A Native American or a Native Pole: Who is better into which language?

In England most pupils learn French but if a Frenchman had to make himself understood in French in a food shop in England in order to buy food he would starve!

I think also that the Poles are rather like the Brits and are not really linguists. I must say that I have met Czechs and they seem to find English really easy. Some of them can speak it really well. Maybe it is because their accent is softer and they feel that they sound better in English? Confidence is a lot to do with it, I suppose.

The Poles, on the contrary, I've found to pride themselves on being quite linguistic (my hobbyhorse Joseph Conrad, after all - I've already bored us all enough about him -), particularly in French, their former offical court language, as elsewhere in Europe, as well as German (e.g. "Herr" Reich-Ranicki, Polish-born doyen of German TV biliophiles).

English, it's true, is another story again, at least for the average Lech or Mieczko on the street.

The real "linguists" of Europe are the Swedes, the Dutch to a degree and of course, the Hungarians, whose vocabulary in English especially, can be astounding!

Marek

Who was Joseph Conrad?


I have never found the Polish to be quite linguistic-more on a par with their plumbing!

Ha-ha! -:)

Was recently in a bookstore looking for "Remembrances of Things Past" (in English, regrettably as my literary French is well beyond repair) and said to the bookdealer, a youngish sort around thirty or so, "Could you tell me where I might find Marcel Proust?", to which the young man replied, "Sorry, I don't believe he works here."

Both of us had a good chuckle over that!!!
Cheers,

Marek

Czesc, Unikpoland!

I didn't find that the Poles spoke especially good English. They did try though, which, I guess, is better than nothing.

A bit too much US-slang however. Perhaps their English might be better served by a little more Steinbeck and Faulkner, a little less "Friends" and "Miami Vice".

Gdy JA zaczynalem, przed wieloma latami uczyc sie jezyka polskiego, chcialem czytac n. pr. Elzbiete Orzeszkowe itd. po polsku. Teraz umiem rozmawiac o te pisarke po polsku.

Marek

Ja nic nie chcialbym czytac w jezyku polskim!

Why not michal, i thought you really love Poland and its language?

Michal,

Tak, dlaczego nie masz zainteresowania, czytac polska literature w jezyku polskim? Staraj sie!
Marek

bo on jest glupi.

Not as stupid as you. I can speak Polish and have never even lived there. You can not say the same, can you?

No indeed I cant but I have only just begun studying Polish.

Then there is no reason for you to attack me and be rude, is there?

Yes there is. I find your views on things very very dated. Maybe you should try and learn about the modern world and not begin every post with "when I was a student".

Unikpoland,

I'm confused. Are you a Pole by birth, a Brit, or neither of the above?
Marek

Temper, temper boys!
"Jeszcze glupstwo nie zginelo." he-he -:)

Marek

Im English.

If you're English, how did you learn Polish? Did you learn llike the rest of us, in our own country before going to Poland, some Polish-speaking area etc., or did you learn fresh upon arriving in the country?

Jestem ciekawy!
Marek

Ive only just started learning but to be honest im struggling to find time for it. Now the school year has finished I will have more time to get involved.

Should be ciekaw jestem


So what is it then that allows you to teach English or anything else for that matter in Poland but excludes everybody else?

Excuse me but I dont remember excluding everyone else from being able to teach English. Just you michal, just you.

I do not want to teach English in Poland and have already said so. I could never live on the low wages, mind you, I bet you are working towards a very satisfying long term pension. How much are your wages when you are sick? What do you get? Two bottles of Polish beer?

Well added to the rent from my house in England I do very well:) Also michal i belive the whole of Poland would celebrate if they knew you and knew that you wont ever be coming to live here. It seems like you are just interested in money. Just like all those TEFL teachers you mnetioned.

bo on jest glupi!! If you are considering staying in Poland it might be an idea to start to learn the language first. Look up the word poniewaz first in a dictiobnary and then you can write a little better Polish. I tell you what, I will come and give you some free Polish Language lessons the next time I come over to Poland-you can have them for free as all language lessons the world over should be.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, Please dont come to Poland. Also bo is an acceptable word to use instead of poniewaz. I know it may not be very 'ellegant' as one student described it but you will even see Bo on many road warnings here and also in songs, films and cereals etc.

As we say in English though, 'there is always room for improvement'. In fact, I was at a car boot on Sunday morning and a Russian was selling video tapes and had a sign up selling his wares in Russian. Even he made mistakes in his written Russian and I had to point this out to him. Do not worry, my corrections are all free of charge. I will not charge you a penny, or in your case-a zloty!

Michal you would have to pay me to meet you.

Youre starting to get a bit creepy now.


Grosze.

At least it is good to know that the Polish students do not have to pay you much for your lessons. How much is it they pay you a month in Poland for your unskilled job? Two packets of peanuts?

Michal , waar kom jy van daan , wat se jy vit die arme mense jong ..

4,000zl plus 900 pound a month for the rent of my house. I do quite well thanks mickey.

Is it possible to know 45 languages fluently?


hilarious=)

The best part was his spelling of the word dictionary.

You must be dreaming! A small Polish school gives you 900 pounds per month towards your rent plus wages? You must be drinking some of that funny stuff.


The best part was your attempt to write in Polish


Very unlikely, I would have thought


Again, you do not know Polish anyway so why is it hilarious?

I have been over Halifax, Canada, not much of a place to look at.