craic_monster 1 | 44
28 Jul 2008 / #31
Tá fáilte romhat. (You are welcome.)
Cases, Genders, Nominative, Instrumental...WHY?
szkotja2007 27 | 1497
28 Jul 2008 / #32
Oidhche mhath - Dobranoc.
glamrockxx - | 36
28 Jul 2008 / #33
Oh my gosh. Now my dream of learning to speak and understand Polish has just been demolished. haha
polishgirltx
28 Jul 2008 / #34
take it one step at the time and don't give up :) it might not be easy but we'll try to help you out :)
craic_monster 1 | 44
31 Jul 2008 / #35
I didn't mean to make it sound as though Polish was really complicated.
I just wanted to make it clear that it's not the only language with cases and genders.
English has become really simple, to the extent that everyone can learn it easily. However, the simpler a language becomes, the more difficult it is in other ways. The verb in English is much more complicated than the Polish...
And, without accents on letters, it's very difficult to work out how English sounds for a learner.
That's my point, there's no such thing really as an "easy" language.
Most languages have genders and cases. English has cases, but they've been incredibly simplified to the extent that you wouldn't know they even exist.
I just wanted to make it clear that it's not the only language with cases and genders.
English has become really simple, to the extent that everyone can learn it easily. However, the simpler a language becomes, the more difficult it is in other ways. The verb in English is much more complicated than the Polish...
And, without accents on letters, it's very difficult to work out how English sounds for a learner.
That's my point, there's no such thing really as an "easy" language.
Most languages have genders and cases. English has cases, but they've been incredibly simplified to the extent that you wouldn't know they even exist.
I just wanted to make it clear that it's not the only language with cases and genders.
I don't think anybody ever suggested that.
In addition, Polish noun inflection system is perhaps not even the most complicated one, when you consider Finnish for instance.
Complexity of a language does not depend on one or two aspects of its grammar. In case of Polish it's just overloaded with irregularities, or regularities that are so complex that they escape often less complicated foreign semantic and grammatical sensitivity.
craic_monster 1 | 44
31 Jul 2008 / #37
Hi,
I was merely trying to reassure the original poster that, complicated though Polish might seem, it does not have a monopoly on cases and genders, which seemed to be his/her primary concern.
As a learner, I can say that Polish is complicated but I'm reminded that some Aboriginal languages have four genders: masculine, feminine, neuter and anything that's edible!
Even as someone brought up with a case/gender system I can attest that Polish is complex. The instrumental case is new to me and many prepositions are used in ways I could have never expected.
Use of the genitive is especially confusing, particularly in negation.
Anyway, very nice to meet you. I've seen your name in many threads. I hope you can help me when I post questions about Polish.
I like the cat - it's got attitude.
Cos they're fun.
I was merely trying to reassure the original poster that, complicated though Polish might seem, it does not have a monopoly on cases and genders, which seemed to be his/her primary concern.
As a learner, I can say that Polish is complicated but I'm reminded that some Aboriginal languages have four genders: masculine, feminine, neuter and anything that's edible!
Even as someone brought up with a case/gender system I can attest that Polish is complex. The instrumental case is new to me and many prepositions are used in ways I could have never expected.
Use of the genitive is especially confusing, particularly in negation.
Anyway, very nice to meet you. I've seen your name in many threads. I hope you can help me when I post questions about Polish.
I like the cat - it's got attitude.
Cases, Genders, Nominative, Instrumental...WHY?
Cos they're fun.
benszymanski 8 | 465
9 Aug 2008 / #38
As a learner, I can say that Polish is complicated but I'm reminded that some Aboriginal languages have four genders: masculine, feminine, neuter and anything that's edible!
You could say polish distinguishes between 5 so that beats the Abos - masculine (subdividing between virile and non-virile, in turn non-virile can be animate or non-animate), fem, neuter.
craic_monster 1 | 44
10 Aug 2008 / #39
I guess every language has its own complexities in some way. Polish is by far the most difficult I've ever tried to learn but I didn't want to say that in case I put people off. :)
Five gender distinctions are indeed a frightening prospect.
Five gender distinctions are indeed a frightening prospect.
benszymanski 8 | 465
11 Aug 2008 / #40
I always say that it could be worse - at least they use the same alphabet as us!