Werbalne formuły grzecznościowe w epistolografii (od połowy XVIII do połowy XIX wieku)

Abstract

The study is based on Polish cpistolography of highly educated people - artists and aristocracy from the period of mid 18th century to mid 19th century. The range of work is limited to verbal expressions. The article discusses three most popular and most differentiated lingual phrases: requests, thanks and apologies. The mam goal of the study was analysis of the changes in formulating of polite expressions in the ages of Enlighment and Romanticism. Very important for the author was also the question whether the culture of discussed epochs simplified the baroque (and rococo) forms of polite expressions and to what extend they are continued in present language. In quoted examples besides the sender there is always given the receiver of the utterance since the type of connections between the authors of the letters and their recipients essentially influenced the changes in tone of the letters, the choice of subject, formal modifications and in consequence - the forms of polite expressions. Presented material allows to suppose that in comparison to previous period many forms became out of use and many quite new and unknown earlier were created. The most fruitful for these new forms was the turn of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century.