History of language in teaching grammar of Polish as a foreign language

Abstract

The article is a reflection on introducing elements of the history of language in teaching Polish as a foreign or second language, focusing primarily on teaching and learning Polish grammar. Arguments for using the diachronic method alongside the synchronous method currently used in glottodidactics are presented, pointing primarily to the functionality and usefulness of such an approach. Polish as the cultural heritage of Poles carries with it over a thousand years of history of our country, from which it is difficult to abstract when teaching this language, especially in literary and cultural education. Many aspects of Polish, both intralingual, such as spelling, grammar or stylistic rules, and communicative, such as style of speech, communicativeness or language etiquette, result from a long and intricate history that can be found today in the act of interlocution. The recently published Polish grammar textbook for foreigners draws on the achievements of historical linguistics to explain various principles, rules and phenomena occurring in contemporary Polish, thus providing a pretext for exploring the Polish language and practicing its skills.