This text is to familiarise readers with the theme of the volume, which is oriented towards matters of the spatial structure and functions of urbanised areas, with a particular emphasis on social aspects.

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.