London [1956]. Veritas Catholic Publishing Center. Series: green "Polish Library". 12.5x19 cm, pp. 195, hard cloth cover with wrapper. Very good condition.
First edition.
"Rzecz o polszczyźnie" discusses the most important features of medieval Polish, which by its nature is the furthest removed from the language of today. In turn, it treats the Polish dialects, foreign influences on Polish vocabulary (and, more briefly, Polish on foreign) and compares Polish with other Slavic languages. These four parts are interspersed with inserts: about the names of months, about the mysterious word woman and about some humorous words. (...) "Rzecz o polszczyźnie" is at the same time an attempt to make literature out of linguistics, an art that is basically as dry as the Sahara, and an attempt to popularize news about the native language, sprinkled with a pinch of cheerfulness and humor. [publisher's note]