to provide an overall characterisation of the linguistic aspect of Norwid's poetic texts. It is partly a reflection of the then state of general Polish that differs for many reasons from the contemporary Polish language, both with regard to systemic (phonological, morphological, and syntactic) and regional aspects (Masovian and East-Polish). The scope of borrowings was also different. Despite this, the linguistic structure of the poet's works depicts numerous innovations (inter alia neologisms and archaisms), which fulfil concrete stylistic functions. From the lexicological point of view one should also mention here groups of poetisms, colloquial elements, and components of various terminologies