Language / Polish Gender in foreign word borrowings [26]


Aha. I would prefer a more formal approach, too.

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]


It's a fascinating subject to me, too, but I'm not sure my speculations are really worth any more consideration than you have already given! I'm very much an interested amateur when it comes to linguistics. Thank you for your thoughtful replies.

Language / Polish Gender in foreign word borrowings [26]


Why don't you like those published after 1970? What's different about them?

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]


I'm thinking of language being a reflection of culture, as you are saying. Then, if the culture changes rapidly, maybe language (which is optimised for the previous culture) will no longer be optimal for reflecting the new culture. I'm not sure that could really happen, I was just speculating!

As well as culture driving language, maybe language can also influence culture? If we accept Chomsky's Universal grammar, there are limits on the forms that human language can take, and hence maybe also limits on human thought and culture. Similarly, maybe specific languages place limits on the cultures they are part of, by making certain ideas difficult or impossible to articulate? And maybe these limits vary from language to language?


I would agree, but language is in our brains, too, so it wouldn't be too surprising if the two influence each other.


Or perhaps I'm just speculating a little too freely! I'm thinking of some of the peoples of the Amazon Rainforest, who are suddenly exposed to modernity. This can produce such rapid and dislocating changes in their society that maybe their language cannot change quickly enough to optimally express all that they now need to express?

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]


Like parents and children? ;) But seriously, I was thinking not so much of impossibility of communication, more of the language no longer being optimal for the culture. That would be more likely to happen if there were some kind of external agent forcing change in the society.

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]


I guess that makes sense... unless maybe a society or culture is changing so rapidly that the language cannot evolve fast enough to keep pace? Can that happen, I wonder?


A kind of cultural relativism for languages? ;) I'm not a big fan of cultural relativism, but I think the linguistic version might make more logical sense.


In an academic setting? Or commercially?

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]

Thanks Mufasa, I can appreciate that it might add richness and charm to the language, though as a schoolkid trying to learn French and German I didn't have quite the same attitude!


Thanks z_darius, that's a very interesting page, which I will read carefully.


That's true, but I wonder whether gender enables a language to express certain common forms more economically and elegantly?

Language / Counting of Polish currency [28]


I often wondered, when I was learning French and German at school, why some languages have genders. What use does gender serve? Are there constructions that utilise gender where the English equivalent would be much clumsier? Or is gender essentially an unnecessary complication? If gender is an unnecessary complication, where does it come from? Why make money masculine or a cloud feminine? (The latter is just my guess!)

Any ideas from native speakers of gendered (?) languages are welcome...

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]


I passed through Riverside two weeks ago, on the way from LAX to Palm Springs! Didn't get chance to look around, though.


Ah, so it's the zinc roof that gives you the shivers!

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]


That suggests it may be an artefact of some kind! Try posting your photos on the Randi forums
forums.randi.org/forumdisplay.php?f=7
there are a lot of knowledgeable people there who may be able to help.

Life / Haunted Homes in Poland [173]


I suspect it is "some other entity." Probably something quite prosaic, like a camera artefact. What makes you think the spirit of the child is hanging around the grave, rather than somewhere more interesting, like, er... heaven?

Life / What is the position of Esperanto in Poland? [16]

Any language that was opposed by both Hitler and Stalin must have something going for it! (See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperanto#Esperanto_and_20th-century_totalitarianism.) I taught myself a little some time ago, but I never became fluent.

Love / I reckon I've met a right plonker here - your thoughts please [44]

My immediate reaction on reading your account is: drop him. There are too many potential red flags -- mentioning drug addiction on a first date, the mysterious friend in Germany, probable lying. It sounds like that's what you've almost decided, anyway...?

Life / Condoms and the Catholic church in Poland [83]

I believe that Archbishop Chimoio's nonsense was accurately quoted.

Life / Condoms and the Catholic church in Poland [83]

HIV is a fragile virus that doesn't survive for long outside the human body. Even if someone were crazy enough to try to lace condoms with it, I doubt it could survive for long.

Here's hoping the Vatican will slap down Chimoio. But look on the bright side... at least the guy acknowledges that HIV causes AIDS, unlike the (non-Catholic) leader of another African country.

Life / Condoms and the Catholic church in Poland [83]

Almost on topic, I see that:

"The head of the Catholic Church in Mozambique has told the BBC he believes some European-made condoms are infected with HIV deliberately.

Maputo Archbishop Francisco Chimoio claimed some anti-retroviral drugs were also infected "in order to finish quickly the African people"."

Well, that's a useful contribution. Here's the article:

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7014335.stm - Shock at archbishop condom claim.

UK, Ireland / Should Polish immigrants learn English to work in the UK? [77]


Me neither. Although I did live in the States for a while!


Thanks! I'm getting a headache, though.

UK, Ireland / Should Polish immigrants learn English to work in the UK? [77]


Hopefully they will have the same opportunities once they've learned the language. Until then, at least they're here of their own free will. So no problem re equality?

UK, Ireland / Should Polish immigrants learn English to work in the UK? [77]


I'd say a willingness to learn the language is the main thing. But of course that's tricky to measure.

Law / Want to start Indian cafe in Poland.. [71]

I've been told there is just one Indian restaurant in £ódź: ganesh.pl

News / Poland torpedoes EU Day Against Death Penalty [71]


According to Amnesty International, Kuwait had the highest number of known executions per capita in 2006, followed by Iran. But it's difficult to be certain of the number of executions in China, as the official statistics are a state secret. Amnesty thinks as many as 8000 people may have been executed in China in 2006. If that's true, China would be top per capita. See web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGACT500042007 - Death sentences and executions in 2006.

<added>osiol beat me to it! With different figures, as osiol's data is for 1998.</added>

Life / Name Days in Poland. [36]

Is that because your birthday falls between August 28 and May 21?

Love / I really like this Polish guy....what to do next?? [76]

An interesting article on this topic: timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article2344049.ece

Why men who chase after younger women are just obeying natural selection.

Love / Sending flowers to my Polish boyfriend [73]

I've received flowers at home, but never at work. I think it would be cool to receive them at work, even if it's not the custom. You might get teased a bit, but that wouldn't matter! It would be the kind of teasing that leaves a warm feeling inside.

UK, Ireland / Cafe Grove in Ealing, London [5]


It's a bit off the beaten track, but only five minutes walk from the shopping centre.


Cheers!

Life / Name Days in Poland. [36]

Thanks -- that makes sense.

Life / Name Days in Poland. [36]

Thanks, hello. That's what I'd heard -- but then the name day of a Monika (born in April) should be May 4th. Why would she choose August 27th instead?

Life / Name Days in Poland. [36]

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but it nicely sets the context for my question...

krysia says that usually the name day observed is the one closest to a birthday (or, I've heard, the first one following a birthday.) Why would someone choose to celebrate a different name day? For example, why would someone called Monika, born in April, celebrate her name day on August 27?

Thanks.