Izabela Olszewska

University of Gdańsk

Holocaust Testimony from the Perspective of Emotion Linguistics: An Analysis Based on Jewish Diaries

Jewish diaries from the Holocaust period serve as a valuable source for research on the emotional dimension of Holocaust experiences. The aim of this paper is to analyze Jewish Holocaust diaries from the perspective of emotion linguistics, with a particular focus on the linguistic means used to express affective states in extreme situations. The study identifies specific lexical and syntactic structures that reveal predominant emotions – fear, despair, hope – as well as the adaptive mechanisms recorded by the authors, allowing for a deeper understanding of linguistic strategies for describing trauma.

The empirical material consists of diaries from the collections of the Jewish Historical Institute in Warsaw, including diaries preserved in the Underground Archive of the Warsaw Ghetto, as well as the so-called ‘elicited collection’ created in response to an appeal by the Central Jewish Historical Commission, encompassing texts from Holocaust survivors. Additionally, the material includes a collection of Jewish diaries written during the war and occupation period.