O posoborowych modlitewnikach. Uwagi filologa

Abstract

The article presents prayer books which have been in circulation since the Second Vatican Council. A classic prayer book has a fixed structure and a formative character as it transmits a religious outlook on life. It usually contains utterances written down in a hieratic style with elements of an official style. Modern prayer books do not have a fixed structure, even though, they retain the form of a silva (a collection of diverse genres). Their formative character consists in, either letting different subjects (saints or other moral authorities) speak, or in taking into account the worldview of an intended reader. This may lead to far-reaching stylistic openness consisting in the introduction of forms which are typical of given addressees’ community. Modern prayer books may adopt a colloquial style (including low registers), while their hieratic nature disappears.