Proces numeralizacji rzeczowników w gwarach polskich (na wybranych przykładach)

Abstract

The article is to present a discussion concerning a group of selected lexemes, such lexemes bear various names in Polish linguistics: quantitative nouns (Schabowska, 1967), undetermined numerals (Obrębska-Jabłońska, 1984); partitive undetermined numerals (Laskowski, 1984), undetermined numerical pronouns (USJP, 2000). It concerns the nouns that refer to specific objects or phenomena in their original meaning and, combined with other nouns, may mean a quantity indefinitely large or small. The result of the gradual lexicalization in the numeral function are formal changes, including without limitation the denominator’s function being taken over by the accusative and assuming the neuter gender by the subject group with such noun (masę ludzi przyszło na spotkanie *). The changes of grammatical categories caused the transfer of units from one class to another. Maria Schabowska dealt with the problem in detail in her extensive work entitled Rzeczowniki ilościowe w języku polskim [“Quantitative nouns in the Polish language”]. The entire work refers to the Polish language in general as well as to the selected dialectical lexemes. Although numerous works on this subject have been published, dialectical lexis has not been the major topic of any publication. In my work, I would like to present the process of numeralization of nouns occurring in Polish dialects, against the background of general Polish, basing on the materials gathered in the files of Słownik gwar polskich [Dictionary of Polish Dialects] by Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN w Krakowie [Polish Language Institute of Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow].