News / Poland one step closer to visa waiver by US Senate [59]

I think it's a good idea. Let's hope the bill doesn't die in committee.

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Thanks again.

Sounds a heck of a lot like a Hungarian liqueur-type beverage, meggyek(??), if I recall off the top of my head.

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Thanks, jon. S'ppose I just forgot.....again:-)

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Cherry brandy is popular in other countries as well. I agree with you though, dolno, the one time I had it:-)

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Good point, Maf! I oughta have quit while I was ahead.

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Bimber ("Fusel" in German, "moonshine" in AmericanLOL) is such strong stuff, it tastes almost like rubbing alcohol:-)
Hungary has her "palinka", Mexico, "aguardiente", Italy, "grappa", same thing, just a different name!

Food / Vodka for a Polish Wedding [40]

Which kind of bimber do you prefer?

Genealogy / Looking to find some genealogy for (TRUDZIK) [4]

"Thekla" was also a popular woman's name in Germany, though perhaps only about twenty years ago or more:-)

Language / Why don't you always pronounce the last ę as "eom" [4]

Very possibly, Maf, you're probably right.

I should add, of course, that the "a"-sound with "kreska" in any position of the word is always pronounced as a nasal! Never yet heard any exception to this in

standard Polish, anyway. Again, perhaps in dialect:-)

Language / Why don't you always pronounce the last ę as "eom" [4]

In my experience, native Poles talking to one another invariably pronounce that particular sound as almost an 'uh-', or schwa-sound!
Of course, in emphasizing the pronunciation, say a teacher or the like, then the nasal is completely audible. This though would probably stand out some in normal conversation and sound unnecessarily forced:-)

Life / In Poland, are women and girls obligated to wear head scarves in church? [36]

In a recent photograph from last week's 'Nowy Dziennik', I saw at least ten or maybe more women, much older granted, wearing chusteczki (kerchiefs) during what looked to be a Sunday mass.

Perhaps it's a matter of generations and, to be sure, I only observed them in the photo sitting in the pews listening, perhaps to the priest, rather than taking Communion.-:)

Pardon, I meant instead "chustki na glowe"!!
Thousand apologies. Often the hand is quicker than the brainLOL

USA, Canada / Thoughts on moving to Poland from USA [62]

Good luck, Sam!
Trust you'll learn some of the language, since you want to live there:-)

Language / What are więcej przykładów of the Locative case - other examples in the Polish language [4]

@Skyman,

Contrary to gumishu, Polish isn't useless at all, only, it is something which requires ever so serious, and constant attention, near monastic focus, as I've said many times already. Poles are omnipresent beyond Poland, therefore, the language is more a presence in Europe and elsewhere now than at any time in history!

As far as Locative, location in Polish is tricky, mainly because the use of preposition can often be used in various cases.
However, the basic rules of "WHERE something is, e.g "Gdzie ona mieszka? - W miescie" etc. are pretty constant. Memorization of pattern usage though is still necessary, there's no way of getting around it:-)

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

Admittedly, he surely had an editor, a native Englishman most likely:-)
Yes, kaprys is right. At least this woman in the YouTube video was actually trying to get it right.

One never knows how one's second language truly sounds to another native speaker of that language.

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

@kaprys,
Kozinski doubtless learned English right after the War from a Polish native speaker in high school aka lyceum.
While it is true that the younger, more social media savvy are able to absorb practically native speaker English, rarely does any non-native capture the flavor and nuance of the target language.

Joseph Conrad might well have been the notable exception......at least in his English writing, considered by many to be a master stylist of the English language, in the same class as Thomas Hardy. However, he spoke English, according to witnesses of the period, like a Pole and with a heavy accent:-)

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

However, unstressed phonemes is something shared by many Slavic languages, not to mention other language groups as well:-)
As Polish normally accents the penultimate syllable of most one-to-two syllable words/nouns, "FOtel", "HOtel", "SZAfa", "POkoj" etc., this tendency often transfers over to other languages, such as English. While words of three syllables or more will always be stressed on the second syllable, notably all native Slavic words, such as "podLOGa", "dluGOpis", "sciANa", and so forth, English syllabification (much as with our spelling) is frequently ever so unpredictable, a Polish learner will have to have almost preternatural recall and a truly musical ear to be able to mimic successfully the rhythms and cadences of English speech patterns, let alone pronunciation of individual phonemes in order to sound authentic. Vice versa also!

English speech rhythms often seem to just sort of roll on without breaks in between the individual words, as I already mentioned.
I think too that "casual" pronunciation indicates a degree of nonchalant confidence and style among many Anglo-Saxon native speakers, among them, numerous college profs. and other intellecuals whom I've encountered over the years.

Take as a for instance the late conservative author and commentator William F. Buckley Jr. who prided himself on the barely grasped verbal innuendo when holding forth, sometimes barely audible, much less comprehensible, unless you listened extra carefully. He dropped endings of words reminded this poster of a man infected by Locust Valley lockjaw.

