UK, Ireland / Why so many British can't spell ? [83]

Spelling and pronunciation differ in English speaking countries. Words have entirely different meaning in various countries.

Brits spell it colour, Americans spell it color. Many such examples abound.

Brits ride a lift to third floor while Americans take an elevator. My granny wears a bonnet, but cars in Britain have bonnets. An American biscuit is quite different from a British biscuit.

We have big differences in pronunciation. Vitamin. Americans: witamyn, Brits: wytamyn.

Language / How long to get fluent in Polish? [41]


Polish is on the flip side of the stone.

Actually it's commercial software for learning languages: rosettastone.com

UK, Ireland / Poles top of UK class [41]


Besides the accent, what's different about it?

News / Why does Poland love the US? [144]


The game was already over? Hitler was at the gates of Leningrad, Moscow and Stalingrad. He had control of all of the European continent from Norway to the Mediteranean Sea, had north Africa except for Gibraltar, Egypt and Malta and Cyprus. You either didn't cover WWII in your high school studies or you skipped a lot of classes.

I vote for the latter since you also apparently skipped spelling as well. The Poles are Slavs. A Pole is a Slav, not a slave. Silent e makes a big difference.

Language / misleading differences between Polish and English languages [92]


Polish fagot is a bassoon.

1913 Webster's dictionary lists five noun definitions for fagot, one of which is a bassoon:

1. A bundle of sticks, twigs, or small branches of trees
2. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes
3. (Mus.) A bassoon. See Fagotto.
4. A person hired to take the place of another at the muster of a company.
5. An old shriveled woman.

News / Yitzhak Shamir - prime minister of Israel with anti-polish sentiment [41]


Well said.

Study / High school programs in Poland for US student [6]

I would suggest you use Yahoo or Google to search the web pages of a city you might like to go to, find the high schools in the city and write them. For example, click on url for Gdańsk's page:

gdansk.pl/en/article.php?category=459&article=996&history=459

It lists the vice-mayor for education's name, mail and email adresses. Seems to me, she could be a good starting point.

This url lists Rzeszów's mayors, doesn't give the titles of vice-mayors, so try the mayor:

erzeszow.pl/en/103/19/#103

Also try Warsaw: e-warsaw.pl/2/index.php?id=621

USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

Brain surgeon calls plumber at 2:00 a.m. Pipes have burst, and water is running through out the house. Tells plumber to come immediately.

Plumber says, "I can now, but my rate is triple time, $360 per hour."

Doctor says, "Geez, I'm a brain surgeon, and I only charge $210 per hour."

Plumber replies, "That was my rate when I was a brain surgeon, too."

USA, Canada / advice on where to live in Canada [64]

Zoogle, you are wrong. You said:


You forgot the third and most important thing: Don't bite your nails.

Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]


Are you saying, Miranda, "these are professionals."

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]


DNA studies indicate we all originally come from Africa and have common ancestors.


Yes, we have different traits based upon our education and social upbringing. I certainly rather depend upon a African raised in the jungle to lead me out of the jungle after a plane crash, then rely on some Oxford or MIT math major who's never been camping to try to get me out.


Not really. They're just willing to work harder than your average white guy.

Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]


Unfortunately, Bajka, this is a recruiting video for the KKK. They want pure Aryan descent. You, being of Polish descent and mildly Catholic, are one of the people they want to be rid of.

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]


Thanks. I had no idea I was that far gone.

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]


Seems to me the Serbs were the ones who first went on the attack, hunting non-Serbs neighbors such as fellow Slavs and Bosnians and Albanians. Or have I missed something?

Love / BLACK GUYS POLISH WOMEN [809]


The one thing I would have hoped the Polish people would learned from the Nazis is that racism is evil and should not be tolerated. Have seen lots of nasty names in this post.

UK, Ireland / Polish mother and son jailed for life (POST THIS THREAD BY ITSELF) [32]


And we get yours as well. We both have free societies in which it's easy to blend in. (Canadians only get caught when they say, "I'm oot of here."

Language / Difference between Polish Imperf. and Perf. forms "pierdolic" [58]


Military people use the F word alot. WWII brought about Snafu, originally an acronym meaning situation normal, all fucked up. Today it's used as adjective meaning chaotic, disordered, confused.

Lyrics in most crap, sorry, rap songs make very liberal use of the word.

