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Articles

Vol. 28 (2018): Świadomość językowa w ujęciu antropologiczno-kulturowym

Contribution to linguistic politics in the Interwar Period — Ministry of Communication for the sake of language

  • Ewa Woźniak
DOI
https://doi.org/10.19195/1232-9657.28.8
Submitted
5 May 2021
Published
05-05-2021

Abstract

The article presents the interwar initiatives of the Polish Ministry of Transport (for some time functioning under the name of the Ministry of Railroad) that served to encourage appropriate language use. In order to promote linguistic correctness in rail transport, the ministry established the Language Commission, which functioned in 1919–1938. The members of this organisation, which was an advisory body of the ministry, included linguists (A.A. Kryński, K. Król, S. Szober). The commission published lists of phrases of foreign origin that were deemed incorrect, especially those used in official letters. Recommended equivalents were provided, too. The commission also Polonized German terminology. These initiatives serve as evidence of language awareness at the time. They also bring new arguments to the discussion of Poland’s linguistic politics in the interwar period.