Stanisław Karol Dubisz was born on 30 August 1949 in Kolbuszowa, in the former Rzeszowskie Province, currently Podkarpackie Provice. His parents – Helena and Tadeusz – were teachers. During his childhood and school years, he lived in Rzeszów. In 1967, he started doing Polish studies at the Department of Polish and Slavic Studies of the University of Warsaw, from which he graduated in 1972. His master’s thesis titled Nazwy drzew i krzewów w gwarach ostródzko-warmińsko-mazurskich (Tree and Shrub Names in Subdialects Spoken in the Ostróda, Warmia and Masuria Territories) was written under the supervision of prof. Mieczysław Szymczak. He obtained a doctoral degree in humanities in the field of linguistics in 1979 with a thesis titled Zagadnienia stylizacji gwarowej w ludowym nurcie współczesnej prozy polskiej (1945–1975) (Dialecticisms in the Polish Folk Prose of the Modern Age (1945-1975)), also supervised by prof. Mieczysław Szymczak, and in 1991 he did his habilitation with a thesis titled Archaizacja w XX-wiecznej polskiej powieści historycznej o średniowieczu (Archaisation in the 20th-Century Polish Historical Novels about the Middle Ages). In 1994, he earned the title of associate professor of the University of Warsaw and in 1997 was made professor of humanities. Since 2001, he has held the title of full professor of the University of Warsaw.

From the beginning of his professional career, i.e., the academic year of 1972/1973, professor Stanisław Dubisz has been involved with the University of Warsaw. Initially, he was working at the Section of Polish Language of the Polish Studies Institute, after that – since 1975 – at the Section of History of the Polish Language and Dialectology of the Polish Language Institute, Faculty of Polish Studies, University of Warsaw. Currently, since 2007, he has been employed at the Department of Linguistic Communication and Glottodidactics of the Institute of Applied Polish Studies at the same faculty.

On 18 June 1977, he married Urszula Peńsko (born in 1955). Urszula Dubisz graduated from the University of Warsaw where she obtained degrees in Polish and Hungarian studies, and she works as an editor. They have a son, Radosław (born in 1987), who holds a degree in Mediterranean studies from the University of Warsaw and works at the Office for War Veterans and Victims of Oppression.

I. Official functions

In the academic environment of the Faculty of Polish Studies, professor Stanisław Dubisz has considerable standing and is appreciated for his reliability. For 13 years – during the following tenures: 1996–1999, 1999–2002, 2005–2008, 2008–2012 – he held the office of the dean of the Faculty of Polish Studies of Warsaw University, and at present – for the term 2013-2016 – he heads the Applied Polish Studies Institute of Warsaw University. Since its establishment in 1990 he has been the director of the Applied Linguistics Laboratory which investigates the language of Polish communities, language used by children and teenagers, Polish glottodidactics, the Polish language history, the stratification of the Polish language and logopedics.

Professor Dubisz is also a member of many Polish and international scientific organisations: the Warsaw Scientific Society, the Council for the Polish Language, the Committee of Linguistics of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Polish Linguistic Society, the Society for Language Culture (Towarzystwo Kultury Języka). He participated in the Commission of Slavic Literary Languages (Komisja Literackich Języków Słowiańskich) of the International Committee of Slavists and the Polish Rhetorical Society. He sits in editorial boards of a number of trade journals: Prace Filologiczne (Philological Papers), Rozprawy Komisji Językowej Łódzkiego Towarzystwa Naukowego (Dissertations of Language Committee of Łódź Learned Society), Studia Pragmalingwistyczne (Pragmalinguisitc Studies), Studia Filologiczne Uniwersytetu Humanistyczno-Przyrodniczego im. Jana Kochanowskiego (Philology at the Jan Kochanowski University of Humanities and Sciences), Studia z Filologii Polskiej i Słowiańskiej (Polish and Slavic Studies), Studia Slavica Academiae Scientiarium Hungaricae (Slavica Academiae Scientiarium Hungaricae Studies), Pałanistyka – Połonistyka – Polonistyka, Napis (Inscription), Białostockie Archiwum Językowe (Białystok Language Archive). He is a member of the editorial committee of Słownik polszczyzny XVI wieku (Dictionary of the Polish Language of the 16th Century).

Professor Stanisław Dubisz is an appointed expert to the Minister of National Education for the classification of teaching programmes and school books. In the years 2003-2009, he was the vice president of the State Commission for the Certification of Proficiency in Polish as a Foreign Language, and from 2003 to 2010 a member of the Central Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles (Centralna Komisja ds. Stopni i Tytułów Naukowych).

