From Object-Level Meaning to Metatextual Meaning. The Case of Polish Particles

Abstract

The article focuses on particles derived from object-level expressions, but operating at a higher, metatextual level. Such particles are sourced chiefly from speaker-oriented parentheticals composed of verba dicendi and verba sentiendi. Following the elision of parentheticals and other expressions, functional homonymy arises: a particle/a different part of speech (most commonly an adverb). This results in an uncertainty regarding the status of particles. The understanding of particles as parts of speech is also problematic due to the linguistic tradition which relies on the Latin name particula, meaning ‘a little part’/‘a particle’. The classification of expressions operating both at the object and the metatextual level creates further concerns. The meaning of particles does not change, as at most they may undergo a phonetic change (cf. bodaj ‘probably’, ponoć ‘they say’/‘apparently’, oczywiście ‘of course’). The discrepancy between the two levels is brought about mainly by changes taking place at the object level (e.g. mówię w prawdzie ‘I am telling the truth’ ˃ wprawdzie ‘admittedly’; wiem za pewne ‘I know for sure’ > zapewne ‘probably’). Thus, a class of particles is being formed that is a separate and formally distinct part of speech.