Comparing and contrasting as evaluation strategies, as exemplified by German and Polish

Abstract

This study aims to show which words and grammatical structures can be used for comparing and contrasting in German and Polish. In the theoretical section, comparing and contrasting are presented as the communication tactics which can also reflect the evaluation of the language user of the facts s/he is speaking about. Speech intentions are the starting point here, according to the communicative‑functional approach to grammar (e.g. Engel 1990, 2013). In the empirical section, an overview is created by means of concrete examples, which shows and discusses statements according to the speech intentions (thus, the question will be asked as to “what” the speaker wants to say) and to the typical grammatical structures can be used (thus, “how” the speaker actually says it).