Polish native speakers, at a high academic level especially, consider above all audible, clear, deliberate speech of utmost importance.
This carries over into their English. Check out on YouTube Dick Cavet's famous interview in the early 80's with Jerzy Kozinski following the anniversary screening of his 'Being There'. Classic example of Poglish pronunciation, completely fluent in English as he was:-)

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

Basically concur on all counts, Nienazwany.

As I've posted before, many European languages don't recognize the English 'schwa-sound' as in "evEning", "PolAnd" etc..
Typically, many Poles will seem to over pronounce such sounds or particularly the ends of words, where native Anglophones
tend to swallow them in normal speech.

Work / Creative jobs in Poland? [10]

Jijam, if push comes to shove, you WILL learn Polish if your professional career etc. depends on it.
As you learned English, a terribly chaotic language with insane orthography/pronunciation congruence, you too can surely learn a related Slavic language such as Polish if you're serious!

Polonia / Poland vs Italy vs Spain for an expat? [19]

Don't forget though, Italy has something called BEC (Business English Certificate) and so is far more focused on using English with foreigners in Italy than was the case, definitely when the Lira was in place!

Recent experience with friends visiting Italy over the past year or so, even those who made an attempt at trying to converse in Rome, Florence and other major tourist centers, were usually politely encouraged to speak English, since the staff especially were all eager to use their English:-)

Compared to when I first was in Italy as a teenager with our high school tour group back in the late '70's, today, French is a rare curiosity and the outdated caricature of the barely English literate Italian with a funny accent and hand gestures, is basically a thing of the past, according to what I've read.

Language / Pronunciation difficulties for Poles speaking English [40]

Exactly, Pawian!

The English might have a slightly easier time with certain typically Polish sound combos, for instance "pelny", since many from the London area, certainly
trained RP speakers, would surely hear a similarity to how a native speaker would pronounce "pony" vs. the American variety:-)
The 'u-sound' of "ugly" too would surely pose fewer problems for a Pole learning English from England than, say, from an American,
where that 'u-sound' is far less frontal, almost glottal in nature.

Polonia / Poland vs Italy vs Spain for an expat? [19]

More people in Poland and Italy nowadays are apt to speak a higher quality English than in Spain, I've found!
They used to say, for at least twenty-five years or so, that is, in the tourist trade, "Spain's Different!" And for a
very good reason; she still lagged well behind the rest of Western Europe in terms of general English fluency
following the death of El Caudillo in the early '70's.

Work / Creative jobs in Poland? [10]

Of course. As long as you are an expert in your area and, naturally, speak Polish, you're home free.

Work / Creative jobs in Poland? [10]

Tons of 'em!

Poland has become a high tech and gaming leader throughout Europe.

USA, Canada / Free Tyskie beer at Kiełbasa Factory [28]

Good to know, Dougpol1.

Love / Do the Polish girls like foreign boyfriends or they just prefer local boys? [34]

I was referring to mainstream Hollywood cinema from the 30's on down through the '60's, when even one with
relatively modest earnings, but hardworking (not-shirking) and even plain to good-looking could nonetheless
hook the girl of his dreams!

Priorities were somewhat less skewed or warped back in those days. Poland, it seems, is following Germany, Italy,
and the rest of the Continent in mainlining (contemporary) US "values"....whatever they're worth.LOL

USA, Canada / Free Tyskie beer at Kiełbasa Factory [28]

Can't recall though ever learning as to the distinction between the two in Polish:-)

USA, Canada / Free Tyskie beer at Kiełbasa Factory [28]

To afficianados though, ale and beer are technically not quite the same thing, paw.

Love / Do the Polish girls like foreign boyfriends or they just prefer local boys? [34]

In that sense Johnny, Polish women are therefore as toxic as any American golddigger!
Somehow though, in former times aka pre-Reagan, women anywhere on the whole were less up front about being greedy filth. Perhaps they showed just a wee bit more needed feminine finesse and made the inevitable rejection slightly more palatable, handling disappointment with

a modicum of maturity:-)

If the popular media were any indicator, I think I'm right.

Love / Do the Polish girls like foreign boyfriends or they just prefer local boys? [34]

Often times yes, Lenka, you'd normally be correct.

I'm merely speaking from my own experience, limited by comparison though that might be.

Love / Do the Polish girls like foreign boyfriends or they just prefer local boys? [34]

My experience with Poles here in the States is that many young ladies are attracted by the exotic, the unfamiliar aka the foreign!
Typically, a Polish woman will marry a Columbian, even an Egyptian, Chinese or non-Western European man in order to prove
that Poles across the board aren't xenophobic. This trend though among Polish men, I've yet to see:-)

When I was in Poland, I found that the last thing younger Polish women wanted to hear was some white dude chuntering on and on about

Polish culture, how Chopin and Mickiewicz were so great etc ad nauseum. Were I an African-American, say, with the Peace Corps for
example, I'd have had every Polish woman eating out of my hand, knowledge of Polish or not.