Reproducts in Postcard Text: A Prolegomenon to the Question of Textual Models for Messages Sent on Postcards

This article analyses the reproducts characteristic of the speech acts that constitute texts sent on postcards (picture postcards, greeting cards, invitation cards, etc.). Following Chlebda, we understand reproducts as words and word combinations that are reproduced in specific communicative situations. Based on an analysis of the frequency of use of particular formulas, the structure of the identified reproducts is presented schematically. On the one hand, this work contributes to research on the phrasematics of speech genres – that is, it aims to identify the constructions that are reproduced within a genre of utterances (postcard text) – but on the other hand, it is intended as the first stage of a broader textual study of messages conveyed on postcards, and, in particular, it is expected to help determine textual models for that genre.