O przytoczeniach w tekstach polemicznych Jana Śniadeckiego

Abstract

Citation is a category whose linguistic status is ambiguous. This is why a research report on this issue needs to start with the author’s effort to define terminology, in order to avoid potential misinterpretation. In this paper, citation is defined as a textual category, and used in its broad meaning: the notion covers both direct and indirect speech constructions, since the syntactic discrepancy between the two types of structure does not affect the role these constructions play in the analysed texts. These texts are polemicals by Jan Śniadecki, a leading Polish thinker of the Enlightenment. The paper discusses the functions that citations realize (supporting persuasive argumentation, constructing polemical parts of the text), as well as the issue of irregularities in graphic marking and punctuation of citations. The main conclusions are as follows: citation and autocitation of judgements and opinions is a crucial method of organizing discourse in Śniadecki’s writings. The way he reproduces others’ statements influences directly the stylistic and the functional character of citations. Śniadecki uses citations to refer the reader to numerous authors and thinkers, which testifies to his great erudition. He quotes from culturally fundamental texts (the Bible, Cicero, St. Augustine), classics of Polish and world literature (Horace or Krasicki), as well as from scientific works of his contemporaries (Johnson, Voltaie, d’Alambert, Rousseau). These citations depict a panorama of the Enlightenment thought, expressed by the most famous figures of culture and science of that time. The citations also make it clear to us what areas of cultural tradition were appreciated the most by the classics of the Enlightenment.