II. Research

Professional interests of professor Stanisław Dubisz revolve around the history of the Polish language, dialectology, stylistic diversity of the Polish language, Polish as spoken outside the country and the contemporary Polish language, with particular attention devoted to lexis. Among the extensive oeuvre, including a few hundred books, papers and edited works, the following books are the most notable: Nazwy roślin w gwarach ostródzko-warmińsko-mazurskich (1977), Stylizacja gwarowa w polskiej prozie trzydziestolecia powojennego (nurt ludowy w latach 1945-1975) (Dialecticisms in the Polish Prose of the Post-War Era (Folk Genre in the Years 1945-1975)) (1986), Między dawnymi a nowymi laty. Eseje o języku (Between the Old Days and the New. Essays on Language) (1988), Słownik wyrazów polonijnych. Zeszyt próbny (Dictionary of Terms Used by the Polish Communities. A Specimen) (in cooperation with W. Decyk, A. Markowski, A. Nagórko, E. Sękowska, 1988), Wybór tekstów polonijnych (A Collection of Works of Authors from Polish Communities) (co-authorship and edition, 1990), Archaizacja w XX-wiecznej polskiej powieści historycznej o średniowieczu (1991), Język a polityka. Szkice z historii stylu retorycznego (Language and Politics. Essays on the History of Rhetoric) (1992), Dialekty i gwary polskie (Polish Dialects and Subdialects) (with H. Karaś and N. Kolis, 1995), Język polski poza granicami kraju (The Polish Language Outside the Country) (scientific editing and co-authorship, 1997), the three-volumed Język – Historia – Kultura... (Language – History – Culture…) (vol. 1 – 2002, vol. 2 – 2007, vol. 3 – 2012), Uniwersalny słownik języka polskiego (Universal Polish Dictionary) (scientific editing and co-authorship, vol. 1-6, 2003), Językoznawcze studia polonistyczne...: I. Dialektologia i jej pogranicza (2013), II. Polonia i jej język (2014), III. Stylistyka – retoryka – translatoryka (2015) (Polish Linguistics…: I. Dialectology and Related Issues (2013), II. Polish Community and the Language it Uses [2014], III. Stylistics – Rhetoric – Translation (2015)).

Professor Dubisz was in charge of a number of research projects, i.a., “The Polish Language Outside the Country”, “Synchronous and Diachronic Study of Contemporary Personal Names” (2008-2011, with a grant by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education). Currently, he coordinates the project “The Student and the Teacher in the World of Two Languages and Two Cultures – Teaching Polish in the Polish Communities in the USA (phase I – III). Phase I. Preschool and Primary School Teaching”, and he also participates in the project “On-line Linguistic Guide” (2014–2016, National Programme for the Development of Humanities).

What is more, professor Stanisław Dubisz wrote a number of reviews of research projects and conclusions of scientific projects for the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, opinions and editorial reviews for magazines as well as the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. He also reviewed an exhibition on the history of the Polish language for the Polish History Museum.

Reprinted and often cited, the publications of professor Dubisz are still used by scholars. He has been recognized for his academic achievements on a number of occasions: 1980 – 3rd Individual Award of the Minister of Science, Higher Education and Technology, 1988 – Witold Doroszewski’s Team Award, 1988 – Kazimierz Nitsch Individual Award of I Department of the Polish Academy of Sciences, 1999 – Team Award of the Minister of National Education, 2013 – Jan Baudouin de Courtenay Award of the Polish Studies Faculty of Warsaw University for lifetime achievement. Moreover, over the years 1974-2012, professor Stanisław Dubisz received the Award of the Rector of Warsaw University 25 times.

III. Didactic work

Professor Stanisław Dubisz is also respected for his teaching work and he is a particular favourite among university students. As aptly put by E. Kwapień in an article on the 40th anniversary of the professor’s work at the University of Warsaw:

As a teacher, professor Stanisław Dubisz is accurate and diligent; students also appreciate his sense of humour. Without a doubt, he is a demanding lecturer, who values hard work and commitment and does not tolerate laziness, sluggishness and, above all, dishonesty. He is always happy to help and at the same time encourages independent learning and making one's own decisions.

In the course of his long career, the professor has taught classes, tutorials and lectures in the grammar of the Old Church Slavonic, historical grammar of the Polish language, dialectology, the history of the Polish language, descriptive grammar of the Polish language, the Polish language outside the country, stylistics, applied linguistics, methods of linguistic research, lexicology and language culture as well as general linguistics. He also teaches BA, MA and PhD seminars.

He has also been training academic staff of not only the Faculty of Polish Studies of Warsaw University; 19 of the students he mentored hold doctoral degrees, 80 of them obtained master’s degrees and 20 bachelor’s degrees.

