Record books as a source of sociolinguistic research (based on selected 19th-century Libri Natorum of the Tarnów Diocese)

Abstract

The article presents the characteristics of the 19th-century record books of selected parishes belonging to the Tarnów diocese. The text discusses important diachronic information included in the documents, such as religious affiliation and origin from entitled and unauthorized relationships. On the basis of the linguistic material excerpted from the metrics, the names of professions and functions performed by the inhabitants of that time were also analyzed. State IDs present in baptism records also made it possible to recreate the social status and living conditions of the inhabitants of that time.