Z problematyki kultury języka polskiego

Abstract

"Kultura języka", a term which does not have an English equivalent, but corresponds roughly to "cultivated usage", consists in exercising conscious influence on the language and its development, as well as in making conscious use of it in interhuman relations. Exercising influence on the language means the forming of linguistic norms, that is to say certain directives on how to use the given elements of language, namely how to pronounce certain sounds, how to inflect words, by means of what rules to join them into sentences, etc. A linguistic norm must be based on linguistic reality, that is one cannot establish a norm which would not be supported by the usage of at least part of the language community. The notion of norm entails another phenomenon, namely a linguistic error, resulting either from one’s being ignorant of the norm, or from a visible misapplication of the norm. However, language is a phenomenon subject to constant evolution. This evolution results from linguistic innovations, that is to say from such deviations from the norm which do not meet with objection from the competent part of the society. The author goes on to discuss a number of examples which illustrate deviations from the norm in pronunciation, inflection, syntax, lexicon, etc. Talking about the lexicon, the author stresses the fact that the speaker must adjust his vocabulary to the subject matter, in accordance with his intention.