Professor Stanisław Dubisz is a co-author of important textbooks which entered the academic canon for good: series of textbooks and exercise books Gramatyka historyczna języka polskiego (Historical Grammar of the Polish Language) (with K. Długosz-Kurczabowa, 1998, 2003, 2006) and Gramatyka historyczna języka polskiego w testach, ćwiczeniach i tematach egzaminacyjnych (Historical Grammar of the Polish Language in Tests, Exercises and Exam Topics) (with K. Długosz-Kurczabowa, 1999, 2006), scientific co-editor and co-author of the textbook Teksty staropolskie. Analizy i interpretacje (Texts in Old Polish. Analyses and Interpretations) (with W. Decyk-Zięba, 2003) and the dictionary Glosariusz staropolski. Dydaktyczny słownik etymologiczny (Glossary of Old Polish Terms. Didactic Etymological Dictionary) (with W. Decyk-Zięba, 2008) as well as the editor and co-author of the textbook Nauka o języku dla polonistów (Language Teaching for Polish Language Specialists) (1994 et seq.).

Professor Stanisław Dubisz, together with Maria Nagajowa and Jadwiga Puzynina, also wrote a repeatedly reprinted high school Polish textbook Język i my. Podręcznik do języka polskiego dla klasy I szkół średnich (The Language and Us. Polish Textbook for the 1st Grade of High School (1986)).

IV. Association with Poradnik Językowy

In 2008, professor Stanisław Dubisz became the editor-in-chief of Poradnik Językowy (The Linguistic Guide) as the seventh editor of the journal established in 1901. In this capacity, he is the successor of professor Halina Satkiewicz, who held the position for 17 years. Before this promotion, professor Stanisław Dubisz had been deputy editor-in-chief, and he had occupied this position from the first issue of the journal in 2007 (he had joined the editorial staff in 1999). The professor is a long-time member of the Main Board of the Society for Language Culture (Zarząd Główny Towarzystwa Kultury Języka), a former member of the Presidium of the Language Culture Association and a former vice chairman of the Main Board of the Language Culture Association.

The first number of Poradnik Językowy edited by professor Dubisz was the July/September issue no. 7 of the year 2008. As editor-in-chief, professor Stanisław Dubisz has continued the practices developed by his predecessors. Poradnik Językowy features articles on both theoretical issues and research in progress as well as linguistic practice. Some changes, however, have also been made. All regular sections of the journal – Artykuły i rozprawy (Articles and Research Papers), Objaśnienia wyrazów i zwrotów (Explanations of Words and Expressions), Sprawozdania i uwagi (Reports and Comments), Recenzje (Reviews), Słowa i słówka (Words and Phrases) – appear more frequently than before, and the issues of Poradnik Językowy are usually compiled thematically – for instance, in 2014, they dealt with the following subjects: language ethics, language and culture contact, stylistics, speech development in children, language culture, lexicography and writing definitions, the Polish language of the 16th and the 17th centuries, genology and spelling. Soon after his appointment as editor-in-chief, he also introduced the section Słowa i słówka which outlines the etymology, meaning and history of words and phrases in the Polish language as well as discusses issues related to language policy and the culture of the Polish language. Before that, in the years 2002-2003, he was publishing Słowa i słówka in Sprawy Nauki (Science Affairs). Since the 4th issue of 2009, each number of the journal contains a column titled W zeszycie (In the Issue) outlining the articles and providing a list of key words. Later on, further sections were added to Poradnik Językowy: Polish dictionary reviews (Słowniki dawne i współczesne (Old and Modern Dictionaries)) were published over the period from the 5th issue of 2012 until the 2nd issue of 2015, and since the 5th issue of 2014 the section Gramatyka języka polskiego (Polish Grammar) presents the oldest compendiums of the Polish grammar.

Annually, Poradnik Językowy features texts written by authors from about twenty Polish and from two to four foreign institutions. Since 2008, the Polish universities from which the authors originate have changed. Until 2012, apart from Warsaw University, the writers of Poradnik Językowy were mainly from the University of Silesia in Katowice and the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń; since then, however, aside from Warsaw University, articles are written most frequently by authors from Jagiellonian University, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University and Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.

Since professor Stanisław Dubisz took over the position of editor-in-chief, the number of points awarded for publication of articles in Poradnik Językowy has risen from 6 to 9 in 2010, and to 10 in 2011 and currently 15 points can be obtained. The publisher of the journal has also changed – after 2013, Poradnik Językowy is published by Dom Wydawniczy “Elipsa” in the place of Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego. The journal has been included on the lists of the European Reference Index for the Humanities (ERIH) since 2008. In 2009, it has started to be co-financed by the Minister of Science and Higher Education.

