HOW MANY LASHES DID YOU GET ON THE PIANO? – ABOUT NEOSEMANTISMS REFLECTING THE REALITY OF THE CONCENTRATION CAMP IN MAJDANEK

Abstract

This article deals with neosemanticisms (semantic neologisms) that were created and used by people in the concentration camp at Majdanek. The first part of the work presents the history of KL Lublin (Majdanek) camp along with the characteristics of the inhuman living conditions that prevailed there. The term lagerszpracha (camp language) was also explained. The camp language consists of borrowings, word-formation and semantic neologisms, and phraseologisms. The material base was also characterized. It consists of written and spoken, published and unpublished texts. The main part of the work is the presentation and analysis of the neosemantisms used by the inmates at Majdanek. In order to better illustrate the Lager reality, the units were presented in thematic groups, which were: names of people, names of places, names of tortures, punishments and methods of tormenting prisoners, names of torture tools and names of clothing. Taking into account the mechanism of neosemanticization, these units were created on the basis of metaphorization, metonymization or by narrowing down the meaning. Neosemanticisms were an essential part of the camp language. Neosemantisms served nominative functions. Moreover, through these words prisoners expressed their emotions, attitudes towards people, objects and the surrounding camp reality.