The knights of the black track – the image of the knight speedway rider preserved in the language and speedway fans’ works

Abstract

The article presents the image of the speedway rider, identified with the medieval knight and preserved in the language and works of speedway fans. The language material was excerpted from the slogans, songs etc. of the black sport fans and their statements, published in fan song books and online forums. The linguistic resource was enriched with terminology and professional vocabulary. Speedway supporters have been identifying speedway riders with medieval warriors for years, naming them the knights of the black track. The knight’s nickname refers to the speedway riders’ outfit, resembling an armour, to the speedway motorcycle, compared to a steed and other analogies, thus creating a stereotype of the knight speedway rider which functions among the black sport fans. The observations prove that such an image determines the fan environmental lexis that operates with many neosemantics, such as the rider, the Teutonic Knights, the armour etc. connoting tradition and culture of medieval knights.