A full biography of the publications of S. Dubisz written until 2012 was prepared by R. Dubisz:

• "Bibliografia prac Profesora Stanisława Dubisza (1972–2001)”, [in:] S. Dubisz, Język – Historia – Kultura, 1st vol., Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2002, pp. 271-295.
• "Bibliografia autorska za lata 2002–2006”, [in:] S. Dubisz, Język – Historia – Kultura, 2nd vol., Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2007, pp. 335-344.
• "Bibliografia prac Profesora Stanisława Dubisza za lata 2007–2012”, [in:] S. Dubisz, Język – Historia – Kultura, 3rd vol., Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2012, pp. 259-268.

V. Works of Stanisław Dubisz published in the years 2013–2015

• [with K. Długosz-Kurczabowa] Gramatyka historyczna języka polskiego, 3rd ed., Wydawnictwa Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2013.
• "Instytut Polonistyki Stosowanej 2007-2012: geneza i perspektywy”, Studia Pragmalingwistyczne 5, 2013, pp. 9-18.
• "Integracja językowa w dziejach polszczyzny”, Poznańskie Studia Polonistyczne. Seria Językoznawcza 20, 2013, Issue no. 2, pp. 85-97.
• Językoznawcze studia polonistyczne (pisma wybrane, uzupełnione, zmienione), I. Dialektologia i jej pogranicza, Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2013.
• "Język polski poza granicami kraju w minionym siedemdziesięcioleciu", [in:] A. Dunin-Dudkowska, A. Małyska (ed.), 70 lat współczesnej polszczyzny: zjawiska, procesy tendencje. Księga jubileuszowa dedykowana Profesorowi Janowi Mazurowi, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin 2013, pp. 665-680.
• "Język/słowo w koncepcji poezji Juliusza Słowackiego”, [in:] J. Migdał and A. Piotrowska-Wojaczyk (ed.), Cum reverentia, gratia, amicitia...: księga jubileuszowa dedykowana profesorowi Bogdanowi Walczakowi, 1st vol., Wydawnictwo Rys, Poznań 2013, pp. 417-423.
• "Kultura językowych zachowań. Od dialogu do polilogu…”, [in:] M. Krauz and K. Ożóg (scientific ed.), Kultura językowych zachowań Polaków: materiały z VIII Forum Kultury Słowa Rzeszów, 20-22 października 2011, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, Rzeszów 2013, pp. 19-37.
• [with B. K. Jędryka] "Profil kształcenia glottodydaktycznego przyszłych nauczycieli języka polskiego jako obcego”, [in:] J. Mazur, A. Małyska, K. Sobstyl (ed.), Glottodydaktyka polonistyczna w obliczu dynamiki zmian językowo-kulturowych i potrzeb społecznych, 1st vol., Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin 2013, pp. 49-58.
• "Pamięć o nieobecnych: prof. dr hab. Halina Rybicka-Nowacka (23 VII 1929–11 V 1992)”, Poradnik Językowy 2013, Issue no. 3, pp. 113-116.
• "Rozwój słownictwa polszczyzny ogólnej w jej najnowszych dziejach”, (in:) A. Dunin-Dudkowska, A. Małyska (ed.), 70 lat współczesnej polszczyzny: zjawiska, procesy tendencje. Księga jubileuszowa dedykowana Profesorowi Janowi Mazurowi, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin 2013, pp. 109-130.
• Słowa i słówka, Poradnik Językowy 2013: "Archiwum, archiwizacja, archiwizować”, Issue no. 7, pp. 113-115; "Edukacja narodowa”, Issue no. 9, pp. 129-130; "Etyka słowa”, Issue no. 5, pp. 128-130; "Nazwisko”, Issue no. 2, pp. 125-127; "Transgenika, transgeniczny”, Issue no. 6, pp. 112-114; "Walidator, walidacja”, Issue no. 4, pp. 120-122; "Z końcem roku”, Issue no. 10, pp. 105-106.
• (co-ed. with Z. Zaron, M. Stępień) “Słownik nazw osobowych – cele i założenia”, Studia Pragmalingwistyczne 5, 2013, pp. 129-140.
• "Sytuacja języka polskiego w świecie”, Poradnik Językowy 2013, Issue no. 8, pp. 5-12.
• "Teoria lingwistyczna w językoznawstwie stosowanym: na przykładzie glottodydaktyki polonistycznej”, Poradnik Językowy 2013, Issue no. 1, pp. 15-23.
