Na „piątce” mieszkamy tydzień – o nazwach budynków mieszkalnych w obozie na Majdanku

Abstract

NA „PIĄTCE” MIESZKAMY TYDZIEŃ – ABOUT THE NAMES OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN THE MAJDANEK CAMP

This article addresses the language used in the Nazi concentration camp – Majdanek. It begins with a presentation of the current state of research, the research methodology employed, and a brief historical overview of the Majdanek camp. The analytical section of the article is devoted to the vocabulary associated with the names of camp buildings at Majdanek. The research material is divided into three basic groups: expressions, loanwords, and neologisms. The largest category consists of expressions based on the nouns “blok” and “barak,” whose defining elements reflect the organizational and social structure of the camp. The second group consists of loanwords from German, assimilated to varying degrees into the camp Polish language. Their presence attests to the strong influence of German and the imposed nature of communication within the camp. The third category comprises neologisms, including neo-semantisms. The analysis confirms that camp language was a dynamic, unstable system, strongly dependent on the specific living conditions in the camp. At the same time, it constitutes a valuable source of knowledge about camp reality, reflecting its structure, hierarchy, and the experiences of prisoners.