Language / The final "ę" [29]


you call it RP - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Received_Pronunciation ;))

as for the Polish ę and ą (but not only)
there is a notion in phonetics of Polish which is called "hypercorrection"
(although it is not entirely similar to the notion in other languages),
which states that using such sounds like ę, ą, voiced plosive + ł, and some other
is incorrect. some linguists even treat it as an error, while others argue that something
that has "correction" ("poprawność") in its name should not be treated as an error.

anyway, because of that, you can easily hear people saying "dzienkuje" instead of "dziękuję",
and generally speaking dropping final ę for e and middle ę for (usually) en or (seldom) em.

there is an important difference as "dzienkuje" (ending with -e) is 3rd sg. while -ę is 1st sg.
however, usually the context tells you which is which and eventually you can use both.
nonetheless, final -ę is the correct form.
it's, up to a point, similar to English 'dunno', 'gimme', 'lemme' etc.
a simplified version, used in spoken language but not entirely correct.

it does not vary in different regions as far as dialects are concerned.
it may vary in urban and rural regions though.

sry for eventual mistakes - I'm 3 sheets at the moment...
cheers!

Language / List of noun endings in the different cases [5]

there are some cases, though, where Masc. Nom. Nouns end with -a
just like Fem Nouns which might be confusing and worth pointing out.
they act just like Fem. Nouns but they are Masculine:
mężczyzna (man), kierowca (driver), and some other less popular...

Language / "i" vs. "y" - ryby/Francji [7]

or, to use non-vulgar words:

ship (y) or sheep (i)
fit (y) or feet (i)

in fact, the phonetical representation of English short i (in ship)
is closer to Polish y than i and so is the sound
which is confusing for Poles who learn English.

Language / Learning to speak Polish options. [17]

I have tried to learn Scottish Gaelic from a coursebook only.
no can do, Sir.

Language / Parę - two or a few? [26]

ostatni is a word suggesting that something is final,
won't happen or occur again.

zeszły is a referrence to a bygone period of time.

hence, you can use last in both cases but the meaning is different, like:

ostatni poniedziałek to ostatni dzień mojej pracy.
last monday (was) the last day of my work.

Language / words overused in Polish language [40]

no nie?
that's a type of a tag question
by which the interlocutor expects you to confirm their theses.

generalnie
in general

w sumie
to sum up, all in all

wiesz
you know (overused in English as well)

Language / Learning to speak Polish options. [17]

than other books ;)

yup, take classes,
it helps you stay motivated
and you constantly have someone to help you
if you need it.
i recommend 1v1 courses, if possible.
this way your tutor stays with your level all the time
and responds to your needs only.

good luck

Language / free polish -english dictionary online [52]

ling.pl is quite decent

Language / "Leje jak z cebra" [11]

You can still hear the word in Podlasie.
what is more, you can still find some cebers there, honestly.

Language / Formal "you" and Informal "you" : which is which? [46]


Genvieve,

I didn't realise that the thing is about XVIII C.
I thought that the change could be relatively 'new'
as I'm pretty sure I was taught that you should capitalise 'Yous'.
now I can perfectly understand why you found it humorous:)
maybe my teacher was not competent enough
which would not surprise me.


yes, my spelling is British all the way down. nice that you noticed that
(unfortunately, I tend to use British dialects words, too).
I believe this is a rare phenomenon nowadays within non-natives.


as for the books, I wasn't speaking about poems as we all know
that there are separate rules for writing them.
I was talking about prose.

as for religion, I am an atheist and I can tell you a lot about religions
as this is my sort of 'hobby'. by standing aside I'm pretty objective, I believe.
I'm not going to start a discussion because I live in Poland
and I don't know what might or might not be interesting for you.
I am more that willing to participate, though.

if no discussion starts,
contact me via mail, if you wish, and feel free to ask any questions.


they do but it is not a feature of the language but rather a style of writing headlines
and other press writing rules. same thing with grammar (or, in fact, a lack of grammar)
and many other features of the language which are different in such pieces of writing.

Language / Confused about the Polish Imperative [15]

respect Lu

Life / What is the best Polish book ever written. [23]

nah.
the question can't be answered as it's too general.
if you say what type of literature you are interested in,
we will be able to help.
I hope You know that You cannot compare romanticism and Mickiewicz
to post-modern Lem, crime-satires of Chmielewska and so on.

here's a question for you: what is the best book written in English?

Language / Polish Language Pronunciation - Example Words and Phrases [178]

yup.
i thought i put that there too.
sorry, it is important.

Language / Dobrze vs Dobry [15]

this is complicated, really.

"dobra" is an adjective for female
like dobra kobieta - a good woman.

but it also serves as 'alright' or 'ok'.

"dobrze" is an adverb - well,
but, funnily enough, it could be used interchangibly with "dobra"
when it is used as 'alright'. "dobrze" in this sense is more polite than "dobra".

"dobrze, zrobię to" = alright, I'll do it (more polite)
"dobra, zrobię to" = exactly the same (less polite, though)

hence, one could say "dobrze, jesteś dobrze przygotowany"
which would mean "alright, You're well prepared".

so, "dobrze, nie powiem nikomu" is "alright, I won't tell anybody"
(with comma after "dobrze") and NOT "good I won't tell anybody".

I hope this helps.

Language / Formal "you" and Informal "you" : which is which? [46]

'Poland had a long history of religious tolerance as well, allowing freedom to different religions when Western Europe was burning "heretics."'

You don't know what you are saying, honestly.
there is NO such thing as "religious tolerance" in Poland.
(but this is not the proper place to discuss religious matters)

anyway, Genvieve, you said: 'I see that in Polish you capitalize these nouns and pronouns of address. That is something for me to get used to, since it is not done in English, except in the case of the pronoun "I."'

I'm pretty sure, that the old school of teaching English state
that you also capitalise "You" when you address somebody.
I know that this is the way I've been taught. Is it not true?
you can find some capitalised "Yous" in XVIII and XIX C. books,
I'm pretty sure about that. could You ask somebody elder about the subject
and place the answer here?

thanks

Language / Polish Language Pronunciation - Example Words and Phrases [178]

after plosives rz becomes simply sh.
hence, there is no difference between przejście and pszenica.
does this site use IPA fonts? it would be a lot easier...

Language / The Dative Case [62]

there is a difference between Daj and Dawaj.
Daj is simply "give"
Dawaj is "keep giving"

osłowi is certainly incorrect in referrence to an animal.
it is, though, correct in case of a "donkey" - a lazy person.
such forms like "bratowi" are completely incorrect
and I don't even know how You figured them up :)

cheers