The article focuses on the very often discussed issue concerning the so called support verbs. Starting with one of the first definitions of support verbs, the author carries out the analsis of the evolution of the term based on the object-oriented approach. The comparison to the logical approach proposed by Stanisław Karolak is also conducted. The analysis of the chosen examples makes the author to give some thought to the legitimacy of the use of the term “support verb” in some cases.

It is well known that languages differ in how they describe the same piece of reality. In this paper, the author examine that the categorization of some events does not proceed in identical way in French and in Polish. On the basis of two nouns of French language analysed as an example, according to the object-oriented method, the author shows that in some cases one item could have few equivalents in other language. The lexicographical description was illustrated with the results deriving from two exemplary nouns (storm, frost). The selection of linguistic equivalents depends on the context of units. It causes great problems for the translator above all for the automatic translation. To chose the proper equivalent, the translator has to analyse a number of uses of unit and understand the concept expressed by the expression.

Lexical databases such as AOO or EWN are built in order to enable machine translation of written word. The author’s intention is to test the applicability of the above listed databases in machine translation and to choose the one that proves to be more successful. The presentation of final results consists of two parts. Part I is the analysis of factors influencing the process of machine translation with the use of AOO and EWN that is to say: steps in database design, their theoretical aspects and the categorization of lexical items. In author’s belief, the above mentioned elements exert profound influence on the result of machine translation produced with the use of one of the herein described lexical databases. The second part of the presentation touches on the matters of hierarchy, semantic inheritance and word-sense disambiguation.

The article focuses on the problem of conceptual hierarchy that exists within the semantic field language communication based on the object oriented approach proposed by Wiesław Banyś. On the basis of the collected language material the author presents the semantic analysis of words taking into consideration all the necessary elements that appear in the process of communication and their interpretation with reference to the linguistic elements that represent them. Next, the classification of particular object subclasses is carried out.

This paper deals with a short study of automatic translation and natural language processing in contemporary linguistics. The author presents the main reasons of their conception as well as their beginnings and expectations in the historical perspective. Also the difficulties in the domain of automatic translation like polysemy, ambiguity or choice of the formalisms appropriate to the description and the proposals of their resolution are focused on in the paper. In this context, the article examines the problem of word sense disambiguation according to the object oriented approach proposed by W. Banyś. The author seeks to demonstrate the differences in the choice of the linguistic means in French and Polish on the analyzed levels and the influence of occurrence in this description. The aim of this paper is also to indicate some possibilities to communicate our human linguistic abilities to the computer to ensure the correct machine translation.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the relations between thematic segments which constitue the intermediate level of information structure in discourse. The information structures are defined as hierarchically organized thematic-rhematic structures and, in their thematic part, the author distinguishes three levels represented by: global theme, theme of thematic segments and theme of sentence. The author focuses her attention on possible thematic-rhematic configurations appearing in the place where thematic segments contact.

The article aims to analyse — on the basis of cognitive linguistics — the concept of health in Italian and some of its relations to many domains of people’s life. Various idiomatic expressions are examined with the focus on determining the way of perceiving a given notion and its conceptual content. The analyses which were conducted within the framework of master’s thesis of the author led to conclusion that health, which is an abstract notion, is often expressed by the metaphors which reveal a great part of perception, values and attitudes. Italians most often associate health with a person, thus the examined notion is equipped with the qualities and attributes characteristic for humankind.

These considerations are developed within the cognitive approach to language study. They represent an attempt to discuss the mechanisms of language used by writers to achieve a persuasive impact on the recipient (by inducing emotion, influencing the recipient’s consciousness, imagination and reactions). The article characterizes linguistic actions which are intended to influence the decisions of customers by imposing a particular vision of reality on them. Undoubtedly, the use of appropriate
lexemes (borrowings, technical vocabulary) and syntactic structures (causal structures between compound sentences, subordinate conditionals) belongs to this type of strategy.

The following article discusses problems concerning the persuasive function of semantic and rhetorical means used to express evaluations and judgements in a special type of media discourse called editorial. By using different semantic and rhetorical means of valorization, journalists construct the axiological domain of discursive representation in order to influence and manipulate the readers’ feelings and opinions. Therefore, the author of the study focuses her attention on two types of linguistic means of valorization such as axiological expressions (J-C. Anscombr e, O. Ducrot, 1988) and persuasive metaoperators (according to A. Awdiejew’s terminology, 2004) whose purpose is to reinforce the information content. Both elements are connected with language manipulation.

