Struktura i funkcje komunikacyjne postscriptum w polskojęzycznych wiadomościach przesyłanych na kartach pocztowych

The aim of this article is to analyse the components of the additional notes contained in Polish language messages sent on postcards in the second half of the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century. The conducted examination is intended to identify the elements constituting the structure of the additional notes (i.e. the speech acts used most commonly there) and to determine the functions fulfilled by the individual components of the postscript. The stimulus for taking up this type of investigations was the fact that no research on correspondence sent on postcards had been carried out before. Overall, the analysis covered more than 2,600 postscripts separated from postcard messages. The study proves that constative statements as well as initiative and reactive speech acts are frequently found in the additional notes. It also points to the numerous functions the postscript or its individual components might play in a postcard letter. The polite and phatic functions come to the foreground, but the informative and emotional functions are also among the important ones.