Language / Czech language sounds like baby talk to most Poles. Similarities? [222]


The funny thing is, if you said "laska" to a Czech, they wouldn't recognise the word... It's "láska" (long vowel). The difference in vowel length is meaningful in Czech (same as in English, e.g. ship - sheep).

Language / Czech language sounds like baby talk to most Poles. Similarities? [222]


You're preaching to the choir here, Antek. I know my people ;-)
I was just trying to explain that if there is any Czech -> Polish hostility, it's recent, and will probably pass soon. Us Czechs don't tend to hold grudges... ;-)

Language / Czech language sounds like baby talk to most Poles. Similarities? [222]

It is obvious that there are many linguistic myths among the Czechs themselves... The hostility toward Polish and the Poles would have a very recent origin, namely, in the late eighties and early nineties Poles would come to Czechoslovakia with a very high and mighty attitude of "we destroyed communism and by definition are the best thing since sliced bread" and then methodically buy out any food that was in the shops - and go back to Poland. What they didn't know, or care about, is that though Czech shops were well supplied, the supplies were finite, and if a busload or two of Poles came into town, the town would not be getting any food deliveries for the next week or two and was practically left with nothing (the shift to a market economy was yet to happen). While this might seem like just desserts to Polish people who had survived martial law shortages, it does not make for very good PR. What miffs Czechs most, though, is that many Polish people really have this extremely unpleasant habit of behaving like minor royalty when visiting CR, expecting VIP treatment, while making loud and unpleasant comments on everything they see and hear around them (the language is funny, the food tastes weird, the people are rude). I once took a group of Polish friends to CR for a short stay. They lived at my Czech friends' house, ate their food, and behaved so embarrassingly that by the end of the week we were no longer on speaking terms. I had no idea what had gotten into them (the turned against me too BTW). Just an anecdote.


rohlik - rogalik
chlebíèek - sandwich, chléb is bread
"kanapka" is also a diminutive BTW ;-P
babièka - babcia; could you explain how "babcia" is somehow less of a diminutive to you?

I must be getting back to work. I'll have a look at this thread later.

Language / Czech language sounds like baby talk to most Poles. Similarities? [222]

And to think I missed all this. I wouldn't even know where to start now if I were to join the discussion. One thing - Antek, I am not sure that there was any conscious effort to rid Czech of specifically Polish vocab or influence. Polish was seen as a Slavonic language and as such, "good". Czechs were very much into pan-Slavic ideology in the 19th century. Two - contrary to popular belief, Czech is not rife with diminutives. Just to compare, nożyczki vs nůžky or książka vs kniha. Which of each pair are diminutives? And three - I personally find the Polish myth of the "childishness" of Czech extremely offensive and patronising. It's like a whole nation is patted on the head and told to go outside and play while the adults have a serious conversation. ;-/

Life / Struggling young Polish couple - try to solve their problem [176]


If both of them earned an extra 20 PLN per day (for some small local service they would provide), they would have an extra 800 PLN at the end of the month. And I'm not counting weekends. Sadly, most people scoff at the extra 20 per day and want to have it all without lifting a finger.

Life / Struggling young Polish couple - try to solve their problem [176]


And that's the problem. Opening a travel agency when you have no cash is nothing more than a dream. IMHO it will never happen. Why can't people ever think of anything cheap and cheerful, a service that's easy to provide, cheap to perform, and sought after? I would start with something as simple as providing shopping delivery services in my neighbourhood, maybe a dog-walking service, or something along those lines. Something you can start right away, modestly priced, yet fulfilling a need nobody realised they had ;-)

Life / Struggling young Polish couple - try to solve their problem [176]

How about starting a business on the side? I know ZUS is a deterrent but at least it's lower for the first couple of years. There are lots of different businesses which don't require heavy investment to start. Also, they could move to a different town, city, or even village in Poland and so get either better jobs, lower rent, or both. Some jobs come with a company flat - e.g. teaching in rural areas often does. Etc. Have they tried anything at all so far?

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]

exoticpoland.info/pe.php?t=mapa_trasy-2

To stay optimistic and on topic :-)

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]


Sure, as usual; you have nothing to say about my suggestion, so you trot out the old "she doesn't live in Poland" story.


He didn't tell us, but he sounded quite relaxed about it, so I assume he doesn't want it to be a race against time.


That takes the cake, I actually lived in the area for a long time.


The problem is, I wasn't.


Like all the drivers with any experience died out, you mean? ;->


I beg to disagree. Try the Brda for a change.


Thanks for the tip, I might give them a try.

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]

I never realised that our cyclist had a deadline to keep. That's one. Two, I suggested he could keep relatively close to a railway route, and use local trains to get out of and into towns (I checked the map, there is a railway line all the way down). All in all, he could do some cycling out in the countryside as well as see a few sights. There is no reason for him to careen at breakneck speeds for 60 kms every day - or cycle in heavy traffic.


Did I ever ask you about that? No, I did not. ;-p

BTW, I used to live that-a-way for over 10 years, so you can get off your high horse now.

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]


You must be kidding me. You need infrastructure development for people to walk along certain paths? Or drive their cows home from pasture along certain routes that had been in use since who knows when? OK, maybe you don't understand what I mean by dirt track or trail. I mean "ścieżka", "dróżka", "polna droga". BTW, if you tell me where I can travel by kayak in the vicinity of Białystok or Lublin, I'd be much obliged ;-P

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]

I do sympathise with your predicament, but I thought we were discussing travelling in eastern Poland, where - I am convinced - there are miles and miles of local tracks and trails which are only used by horse carts, bikes, or people travelling on foot, and which, when combined, would lead in a general north-south direction. How did people cycle from place to place before bike trails were invented, I wonder?

