Wydział Anglistyki (WA)/ Faculty of English

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A case for bilingual learners' dictionaries
(2015) Lew, Robert; Adamska-Sałaciak, Arleta
This article makes a case for bilingual learners’ dictionaries. These dictionaries are very different from traditional bilingual dictionaries, being attuned to the productive needs of learners who are speakers of a specific L1. Although they have been around for some time now, teachers of English remain largely unaware of their benefits (or, possibly, their existence), continuing to promote the one-size-fits-all monolingual English learners’ dictionaries (MELDs) as the best choice for their students. As practising lexicographers, we cannot fail to appreciate the excellence of the leading MELDs, but, as we try to show, there are important respects in which even the best monolingual dictionary cannot assist a foreign language learner. We also explain why bilingualized dictionaries (adaptations of MELDs) are not a viable alternative to custom-designed bilingual learners’ dictionaries when it comes to helping students speak or write in English. Our arguments are illustrated by sample entries taken from dictionaries for speakers of Japanese, Polish, and Portuguese learning English; some more examples of bilingual learners’ dictionaries for speakers of different languages are given in the Appendix.
A corpus-based analysis of the peculiar behaviour of the Polish verb podobać się
(Peter Lang, 2008) Miechowicz-Mathiasen, Katarzyna; Scheffler, Paweł
A dynamical-systems approach to the evolution of morphonotactic and lexical consonant clusters in English and Polish
(De Gruyter Open, 2016) Baumann, Andreas; Kaźmierski, Kamil
Consonant clusters appear either lexically within morphemes or morphonotactically across morpheme boundaries. According to extant theories, their diachronic dynamics are suggested to be determined by analogical effects on the one hand as well as by their morphological signaling function on the other hand. This paper presents a mathematical model which allows for an investigation of the interaction of these two forces and the resulting diachronic dynamics. The model is tested against synchronic and diachronic language data. It is shown that the evolutionary dynamics of the cluster inventory crucially depend on how the signaling function of morphonotactic clusters is compromised by the presence of lexical items containing their morpheme internal counterparts.
A narratological analysis of the vampire character in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight saga
(2020) Rosenberg, Shiri; Stachura, Paweł. Promotor
Stephenie Meyer is the author of bestselling young-adult novels, most importantly Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007), and Breaking Dawn (2008), which form the Twilight series. The dissertation compares the narrative structure and imagery in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books and in fairy tales. Because of significant and numerous similarities, Meyer’s novels can be identified as modern-time fairy tales. The novels include a number of well-known stock images, plots, and characters, which are identified and discussed in the present discussion. One of the key concepts in the present inquiry, as defined in the first chapter, is the literary fairy tale and its relation to the folk tale. In the Twilight novels, Stephenie Meyer combines fairy tale material with the vampire character and imagery related to the vampire theme, discussed in the second chapter. This combination is an important research area in the present study, and it leads to interesting results. The dissertation will present a brief historical outline of the vampire character in literature and present the transformations of themes, functions, and readership of vampire fiction, from pre-modern times to the late 20th century.
A new type of folk-inspired definition in English monolingual learners' dictionaries and its usefulness for conveying syntactic information
(Oxford University Press, 2006) Lew, Robert; Dziemianko, Anna
A new type of definition of abstract noun headwords, the single-clause when-definition, has recently found its way into major English monolingual learners' dictionaries. In line with a current broad tendency in pedagogical lexicography, the new definition format seems to be modeled after (English) folk defining, although in fact the latter has so far received little systematic study. The present contribution focuses on the usefulness of the new definition format for conveying syntactic class information to the foreign learner, who may be unfamiliar with the English folk defining tradition. The new definition is tested empirically against the traditional analytical definition.
A re-classification of Old English nouns
(2002) Krygier, Marcin
The standard classification of Old English nominal inflections, employing the Proto-Germanic root structure, fails to reflect synchronic features of the system. This paper follows Kastovsky (1995) and Lass (1997) in rejecting the traditional model as incompatible with synchronic data, and postulates an alternative view on the categorization of Old English nouns. The new interpretation makes it possible to capture synchronic relationships within the Old English nominal paradigm, as well as predict developmental tendencies observable in the Middle English period.
