Dialog międzykulturowy na przykładzie internetowych komentarzy językowych .......... 185

EXPLORING INTERCULTURAL DIALOGUE: A CASE STUDY ON INTERNET COMMENTS

The language of the new media, especially interactive media such as blogs, chats and user comments, poses a great challenge to Polish language learners. In the present paper, over 200 user comments on the controversy over the Białowieża Forest that were excerpted from the online edition of Gazeta Wyborcza are analyzed. Special emphasis was given to modifications of the phonetic form of expressions (e.g. the use of prothetic sounds, narrowed pronunciation), word plays involving word formation (quasi-diminutives, colloquial hypocorisms, expressive derivatives, blendings with derogatory meaning) and language play with phraseological units in a broader sense (collocations, proverbs, famous quotations). The analysis of internet user comments conducted in classes with language students once again proved the importance of cultural knowledge and competence in the process of foreign language acquisition.