The need of research on the language of protest in Poland during the period of communism — government-independent press in Cracow

Abstract

In the 1980s illegal press played a very important role in the fight for political changes in Poland and was also one of the most important tools against official government language. This press was a part of a bigger picture of the language self-defence in totalitarian political system. Professor I. Kamińska-Szmaj from University in Wroclaw characterised this phenomenon very adequately in her books. Cracow — according to the newest historical research — was the second largest independent press movement center in Poland. In Cracow between 1976–1990 there were a few hundred different kinds of independent press circulations, therefore it is a priceless source for language and press research. This article is describing a variety of possibilities and perspectives in this very interesting linguistic research field, which is still very little known and rarely described.a