O językowej deprecjacji potencjalnego klienta na przykładzie polskich i angielskich tytułów poradników

Abstract

The study discusses the more controversial ways for naming and addressing target recipients of books of the “how-to” variety. The analysis deals with several thousand Polish and English handbooks and guidebooks for the general public that attribute a priori negative, unacceptable socially derogatory features to the potential receiver, or that describe him or her with insulting and disparaging words commonly regarded as even vulgar. Apparently, the titles based in their making on an unfriendly strategy towards the recipient – apart from being catchy and shocking in its form – also perform numerous informative and persuasive functions: from giving information on the content of the book to urging to purchase by way of appealing to ambition or complexes of the buyer. A comparison of the offer available in Poland and elsewhere has shown that the policy with regard to titles adopted by Polish publishers is fairly conservative. Unlike their English counterparts, Polish publishers put much effort not to offend the potential customer, which effectively prevents them from using unconventional forms of book promotion. This sort of “apprehension” of being rude towards the potential customer acts, at the same time, as a deterrent to committing abuse and is a safeguard in our book trade preventing the breach of the principle of appropriateness and the invasion of excessive vulgarity.