English nonce borrowings in Polish

The article discusses the latest English nonce borrowings in Polish. The study, which is based on the project initiated by the Department of English Studies at Wrocław University, embraces ca. 800 units of varied complexity. The argument that arises from the analysis is that the category of nonce borrowings or “meteors” should be carefully distinguished from other related categories, if we take the criterion of the degree of assimilation in the target language as the key factor. In consequence, the superordinate category is formed by the all-inclusive notion of non-native lexis which further includes as its subcategories borrowings proper (well-assimilated units), foreign words and phrases (semi-assimilated units), and “unknown” foreign words and phrases (non-assimilated units). The category of nonce borrowings is postulated to reside in the area covering the scope of foreign semi- and non-assimilated units in the target language.