<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><p>Dramatic transformations in Poland after the fall of communism and the country’s thorny path to democracy provide fascinating material for reflection and study of language in its relations to politics and social change. A review of communist newspeak, followed by the breakdown of monopoly on public speaking, the beginning of the language of the opposition, finally developing into various styles of Solidarity, serve as a backdrop for an analysis of the post-communist speech developing in diverse, occasionally opposite directions, affecting all levels of linguistic reality at different speeds, with varying intensity and degree of immunity to external manipulation</p></abstract>

Dramatic transformations in Poland after the fall of communism and the country’s thorny path to democracy provide fascinating material for reflection and study of language in its relations to politics and social change. A review of communist newspeak, followed by the breakdown of monopoly on public speaking, the beginning of the language of the opposition, finally developing into various styles of Solidarity, serve as a backdrop for an analysis of the post-communist speech developing in diverse, occasionally opposite directions, affecting all levels of linguistic reality at different speeds, with varying intensity and degree of immunity to external manipulation

Language and Social Change. Public Communication, Nation, and Identity

Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Nowy Świat 69, 00-046 Warsaw, Poland

Psychology of Language and Communication

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

{"article-title":"Language and Social Change. Public Communication, Nation, and Identity"}

Dramatic transformations in Poland after the fall of communism and the country’s thorny path to democracy provide fascinating material for reflection and study...

Language and Social Change. Public Communication, Nation, and Identity

Published Online: Dec 21, 2012

Page range: 253 - 267

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10057-012-0017-5

© 2013

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.