A Shibboleth upon Their Tongues: Early English /r/ Revisited
(2006) Gąsiorowski, Piotr
This article discusses the pronunciation of the rhotic phoneme /r/ in early English. The traditional belief that the dominant pronunciation in Old and Middle English was [r] (an apical trill) is still supported by some authors, but there is growing consensus that there was a fairly wide range of /r/ realisations already in early Germanic, and that the pronunciation of /r/ in Old English was about as variable as it is in present-day English. The article defends this view and goes a step further, suggesting that the modern distribution of variant rhotic pronunciations in British English reflects to some extent the distribution of very similar sounds in Old English.
A study in the use of bilingual and monolingual dictionaries by Polish learners of English: A preliminary report
(Center for Sprogteknologi, Copenhagen University, 2002) Lew, Robert
The paper presents a selection of results from a study investigating dictionary use by 712 Polish learners of English representing a variety of FL competence levels and backgrounds. Data from Learner Survey, experiment, and Teacher Survey are brought in to test hypotheses relating to a variety of aspects of dictionary use. Here two aspects have been selected for presentation. First, frequency with which learners seek different types of information in their dictionaries is analyzed. It is found that the need for meaning and equivalents dominates over non-semantic information at all levels but the highest. At the advanced level, interest in non-semantic information surges. Second, the relative usefulness of six dictionary types for lexical decoding is tested experimentally. Analysis reveals the influence of level, dictionary type, and interaction of level by type on test scores. Monolingual dictionary produces lowest scores, but its disadvantage is relatively smallest for advanced learners.
AD reception research: Some methodological considerations
(EUT, 2012) Chmiel, Agnieszka; Mazur, Iwona
AD reception research, or collection of feedback from the blind and partially sighted as the target audience of audio described films, seems to be one of the best sources of information to be applied when creating both AD standards and audio descriptions proper. This paper presents experiences gained by the authors when conducting two reception studies. The first one involved a questionnaire distributed to 18 viewers with vision dysfunctions immediately after two screenings of audio described films. The other one is a larger-scale work-in-progress, whose results will be applied in the development of Polish AD standards reflecting the preferences of the blind and visually impaired viewers in Poland, where the participants are being interviewed and presented with AD samples. The authors discuss various methodological issues, including problems with obtaining a sufficient number of participants, reflecting feedback from visually- impaired AD consultants in the surveys and discovering user preferences. It is suggested that responses concerning objectivity or subjectivity of descriptions should be elicited indirectly (implicitly) rather than directly (explicitly) and that research results are more meaningful if interviews involve comprehension questions and AD samples.
Addicted to the Holocaust – Bernice Eisenstein’s ways of coping with troublesome memories in "I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors"
(Adam Mickiewicz University, 2015) Drewniak, Dagmara
In her I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors published in Canada in 2006, Bernice Eistenstein undertakes an attempt to cope with the inherited memories of the Holocaust. As a child of the Holocaust survivors, she tries to deal with the trauma her parents kept experiencing years after WWII had finished. Eisenstein became infected with the suffering and felt it inescapable. Eisenstein’s text, which is one of the first Jewish-Canadian graphic memoirs, appears to represent the voice of the children of Holocaust survivors not only owing to its verbal dimension, but also due to the drawings incorporated into the text. Therefore, the text becomes a combination of a memoir, a family story, a philosophical treatise and a comic strip, which all prove unique and enrich the discussion on the Holocaust in literature. For these reasons, the aim of this article is to analyze the ways in which Eisenstein deals with her postmemory, to use Marianne Hirsch’s term (1997 [2002]), as well as her addiction to the Holocaust memories. As a result of this addiction, the legacy of her postmemory is both unwanted and desired and constitutes Bernice Eisenstein’s identity as the eponymous child of Holocaust survivors.
