Implementation of speech etiquette in the polish online community

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a comprehensive analysis of etiquette communication in Polish online communities of the informative and phatic type, with their general tendency toward harmonious interaction. The study made it possible to reconstruct the model of interaction within online communities. The empirical material comes from two social media groups registered on Facebook (the most popular social network in Poland). They differ in the declared communicative intentions: "Design, INTERIOR decor. Arranging the interior space" is a semi-professional, informative group, whereas "Good News" is a phatic group focused on positive communication. Particular attention is drawn to communicative scenarios for building threads, initiating, developing and ending contact, speech and non-speech etiquette markers and methods of sanitation. As a result of the analysis, differences in the etiquette between Polish-and Russian-speaking groups were revealed, manifested by different use of polite forms ya-ty/Ty-Vy (Pan/Pani), various methods of linguistic expression of multiple (collective) identity as well as distinct strategies of addressing and autonomy.