In this paper the author analyses the role of global and generalising themes in the information structure of discourse defined as hierarchically organized thematic-rhematic structures. In their thematic part, the author distinguishes three levels represented by: (1) global theme, (2) themes of thematic segments and generalising themes, and (3) themes of sentences. The author focuses her attention on possible localisation and functions of global and generalising themes in discourse.

This article tries to determine French equivalents of Polish verbs prefixed with na-. The analysis is based on the definition of aspect as a semantic category. The determination of the noun phrase accompanying verbs is crucial to define the aspectual value of the construction na-verb + NP.

The predicate-arguments structure constitutes the frame of semantic grammar which was the subject of many years of study of Stanisław Karolak, an outstanding Polish linguist. The conception at hand here, based on analytic philosophy, focuses on the relations that occur among logic, language and the outside world. This, then totally new, approach to the description of language supplies us with necessary tools to conduct the analysis of conceptual relations nets, which reflect the situations taking place in the real world. At the deep level of language the predicates open one or more positions for different types of arguments, thus forming the predicate-arguments structure (proposition) invoking a given extra linguistic situation. One of the most difficult tasks of semantic grammar is to objectively show implications of different number and different types of arguments. The author studies valency and rank of chosen predicates, simultaneously giving thought to the method of their classification based within the frames of the approach adopted in the article.

The article concentrates on the problem of the description and classification of relative clauses, which is frequently discussed in specialist literature. Various grammar books and course books divide relative clauses into two basic types: restrictive relative clause (defining relative clauses) and non-restrictive relative clauses (non-defining relative clauses). Taking into consideration the conception of syntax based on semantic approach proposed by S. Karolak, the author considers the rightness of such a restrictive division of relative clauses and proposes the approach based on the category of use, demonstrating that one and the same clause may function as restrictive or non-restrictive depending on the context. The author provides the readers with many examples of such uses of restrictive clauses.

Linguistics seems to be very unappreciated in the process of learning / teaching a language. This paper endeavours to emphasize the necessity of a conscious approach to teaching such a subject as language, no matter mother tongue or foreign language. It examines the works made by students (of an advanced linguistic competence) during the translation classes and shows the problems they have while translating into their mother tongue. The project presents correlation between the two disciplines: linguistics and glottodidactics, by explaining the complexity and particularity of language as the object of the educative process.

Everyone knows that legal language is substantially a part of ordinary language. However, while reading a legal text we have the impression that we are entering a different reality than what we know. This is because the constituents categories of legal language, due to its function, organize and therefore describe the reality in a different way. To illustrate this phenomenon, we want to focus on the study of the sources of legal language in which Latin is very important. At first we try to define key terms for this analysis, such as Latinisms, the Arabisms, the Hellenisms and barbarisms e.g. Anglicisms and Gallicisms. With many different examples we display both classical and modern sources of Spanish legal language. In modern sources we address the issue of the use of foreign words from the point of view of the correction of the legal language. Legal language causes many problems for people who are unfamiliar with the law. This article shows the classification of the Spanish legal sources that will help you use the correct legal Spanish.

Audio description is a new form of audiovisual translation which enables blind and visually impaired individuals to have access to audiovisual products. The author presents the emergence and history of this translation trend with special focus on audio description and the process of creating audio description scripts. Various types of audio description are analysed. Spanish and Polish research in this area is also discussed.

Praseological phenomenon is the key issue of a natural language. However, the phraseological process as well as its products emerging as fixed phraseological expressions raise problems not only in the process of glottodidactics but also in the process of translation. The main emphasis is put on the selected problems emerging during the process of translation of phraseological units. Furthermore, the issue of interlingual phraseological transfer is discussed. The author of this paper depicts a range of selected methods used in the process of translation of phraseological units. What is more, the examples of techniques and strategies which are helpful in the didactics of translation are discussed. Finally, it should be underlined that the in-depth research may be particularly useful in the didactics of translation for future translators.

This paper is an attempt of a cognitive analysis performed on a piece of Polish literature translated into Italian, entitled Kosmos (Cosmos) by Witold Gombrowicz. The translation was made by Francesco M. Catalucci e Donatella Tozzetti. It presents the difficulties and traps that translators encounter in their work and emphasizes the complexity of translation process as a phenomena that is not only linguistic, but also operating on mental level of individuals as well as of linguistic communities. The analysis demonstrates some examples of Gombrowicz’s particular language and compares them with the translated expressions. It explains how important is for a succeeded translation not only the translator’s linguistic competence but, in particular, his wide knowledge about the nation that speaks the language of the text to be translated.