Afrikaanse plaas versus Antilliaanse plantage. Ruimte, lokaliteit en identiteit in "Mijn zuster de negerin" van Cola Debrot
(Tydskrif vir Letterkunde Society, University of Pretoria, 2006) Koch, Jerzy
African farm versus Antillean plantation. Propositions formulated with reference to one literary tradition could have a stimulating effect on research conducted in another. This contribution is aimed at establishing whether it is possible to analyse Dutch Antillean literature with Afrikaans literary concepts. To illustrate this, Cola Debrot’s (1902-1981) "Mijn zuster de negerin" (My sister, the Negress, 1935) will be placed within the framework of the Afrikaans plaasroman (farm novel). This historical subgenre of the South African novel came to full bloom in the 1930s and 1940s. Central to the plaasroman is the farm-experience. The fact that contemporary Afrikaans authors are still interested in this novelistic mode testifies to its viability, which derives from the ample scope it provides for giving expression to problems concerning identity and locality. "Mijn zuster de negerin", a true classic of Dutch literature, is studied here through the prism of the most typical elements of the plaasroman, for example the close connection with the soil and with nature, the space of the rural districts, the 'plaas' as an idyllic place, the motif of the prodigal son, the rejection and acceptance of an inheritance/a legacy, the motif of the ancestors and rebellion against the older generation or the patriarchal order. Special emphasis is placed on the motif of house/homestead and barnyard, as the experience of these spaces contains the quintessence of all the other important motifs. Since the issue of identity and locality is central also to Debrot’s novella, the Afrikaans plaasroman provides an expansive framework within which this Dutch story can be interpreted.
Agents of change. Feminist literary magazines, editors, and the politics of cultural production in Canada (1970-2000)
(2020) Markowicz, Marcin; Rzepa, Agnieszka. Promotor
This study investigates the role of feminist literary magazines and their editors as facilitators of change within Canadian literary and cultural field from the 1970s through the 1990s. Such an investigation entails a broader analysis of the politics of cultural production in Canada with a focus on the production and editing of selected publications in the context of feminist publishing and alternative publishing, including an analysis of networks, relations and exchanges among editors, contributors, readers, and institutions. The publications chosen for analysis – Room of One’s Own (1975- ), Fireweed (1978-2002), CV2 (1975- ), Tessera (1984-2005) and (f.)Lip (1987-1990) – are examined as representatives of women’s literary magazine culture that emerges in the mid-1970s, signaling a shift in Canadian literary magazine history that has remained largely unexplored. Research questions at the core of the study relate to the nature of agency of both editors and their publications, the degree of embeddedness of feminist periodical production in changing socio-political and cultural contexts, the politics of editing and producing feminist literary magazines in Canada, and the links between editing, representation and legitimation of writing by women marginalized on the grounds of race, sexual orientation and class.
Ambiguity-generating devices in linguistic verbal jokes
(2010-12-11T20:29:03Z) Lew, Robert
The paper argues that ambiguity is a desirable and purposeful element of linguistic verbal jokes and explains and illustrates the mechanisms which support ambiguity.
Analiza dyskursywna (re-)konstruowania kobiecości, macierzyństwa i żałoby w wywiadach o doświadczeniu poronienia
(2023) Sokalska-Bennett, Aleksandra; Pawelczyk, Joanna. Promotor
Niniejsza rozprawa doktorska bada doświadczenie poronienia osadzone w dominujących dyskursach macierzyństwa, kobiecości i żałoby w kontekście pogłębionych, częściowo ustrukturyzowanych wywiadów indywidualnych z kobietami, które doznały wczesnej utraty ciąży. Punktem wyjścia moich rozważań są idee wspólnego wytwarzania wiedzy przez członków kultury (Burr 1995; Marecek et al. 2004), a w szczególności centralna rola języka w konstruowaniu rzeczywistości i jej dalszym podtrzymywaniu (Leeds-Hurwitz 2009). Rozpoznanie złożoności doświadczenia poronienia i jego indywidualnego charakteru w przypadku każdej straty wymaga zastosowania zintegrowanego jakościowego podejścia do analizy danych, raczej niż polegania na jednej perspektywie badawczej. Zastosowana w pracy szeroko pojęta analiza dyskursu, a w szczególności analiza konwersacji (CA), analiza kategoryzacji członkostwa (MCA), i psychologia dyskursywna (DP), pozwala na ustalenie dyskursywnych i społecznych powiązań między kobiecością, macierzyństwem, żałobą i poronieniem. Pozwala ona również na ujawnienie, w jaki sposób dyskursy traktujące o poronieniu przyczyniają się do społecznej tabuizacji i negowania tego doświadczenia; oraz zidentyfikowanie dyskursów dotyczących poronienia w celu pogłębienia wiedzy na temat tego doświadczenia.
‘And yet, what would we be without memory?’ Visualizing memory in two Canadian graphic texts
(Adam Mickiewicz University, 2018-03-09) Drewniak, Dagmara
Since “we live in a culture of confession” (Gilmore 2001: 2; Rak 2005: 2) a rapidly growing popularity of various forms of life writing seems understandable. The question of memory is usually an important part of the majority of autobiographical texts. Taking into account both the popularity of life writing genres and their recent proliferation, it is interesting to see how the question “what would we be without memory?” (Sebald 1998 [1995]: 255) resonates within more experimental auto/biographical texts such as a graphic memoir/novel I Was a Child of Holocaust Survivors (2006) by Bernice Eisenstein and a volume of illustrated poetry and a biographical elegy published together as Correspondences (2013) by Anne Michaels and Bernice Eisenstein. These two experimental works, though representing disparate forms of writing, offer new stances on visualization of memory and correspondences between text and visual image. The aim of this paper is to analyze the ways in which the two authors discuss memory as a fluid concept yet, at the same time, one having its strong, ghostly presence. The discussion will also focus on the interplay between memory and postmemory as well as correspondences between the texts and the equally important visual forms accompanying them such as drawings, portraits, sketches, and the bookbinding itself.
Anti-freezing and peeling
(GLSA Publications, Univwrsity of Massachusetts Amherst, 2018-10-23) Wiland, Bartosz
This short paper shows that in certain grammatical environments acceptability of extractions from fronted constituents in Polish is at a similar level as acceptability of the variants involving pied-piping. This suggests that the Freezing Condition, a procedural ban on movement out of a moved constituent, is too coarse. Such a result opens up the possibility for the so-called 'peeling derivations' to be in principle legal.
Are abstract concepts like dinosaur feathers?
(Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2014) Jelec, Anna
Articulatory grounding of phonemic distinctions in English by means of electropalatography
(2014) Krynicki, Grzegorz
The aim of the experiment described in this paper was to devise and test a procedure that would allow identification of a phoneme on the basis of only tongue-to-palate and labial contacts that accompanied its realization in continuous read speech. The hypothesis underlying this study was that the articulatory correlates of the phonemic distinctive features can be induced statistically from dimensionality-reduced electropalatographic data.
Aspects of morphosyntactic constraints on quantification in English and Polish
(Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2016) Dziubała-Szrejbrowska, Dominika
The topic of dissertation “Aspects of morphosyntactic constraints on quantification in English and Polish” is numerals and lexemes expressing quantity such as many, much, a few/little, several/a few functioning as modifiers in nominal phrases in English and Polish. The subject matter analyzed in the present work is syntax of nominal phrases containing quantifiers within a generative grammar, more specifically in the recent permutations of generative model as discussed by Chomsky (1995, 2001), and according to a novel approach to grammar, i.e. nanosyntax, as introduced by Starke (2009); Caha (2009, 2010 ) or Taraldsen (2009). The major aspect of this work is the structure of nominal phrases containing quantifiers as well as the mechanism of case distribution within a phrase based on the theory of movement together with the assumption that the smallest building block is not a morpheme, as it has been the case in various generative approaches, but a feature. What follows, elements in phrases occurring in positions to which structural cases, i.e. Nominative and Accusative, or oblique cases, i.e. and Genitive or Dative etc. are assigned, move to the position within a maximal projection of a given Case. The proposed model seems to provide tools to explain the homogenous and heterogeneous syntax of numerals, the intricate patterns of case marking of modifiers in a pre-numeral and pre-nominal position as well as signals new avenues to explore in the syntax of agreement with quantified subjects.
Aspects of order preservation in Polish and English
(2009) Wiland, Bartosz; Witkoś, Jacek

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