List jako źródło do rekonstrukcji historii polskiego językoznawstwa

Abstract

Correspondence between linguists, apart from their scientific work, is a source of knowledge about the origins and evolution of Polish linguistics in contemporary version on the turn of the 20th century. This article analyses letters of five scholars: Jan Baudouin de Courtenay, Jan Łoś, Kazimierz Nitsch, Jan Michał Rozwadowski and Henryk Ułaszyn. The letters originated during the period 1898–1931; the correspondence between Nitsch and Ułaszyn continued until 1955. Emphasis was put on selected topics: conducted original work, establishment of Rocznik Slawistyczny – a critical journal in the field of Slavic Studies, shaping the scientific profile of the following journals: Poradnik Językowy and Język Polski. Letters, as factual material, demonstrate not only academic relations between Polish and foreign linguists, but also daily life, attitudes and plans of the scholars. Their analysis may be a valuable supplement to data derived from biograms, memoirs and theoretical elaborations.