History /
What does it mean to be Polish? [46]
What does it mean to be Polish to You?
Polish means belonging or relating to Poland, or to its people, language, or culture. (Collins Dictionary)
The Poles (Polish: Polacy) are a western Slavic people inhabiting the country of Poland (in Central Europe) and a number of other states in the world, where they form a significant Polish diaspora.
There is no commonly accepted definition of the Poles. According to the preamble of the Constitution of Poland, the Polish Nation consists of all citizens of Poland. However, like in most European countries, many people limit the group to native speakers of the Polish language, people that share certain views or traditions, or people who share a common ethnic background originating from Poland. As to the ethnicity, the name of the nation comes from a western Slavic ethnic group primarily associated with Poland and the Polish language. Poles belong to the Lechitic subgroup of these ethnic people. The Polans of Giecz, Gniezno, and Poznań were one of the most influential tribes of Greater Poland and managed to unite many other West Slavic tribes in the area under the rule of what became the Piast dynasty, thus giving birth to a new state. The Polish name for a Pole is Polak (male) and Polka (female). (WIKIPEDIA)
What Conditions have to be fulfilled in order to be able to consider oneself the Pole?
It is possible not to speak in Polish and to be the Pole, either not to have Poles' ancestors and still "be a Pole"? what do You think, what conditions have to be fulfilled?
