Dawne ortografie, gramatyki i podręczniki języka polskiego

Abstrakt angielski

Published in 1767, the book O początku, dawności, odmianach… (= On the beginning, antiquity, variants and improvement of the Polish language. Sentences) is composed of 16 parts (called Zdania (Sentences) by the author). Sentences 1-7 are dedicated to the genealogy of Slavonic languages and Polish. Making references to the rich literature on the subject and etymology, Kleczewski argues that Slavonic was used by the Scythians (Scyths), followed by the Sarmatians and the Slavs. In Sentences 8-11, he takes up important issues in the field of Polish language culture, pays particular attention to borrowings, scientific and professional terminology, macaronicisms, neologisms (he formulates criteria for their evaluation), appropriate word choice, and correct pronunciation. As regards borrowings, he represents a purist approach, offers propositions of their replacement with native neologisms, old words or words borrowed from other Slavonic languages. He criticises the dismissive attitude to the mother tongue and negligence in language education and points to the absence of grammar and a codified standard. He appreciates the initiatives for language improvement taken by the environment of king Stanisław Poniatowski. Sentence 12 is dedicated to the issue of upbringing, 13 – to benefits from reading books and mastering memorisation skills, while Sentences 14-16 – to translating and writing books in Polish. Through his work, Kleczewski joined the group of Enlightenment activists (Franciszek Bohomolec, Ignacy Krasicki, Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski), who engaged in the battle for the rebirth of their native language in the 18th c.

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