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THE -A or -U ENDING IN MASC. NOUNS DEFINED


Polonius3  980 | 12275  
28 Dec 2008 /  #1
This more than 400-page book is the definitive study on where the -a or -u are used in the gen. sing of masculine nouns. I recall that Westfal had created myriad categories, some containing only 3-4 examples, such as one that said something like (I'm recreating from memory) the -a ending is used in relation to 17th-century Austrian coins....

The book is still available:
A Study in Polish Morphology. The genetive singular masculine. (Hardcover)
by Stanislaw. WESTFAL (Author)
Available from these sellers.
1 used from £30.00 1 collectible from £37.50
Product details:
Hardcover: 418 pages
Publisher: Mouton; First Edition edition (1 Jan 1956)
ASIN: B001CZKQHY
Marek  4 | 867  
28 Dec 2008 /  #2
In know the book quite well and serves as a gentle reminder of the pitfalls awaiting those learning Polish!

An exhaustive reference.
Michal2  - | 78  
29 Dec 2008 /  #3
Yes but it must be a very boring buying a huge boring book just learning the genitive case. There is much more interesting things to learn in life than when to use a silly 'a' or a silly 'u' on the end of silly Polish words!
Marek  4 | 867  
29 Dec 2008 /  #4
....as with Poles learning the intricacies and subtleties of English tense usage?? LOL

Polski język, strasznie trudny!
Seanus  15 | 19666  
29 Dec 2008 /  #5
I've posted elsewhere on this, there was a ding-dong debate

Still, interesting topic
Michal2  - | 78  
30 Dec 2008 /  #6
Polski język, strasznie trudny!

Język Polski jest bardzo trudny.
Piątek  
16 May 2009 /  #7
I don't usually try to memorise abstract rules, I just remember from examples I read or hear. There are so many tricky unpredictable exceptions in Polish I could never expect to memorise all the rules.

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