• Uniwersalny słownik języka polskiego, 2nd ed., Warszawa, PWN, 2013, electronic edition.
• "Język polonijny – pojęcia, uwarunkowania, metody badawcze”, Studia Pragmalingwistyczne 6, 2014, pp. 165-173.
• "Językowe obrazy świata”, (in:) J. Bloch, D. Lewandowska-Jaros, R. Pawelec (ed.), Grzeczność nie jest nauką łatwą ani małą. Język, działanie, kultura, Wydział Dziennikarstwa i Nauk Politycznych, Warszawa 2014, pp. 87-96.
• Językoznawcze studia polonistyczne (pisma wybrane, uzupełnione, zmienione), II: Polonia i jej język, Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2014, p. 154.
• "Profesor Janusz Siatkowski: polonista, bohemista, slawista”, Bohemistyka 14, 2014, no. 3, pp. 293-299.
• "Propozycje leksykograficzne profesora Mieczysława Szymczaka (w 40-lecie edycji Słownika gwary Domaniewka...)", Poradnik Językowy 2014, Issue no. 1, pp. 113-121.
• Słowa i słówka, Poradnik Językowy 2014: "Degradacja bydła”, Issue no. 2, pp. 113-114; "Europa – geneza nazwy, ewolucja pojęcia”, Issue no. 8, pp. 112-113; "Muzułmanin – muzułman”, Issue no. 5, pp. 129-131; "Na Nowy Rok…”, Issue no. 10, pp. 112-113; "Polskie nazwy emigracyjne”, Issue no. 9, pp. 114-116; "Uniwersytet”, Issue no. 2, pp. 118-120; "Zagadkowa kobieta”, Issue no. 3, pp. 116-118; "Życie wyrazów”, Issue no. 6, pp. 132-134.
• "Sytuacja języka polskiego na Litwie, Ukrainie i Białorusi”, Poradnik Językowy 2014, Issue no. 7, pp. 7-20.
• "Zacny”, (in:) M. Budzińska (ed.), Zapomniane słowa, Wydawnictwo Czarne, Wołowiec 2014, pp. 224-226.
• "Amor verborum nos unit. Studia poświęcone pamięci Profesora Sławomira Gali”, (in:) P. Stalmaszczyk, I. Jaros (ed.), Kategoria pokolenia w dialektologii, Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego, Łódź 2015, pp. 67-78.
• "Dialog pokoleń”, (in:) E. Wierzbicka-Piotrowska (ed.), Kategoria pokolenia w badaniach lingwistycznych, Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2015, pp. 33-40.
• “Dwadzieścia lat później – język polski poza granicami kraju – historia badań i perspektywy”, Poradnik Językowy 2015, Issue no. 8, pp. 7-17.
• (co-ed. with U. Sajkowska) Język polski jako drugi kod komunikacyjny w Polsce, Fundacja Nauki Języków Obcych “Linguae Mundi”, Warszawa 2015.
• Językoznawcze studia polonistyczne III. Stylistyka – retoryka – translatoryka, Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2015.
• "Rozwój słownictwa w dziejach języka polskiego – zarys problematyki”, Poradnik Językowy 2015, Issue no. 4, pp. 7-28.
• Słowa i słówka, Poradnik Językowy 2015: "Cyber-", Issue no. 5, pp. 119-121; "Czy należy chronić gwary i dialekty?”, Issue no. 9, pp. 133-135; "Dlaczego Samarytanin?”, Issue no. 7, pp. 129-130; "Ile mamy słów w języku polskim?”, Issue no. 1, pp. 121-122; "Pokolenie”, Issue no. 10, pp. 102-103; "Stateczny statek”, Issue no. 6, pp. 118-119; "Styl”, Issue no. 3, pp. 132-133; "Urzędowy bilingwizm polsko-angielski”, Issue no. 2, pp. 114-115.

Literature

• H. Karaś, "Profesor Stanisław Dubisz – w trzydziestolecie pracy naukowej i dydaktycznej”, (in:) S. Dubisz, Język – historia – kultura, 1st vol., Wydział Polonistyki Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego, Warszawa 2002, pp. 259-270 (cf. Poradnik Językowy 2002, Issue no. 7, pp. 4-14).
• H. Karaś, "Profesorowi Stanisławowi Dubiszowi – z okazji 35-lecia pracy naukowej i dydaktycznej”, Prace Filologiczne 53, 2007, pp. 17-18.
• E. Kwapień, "Prof. dr hab. Stanisław Dubisz – czterdzieści lat pracy naukowej i dydaktycznej na Uniwersytecie Warszawskim”, Poradnik Językowy 2012, Issue no. 1, pp. 7-14.

Author: Marta Piasecka

Translation: Anna Karpowicz