Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
LatinintheContemporaryPolish“StreetEpigraphy”
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methodsofspreadingtheirinformationIincorporatetheepigraphsproducedby
suchbodies).Theepigraphsanalysedbelowareusuallyplacedwithinthespace
oftranslocation:streets,backyards,innercorridorsofpublicandprivatebuild-
ings.IhavecollectedthematerialmostlyinLublin(graffiti),someIfoundin
otherPolishcities;theInternetisarichsourceoftattoos(especiallyawebsite
www.naszetatuaze.pl)andgarments.
Themainproblemconnectedwiththematerialdefinedinsuchawayisthat
youmeetitunexpectedlyonyourwayhome,whileshopping,commuting,travel-
ling.Inmanycasestherearenochancestomakeapictureofit,andwhenyouhave
thisrarepossibilitytheonlycamerayouhaveatyourdisposalisamobilephone.
Manyofstreetepigraphsareephemeral.SomegraffitiIhavedaredtorecordbut
someIhavejustseen(bothIlabeledwithvidi),andaboutsomeofthemIhave
beeninformed.
In2011whilevisitingBelgradeIcameacrossafamiliarphrase:Festinalente,
writtenonafrontdoorofahouse(KosančičevVenac17;vidi).Thisancientcita-
tion5canserveasamottoforeverytourist.BackinPolandIstartedtosearchfor
similartextswrittenonwalls,thenIbroadenedthescopeofmyinvestigationinto
T-shirts,tattoos,signboards,etc.Thecollectionofsuchepigraphsisnotrich,but
stillenablespreliminaryresearch.
Fromtheverybeginningofthewrittenculture,graffitiisapivotalbranchof
literaryactivity.Graffiticoveranextremelywiderangeoftopicsandaims,from
confirmingone’spresencetostatingpoliticalideas.Modernpopularcultureraised
thestatusofgraffitiveryhigh,grantingthemevenalabelof“art.”Nevertheless
formanyofusagraffitiisratheranactofvandalismthatdisturbstheneatnessof
ourstreetsandenvironment.Forahistorianitisacrucialevidence.Fromtimeto
time,PolishgraffitioffersagrainofLatin.
Graffti
Letmestartwithagraffitisuitableforeverybeginningofscientificwork:
QUOVADISKOLEŚ?‘Quovadisbuddy?’(Fig.1).
Itisanexampleofanoldtradition:joiningofPolishwordsorsyntaxwith
Latin.6AquotedphraseQuovadis?hasbeenalreadydeeplyrootedinPolishlan-
guageanditisreasonabletoregarditnotasLatinbutinfactPolish(althoughofan
foreigngenesis).Whatisworthstressingisacreativedevelopmentofthemeaning
5Cf.Suet.,Div.Aug.25Ihm.
6AnotherexamplesofthisphenomenonarefugaschrustasorcharmingAdmortemus-
randum.