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]


No, I don't cycle and would never claim otherwise, but I did do a fair amount of hiking, and it seems to me that (at least in flat terrain) where you can hike, you can also cycle. You can catch a local train to get out of town, get off at one of those tiny stations in the middle of nowhere, and off you go. When you've had enough, you come back to the rail tracks, find another small station, and catch the next slow train to the nearest bigger town. I know eastern Poland hasn't got the most imposing rail network either, but I guess if you wanted to, you could cobble together a route this way. And get away from the traffic as well. Or you could just decide to cycle and camp out in the wild and forsake civilisation (including any traffic) altogether.

Travel / Things to see along eastern Poland by bicycle [42]

If he's on a bike, does he really have to use the main roads though? I thought half the fun was using local dirt roads / trails and stuff? Like when you go hiking, you don't hike out on the motorway?

trasy.info.pl

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Exactly because of that. A piece of paper ain't gonna change anything between us.

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Well, that's definitely not what you DID say... "For free" can only mean "without being paid for it" and thus by implication a wife would be paid for sex, while an unmarried partner would not. I know you did not mean it that way, but that's the way it came out and maybe you should be more careful about how you say things in future. Others might not be as understanding and rip you to shreds before you realise what you did ;-p


I did just that, and I am not married.

I suppose I am a bit too old to be consulting my parents. Have you ever considered the possibility that some people in relationships might be older than 20?

You seem to be telling me that all this is possible only within marriage. How come I am doing this and more while remaining unmarried?


Again - according to you, impossible outside marriage? So I guess my partner and myself are deluding ourselves, because we did not sign a contract and say a bunch of promises in front of people?


Unless and until you concede that love is not in itself a product of marriage, and that marriage is nothing more than an institution to formalise and legalise a loving relationship, we may as well not bother beyond it.

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Ay, and there's the rub. You just stepped in it BIG TIME, mister. You just dropped a whole load of bricks. ;->
I hope you can see what you said, and what the implications are. But if you don't, just let me know and I'll explain.


Just because you wear blinkers and see everything as either a holy union or sinful copulation does not mean that you actually know what goes on in other people's lives and relationships.


You might be happily married but other people are not. An unhappy marriage is as real as a happy one. And don't start preaching on how maybe the unhappy spouse hasn't been trying hard enough. You don't have to try so terribly hard when there is love and acceptance on both sides.

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


So if you're not married, you are automatically unable to care for your partner, to be understanding, honest, or loving? What a load of absolute tosh. If you love someone deeply, you are in a committed relationship, married or not. And even if you are married, but don't love your spouse, you are NOT in a relationship at all. Being married has nothing to do with being in love. Marriage is about children, property, and inheritance rights and / or religion. It is a good idea to marry if you have or plan to have kids, just for the added security it gives your family. If it's just you and your partner, and you are not religiously inclined, marriage is IMHO largely overrated.

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


No, I said it was younger than cohabiting without marriage. Which is obvious, because couples need to live together first to realise that creating an institution such as marriage might be beneficial in terms of childcare, sharing of food or wealth etc. You don't just come up with a concept like marriage without any previous experience in the matter. Also, there are cultures in the world today who do not share our notion of marriage. What with them?

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Don't worry, you weren't asked to.

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Care to back this statement up with hard facts?

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


Where do you get this wacky terminology?

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


And has been practiced since the dawn of mankind. Marriage is a much younger institution. Additionally, the daughter might wish to marry the guy later. It might be her choice, not his, to not marry him at present. So much for


Or do you think every young couple who'd maybe slept together a couple of times should immediately rush down to the register office and get married?

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


what on earth is a "life term darling"?! sounds like a jail sentence of some sort. ;->

Food / Poland's favourite meal? [11]


and what's heinz made of then? unicorn meat and rainbows?

Love / My Polish girlfriend's mother called her a prostitute because we live together [113]


So if I love a man who happens to have a better paid job than I do, I automatically become a prostitute? Thank you. And what if he then loses his job and I become the higher earner? Do I get my respectability back? Or does he become a gigolo?

History / What was it like in 1989+ in Poland when the Soviet house of cards fell? [237]


I have all but forgotten the silly money. And yes, I lived in Poland at the time. All I can recall is getting 200 000 zł for 60 minutes of teaching English - I have no idea how much anything in the shops cost, or what the average salary was. Nothing. Honestly.

Life / Flowers for my Polish teacher. What kind should I bring? [11]

Just get a big bunch of daisies, lilies of the valley, or something else that's cheap and cheerful :-) It's supposed to bring a smile to her face, not make her love you (I assume) ;-)

Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]


I just checked and it seems to be the other way round, with żal.pl being the newer ;-)
At least that's what the authorities say: miejski.pl/slowo-%C5%BCal.ru

History / Info on Poland in 1988 - researching a short film [21]


How old were you then? I was in my late teens and later at university. Times were hard in terms of nothing in the shops and a general feeling that the economic crisis would continue for a long time to come. But my peers did not really know any other conditions (being a tad young to remember Gierek's "prosperity spurt" clearly), so we had fun anyway. Additionally, the general greyness and depressive atmosphere went very well with our music and the No Future attitude... ;-)

People would dress outrageously, I think Polish street fashion in the eighties was quite extraordinary. Store-bought clothes were picked apart, re-sewn, dyed, shortened / tightened, whatever. Otherwise, you trawled the flea markets for vintage stuff which you bought for absolute peanuts. I still remember one ttractive young man who had slashed his (very tight) black jeans strategically to show off his very red underpants... ;-)

It was very hard to get hold of genuine doc martens, so many people improvised, e.g. I used to wear my mother's old and creaky climbing boots from the fifties ;-)