It is verboten word at the school where my wife teaching. A parent responded to a note from a teacher about his child's use of foul language with the comment, "I don't where the f+++ he gets it."

UK, Ireland / Polish mother and son jailed for life (POST THIS THREAD BY ITSELF) [32]

Does "life" truely mean life or does she get out in 10 years and sent back home to Poland?

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]

Pick your candidate, Obama, Mcain or Clinton:

• 
  Pick One of Three
  

Language / Difference between Polish Imperf. and Perf. forms "pierdolic" [58]


In my opinion, it has to do the Puritan influence upon English speakers. Call it the prude factor. I was on a train in Germany. We were stopped in a station, and there was a terrible odor from some cagged geese on the platform. I didn't know the German word for goose, so I asked the little, old lady next me, "What's that?" She replied, "Scheisse" which, of course, is the same root from which the English "shit" comes.

Also, because of the French invasion and rule of Britain, Anglo-Saxon words became lower class. Thus, in polite society, we tend to avoid our straight forward, to the point, A-S words. We defecate. We copulate. We see dog feces, etc.

Here in the US, the FCC (federal communications commission) issues pretty stiff fines for "profanity." At one time the movies were completely censored. Without passing the prude board, you couldn't publicly show a film. The movie, From Here to Eternity, showed Burt Lancaster & Deborah Kerr kissing on the beach in swim suits almost didn't make to the theaters. Considered too racy.

Language / Difference between Polish Imperf. and Perf. forms "pierdolic" [58]

A Chinese friend of mine once said to me English was very, very confusing since so much of what was said could be taken sexually.

Language / Difference between Polish Imperf. and Perf. forms "pierdolic" [58]


Is that an insult? Meaning maybe what I think it is? The president's balls?
Or did it refer to the egg throwing incident in Chicago?


It seems rather silly to me to write f*** and then use the word later on in the same paragraph. If you embassed to write the full word, I would suggest the use of the word faen as substitute. A very erudite video is available:

Life / How much is a bag of chips in Poland? [28]


Just for the chips or is a sandwich included with that?

Life / Polish drinking/driving ages [14]

Poles can hold their liquor as opposed to some others.

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]


I think a poll of Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, etc. would 99% disagree with you and credit NATO with a major thanks for helping to free them from Russia's domination.


Let's see how Putin turns out to determine the truth of that statement.

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]


America's last Polish slave was released from slavery in 1865 during the American Civil War. He chose not to return to Poland because Poles were held there in slavery by Russia, Germany and Austria.

Real Estate / pruszkow property [14]

I think you probably have a very valuable piece of property. Pruszków is a suburb of Warsaw and should be really worth something. Be very careful. People will very likely try to swindle you and buy for a lot less than it's worth. Go with your mom or dad, check it out before you sell. It may well need a lot of repairs or it could be a plum piece of real estate.

Olica is not the correct spelling. It's Ulica which is street in English. I don't think you have the actual name of the street because Olikowa doesn't come up. Ulica Ołówkowa does appear.

Try Google maps for a starting point. Go to google by clicking the URL below:

maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

Input: Ulica Ołówkowa, Pruszków, Poland

If you know the address, put in the number as well. You don't need the Polish letters.

News / What do Polish friends think of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton? [226]

Very easy for a politian to put his foot in his mouth or the phone in his ear. Obviously, Hillary's complaint that he's not the one to handle that 3 a.m. call.

• 
  That 3 a.m. call
  

History / Identify medal from Austrian area of Poland [36]


God will get you for that one, Szkotja. It was however, very funny.


Thanks, I had not come across this particular site before.

Wroclaw suggested eBay. Every medal that comes up on eBay is a profile of the emperor.

I don't have have the medal. Apparently, one of my father's siblings ran off with it. (And, if it was who I think it probably was, it was pawned within hours.)

Because I have the original copy that a good bit larger than the copy you see on the screen, you can just make out the image of the emperor similar to the photo below:

• 
  Medal
  
• 
  Franz Joseph
  

History / Identify medal from Austrian area of Poland [36]

The photo is of my grandfather who came to the US between 1900 and 1910. Full photo is shown. Am told his rank is Zugsführer. I have to presume Galacia, because he said he was Polish, but lists Austria as his place of birth. Ergo, Galacia.

I have tried e-Bay sites and a Polish ebay type to no avail to find a medal with this face to face view. All others are profile.

• 
  Peter