History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

Noone is as weak as he who pretends to be strong:-) Niemand ist so schwach wie der Halbstarke:-)
lol

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

Franky, JollyR. can be a bit of a troll sometimes, but he's basically harmless, I can assure you:-)

Admittedly, many Germans don't appreciate what your president has been saying of late. On another forum, they call him "Gauck-Gauckler", perhaps because some think he's trying to "fool" the German electorate into believing certain things of which they don't wish to be convinced, hence the clever pun on his name!

I haven't read much unfortunately about how he feels about Ms. Kopacz, but I'd imagine it's not too different from Chancellor Merkel's.

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

Meaning what?

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

@Jolly,

At the risk of appearing to be the hair-splitting lawyer, FrankyBkk said merely that he is a German "citizen", not a German national by birth. Therefore, perhaps indeed he's originally from elsewhere but moved to Germany long ago:-)

Work / Advice on Teaching English in Poland [709]

You darn well better, or your stay in Poland may be pleasant, but limited!
True, the "universal language" of sex knows no cultural barriers, we trust you're interested in other stuff apart from simply screwing around, as the phrase goes:-)

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

Franky's right on the money about Herr Gauck! He's even more disliked by the far right than Mr. WeizsaeckerLOL

Language / Zmarła czy zdechła? What is proper to say in Polish in a case of an animal death? [12]

I've seen both "Nie żyje __________!" side by side with "__________zmarł(a)."

I figure both mean more or less the same. Is this so?

History / The story about German- Polish reconciliation [194]

It appears to me at any rate that Mmes. Merkel and Kopacz are aiming at some sort of rapprochement:-) That's how it reads in the papers I've been reading these days, both German and American.

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

What with the enduring income differentials between, say, Poland on average and Sweden for instance, I'm tempted to paraphrase the late G.B. Shaw's quip about England and America, that at present Germany and Greece, just to mention an example, are two countries separated by the same currency:-)

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Sounds to me like rationalizing, pure and simple! Granted, under the "wonderful" Soviet Model, ALL citizens of the Soviet Union were equal under the law of the land. Problem was, certain groups, i.e. the Jews, suffered terribly under Stalin's regime, rich or poor. Only if Jews in the Politburo for instance curried favor with the Kremlin, might they reap the benefits of any other non-Jewish aparatschiki.

No soap, Delphi! Your argument all but confirms my own deeply held suspicions of any Soviet leader, especially the modern-day semi-Czar/dictator Tovarich Putin:-)

We should talking about languages on this thread

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

As the peasants were Christians and the Jews weren't, the answer's an unequivocal "yes"!

Delphi,

Jews had the stamp "Jew"/"ZHYD" inside their passports in order to separate them from the rest of the (mostly, vastly) non-Jewish Soviet population. Ignorance? To whose ignorance are you referring, pray? You mean they were "equal" as citizens merely so long as they remained separate from the rest of the Russian nation??? What kind of freedom's that? Answer: the Communist kind:-)

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

We too used to quip, "What's the National Bank of Poland"? It's where they give YOU $10,000.00 and you give THEM a new toaster:-0

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Conrad though, became an English subject, writing exclusively in English, not Polish:-) Therefore, he's listed among the greatest modern English stylists along with Dickens, Hardy and a few others.

@Malopolanin,

Poland's peasantry, as with those in most other Catholic countries in Europe, except perhaps for Italy where the Jewish-gentile symbiosis was more complete, was fiercely anti-Semitic, had been for centuries! The Catholic Church erroneously blamed the Jews, rather than the Romans, for the death of Christ. The rest is history.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Delphi,

The mere fact remains that they were held with much greater contempt by the peasant classes than by the aristocracy:-)
In addition, Polish-Jewish assimilation took place later than during Enlightenment Germany, for example. It's a known fact that in many countries today (although Poland is not among them), Jews are offered a different level of citizenship than non-Jews. Such was the case in the former Soviet Union, where, as in Nazi Germany, Russian-speaking Jews had a "Z" stamped in their passports as well as their identity papers!

