The article presents vocabulary, both indigenous Polish and borrowed, connected with human characteristics arising from man’s appearance, character and behaviour as used in the petty nobility village of Dorohań and the peasant village of Wójtowce in Ukraine on the east bank of the Zbruch river. 204 words were analyzed divided into three main thematic categories and smaller groups, i.e. behavioural traits, moral deeds, status characteristics, mental abilities; appearance traits, character features and physical and emotional state words. The analysis showed that the foreign – Ukrainian and Russian – influence on the Polish vocabulary of the peasant village of Wójtowce is stronger than on the vocabulary of the petty nobility village of Dorohań. At the same time, the residents of Wójtowce use indigenous and borrowed words that are more expressive, both positively and negatively, what can be explained by the more frequent use of Polish in their everyday life. Comparison with other Polish dialects in Ukraine has revealed a certain similarity but also diversity, what can serve as the basis for further linguistic as well as cultural, ethnographic or anthropological research.

The paper deals with the vocabulary describing the animal world in the Polish dialect of the village of Oleshkivtsi in Podolia. The analyzed thematic scope contains 255 lexical units, among them both borrowings from Ukrainian and/or Russian (75 units, i.e. 29%) and Polish indigenous words (180 units, i.e. 71%), presented in eight groups: “Animals and Domestic Birds”, “Wild Animals”, “Birds”, “Reptiles, Amphibians, Fishes”, “Insects”, “Animal Sounds and Actions”, “Animal Body Parts and Their Characteristics”, and “Animal Habitat”. Such a comprehensive approach to the present subject matter is a continuation of recent studies into Polish dialects in Ukraine, going beyond the description of “peculiar” vocabulary. The coexistence of two and sometimes three language codes results, among others, in extensive synonymy, which occurs on various levels. Due to the source from which the synonyms come, a synonymous series can consist of indigenous Polish lexemes, indigenous lexemes and borrowings, two or more borrowings. This shows, on the one hand, the strength and scope of linguistic interference, and on the other hand, the durability of indigenous Polish vocabulary. Comparison with other Polish dialects in Ukraine has revealed that 221 lexemes (87%), including 54 borrowings (72%) and 167 Polish indigenous units (93%), appear in other localities.