Vilnius Polish language at the beginning of the XXth century in Aleksander Łętowski's handbook

Anetta B. Strawińska

Abstract

In her article the author characterizes the contents of the language handbook published by Aleksander Łętowski in 1915 in Vilnius. The author emphasizes that Łętowski, similarly to other linguistic puritans of the epoch, focuses on dictionary mistakes, mostly criticizing foreign borrowings, particularly from Russian language and local jargons. Łętowski deems mistakes in stressing, pronouncing leaning and nasal vowels, groundless palatization and geminates, grammar gender mistakes and syntax errors as the most glaring among grammar faults.