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Polish Jews had a markedly different status from either e.g. French, German or Italian Jews. Polish Jews were usually so segregated that they weren't even citizens until post-Piłsudki Poland! Small wonder that the majority felt themselves almost completely marginalized from mainstream Polish life. The highly assimilated minority of Polish Jews and/or half-Jews, such as Bolesław Leśmian, Julian Tuwim, Jan Brzechwa, Jan Keipura, Tadeusz Kantor, etc. are another story entirely. The latter were doubtless entirely NON-Yiddish speaking Polish Jews.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Hmmm, interesting. A nice bond, thanks InPolska:-)

Work / Italian lawyer - what are the possibilities to work in Poland? [13]

Do you in fact intend to learn Polish, should you work in Poland in the near future?
:-)

Sorry, mods.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Like so, so many older Polish-born Jews I've known in my life, most prefered not to speak Polish at all. In my mother's own family, our bubba and zayde selig never EVER even uttered a Polish word in all the years I'd known them! Yiddish was the lingua franca in their household, and so it remained!

Law / Norwegian lad wishing to get a car driver's license in Poland but it's expensive [13]

That's what I'd have figured. delph.

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

Precisely, and therefore it's not a level playing field. After all, without the "little guy" to be "taken", there would be no "big guy" to take him, would there?

No, it's a symbiotic relationship, I'm afraid: the average citizen needs the businessman as much as vice-versa. Remember the sign outside shop and store windows during depressionary times: "Customers wanted, no experience necessary!":-)

Law / Norwegian lad wishing to get a car driver's license in Poland but it's expensive [13]

Admittedly, Flexxxy's basic English may well be good enough for a simple English-language test. If he doesn't know adequate Polish, you can bet złoty to kronor, he ain't gonna take a driving test in Poland in NORWEGIAN!!LOL

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Poland's GREATEST writer, jon??! Hmm, some might argue in favor of Mickiewicz, Tuwim, Słowiacki, or Iwaszkiewicz:-)
I presume you meant "Poland's most renowned YIDDISH-speaking author", no?

History / History of European and Poland's anti-semitism [192]

Usually though, anti-semitic, means anti-Jewish and not anti-Arab. Looks more here like hair-splitting to me.

Law / Norwegian lad wishing to get a car driver's license in Poland but it's expensive [13]

Flexxy, not sure whether driving tests are given in any other language, but Polish:-) If so, then surely not in Norwegian, but most likely in English.

The average Pole, I've found, is not as English-language conscious as the average Norwegian whom I've enountered.

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

Most Jewish writers originally from Poland, notably the late Isaac Bashevis Singer, wrote EXLUSIVELY in Yiddish! It was his primary language of literary expression. Although he doubtless knew Polish, along probably with German and some Russian, he never wrote in any other language (even English, I believe) even after years living abroad, i.e. in the States:-)

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

Many Europeans, especially the Germans, have claimed (and rightly so, I think!) that the Euro has increased prices on all, not just on imported, goods/services! Lots of middle-aged to older Germans with whom I've spoken of late, actually prefer a return to the D-Mark.

News / Dunkin Donuts to come to Poland [46]

Still can't see the appeal. Again, probably just want to see how the other half lives (..if you can call that living):-)

Language / The lost literary languages of Poland [54]

.....Daffke, Mischpocha (but only derogatorily, e.g. about a sort of gypsy-style ragamuffin bunch of poorly clad, screaming, braty types..), Reibach....

The Viennese typically use "Beizl", "Kiberer" etc...

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

DeGaulle, most assuredly. Yes, Mendes-France was the SECOND Jewish head of state, I believe. The first was Leon Blum, yes?
Nevertheless, the French-German link indoubitably lead to the creation of the Euro!

News / If Poland were in the Eurozone... [39]

True, yet the French were also in a quandary! They didn't wish to appear too eager to accede to German "advances". Therefore, Mendes-France was the one who felt he didn't have much of a choice, and not Adenauer, in my opinion.

Speaking of losing out, how about little Heidiland?? Switzerland's not a member of anything. Has she lost out on much?