Obraz mieszkańca Kresów w polskich przysłowiach

ENThe analysed proverbs come from the biggest Polish collections of proverbs dating back to the nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, mainly from Nowa księga przysłów polskich (A New Book of Polish Proverbs) edited by Julian Krzyżanowski. The proverbs concerning the inhabitants of the Borderlands may be divided into three groups: the proverbs referring to ethnical groups; the proverbs referring to local communities; the proverbs referring to specific people and noble families. The proverbs included in the first group reflect the multinational nature of the Borderlands and are usually based on stereotypes expressing the us-them opposition. They have broader coverage and some of them are still used nowadays. The proverbs included in two other groups are mainly based on historical facts, describe the faults and advantages of individuals. However, the latter proverbs were of local character and therefore they are most often forgotten nowadays.