Idiomatic expressions in Polish tabloids
The transforming Polish reality entails changes in the way of constructing media messages and opens the path to unhindered, free expression. The language of those messages seems to be heading towards greater colloquialization and constructing a conventional vision of the world, the example of which is tabloid press. The content analysis of two Polish tabloids — “Fakt” and “Super Express” — showed that in constructing the messages authors willingly use idiomatic expressions, often introducing innovations to their structure. Idioms appear in titles and leads, where their task is to attract readers’ attention, as well as in main bodies, where they are supposed to strengthen the message. The analysis confirmed the thesis that using unsophisticated, cliche expressions which are most numerous in the texts, one can create a vision of the world appealing to many recipients, which in turn is reflected in cited research on the readership of this type of press. Drawing on Polish phraseology is a domain not only of the authors, but also recipients of the message. Taking a closer look at the comments placed under certain texts on Internet tabloids’ websites allows one to notice the tendency of Polish language users to incorrectly change the components of idioms or use them in a wrong context.