Language / Why 'walczy' and not 'walczą' - Polish language question [20]

Aha, gosh thanks for that!

That one can't say "dwaj dzieci" is obvious, as far as my first sentence, realize my mistake as "dwoje" unlike "dwaj", "dwie" or "dwa" is clearly a collective numeral designation when referring to mixed gender nouns. Cf. "Dwaj przyjaciele zgineli.... in the plural" vs. Dwoje Polakow zgineLO...", in the singular, for instance. My carelessness, that's all.

:-)

Language / Why 'walczy' and not 'walczą' - Polish language question [20]

It can though occasionally be confusing where mixed gender nouns, such as "dzieci" are being counted. For example, since children can be either male or female in English (even if "dziecko" is neutral in Polish), you still say/write DWOJE dzieci maja, as though it were a plural verb form:-)

If the two children in question are males, nonetheless, "dwoje" rather than "dwaj" is used, at least until the boys reach puberty or adolescence!

Language / Why 'walczy' and not 'walczą' - Polish language question [20]

Again, it's a question of when to use collective numbers. Heard once when I was in Poland that "Dwoch" might be considered colloquial in some circles:-)

Language / Why 'walczy' and not 'walczą' - Polish language question [20]

Can't argue with you, Ziutek!

After "five", the entire Polish counting system goes haywire, that is, for foreigners learning the language:-)
I always try to remember:
Dwa rachunki [SA].. up through "cztery" (four), from then on "Piec rachunKOW"...
Dwaj przyjaciele przyda (with kreska!!!) - plural always
DWOCH przyjacieli ma... - singular because of "dwoch"

Takes practice.

Language / Why 'walczy' and not 'walczą' - Polish language question [20]

Collective numerals (liczby zbiorowe) typically are declined in the (genitive) singular form. "In this film, two men battle for....", whereas in English the verb form would clearly and unequivocally stand in the plural! Poles often makes such transference errors in English, cf. "Many wood in back of my house" vs. "Much wooded area behind my house..", better still "Many woodS.../forestS".

Love / Why are Polish women so cat-like? [30]

Depends though. As many younger Polish women are typically in prove mode when encountering someone whom they perceive as a threat, someone quick to pigeon-hole them as well-paid sluts etc., all "T & A" etc., they most certainly will flaunt a university degree, along with the requisite high-level English or other foreign-language knowledge:-)

Love / Why are Polish women so cat-like? [30]

In my experience, Polish women do indeed exhibit that curious combo of impressive self-confidence (often bordering on arrogance) upon first meeting, soon to reveal a furtiveness in the guarded revelation of even the most innocent-seeming personal information!

French women, I find, are often offended by direct questions, typically by American men, concerning things like income, profession, especially the size and location of their house or apartment. The latter are considered highly "private" topics and not suitable on a first impression. The French usually will prefer general topics of fashion, food, film, that sort of thing. In this way, they are also similar to Italians of the opposite sex.

Polish women appear to have little problem discussing their dwelling, job, personal life, including former relationships.

Love / Why are Polish women so cat-like? [30]

If I might interject at this point, while it is perhaps unfair to stereotype, I also have found ultra-sharp differences in the everyday behavior of Polish (including as well Russian along with Ukrainian) members of the female gender as compared with the formerly Western Germans, Dutch, French or English.

Part of this deviance in behavior has surely to do with fall out from the long Communist period in Poland, roughly over twenty-five or so years, from around the mid-fifties under Gomulka up through the beginnings of the Solidarity Movement, which (like the rest of the Eastern Block) made daily survival one of almost animal instinct, black-market wiles, and often just sheer toughness of spirit. If one wasn't "secretive", one didn't last too long for simple fear of being found out. Toughness, because similarly to Israel, if one was perceived as soft, well, I guess a person didn't get that last piece of coveted meat on the hour-long market lines!!

Before we judge, always look first at the social history of the country after culture shock has sucker punched us by surprise:-)

News / Campaign urges US to suspend ties with Poland over Holocaust law [5]

Either extreme is bad!

As a Jew, even if my immediate family along with relatives didn't suffer directly due to the Holocaust, certainly I can not only understand, but empathize with, the anger many Jews feel towards Poland.

Clearly, the law is hidebound und borders on violation of free speech. I think the issue regarding free speech vs. hate speech, is that any speech which intentionally seeks to desecrate/violate the sanctity of another's reputation or purpose solely for prurient as well as malicious purposes cannot be allowed.

The latter of the two modes of expression seems to fit this description.

The entire discussion reminds me of a similar one back, oh almost thirty years ago, over the legitimacy of Kurt Waldheim as UN Secretary General, coinciding with the revelation by the international press, that Austria at the time still refused to acknowledge their complicity in the Anschluss, seeing themselves as victims, rather than co-perpetrators.

Only difference here is, that Austria never made it an actual "crime" to mention Austrian complicity during WWII!! This remains a key distinction, I feel.

Life / Going to Poland in a hijab - Polish people and Islam [154]

The cuisine of Muslim countries has obviously filtered into the kitchens of any number of non-Muslim "neighbors", namely (among others) Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia:-)

Language / Polish pronunciation animations? [7]

While I have a small number myself, as with any language, always be careful of false calques when translating!
Rarely too, is a random dictionary ever completely accurate in terms of register or meaning, since so much is always dependent on context, that is, usage:-)

Perhaps a specific usage aka style manual of Polish for English native speakers might be useful. I know they exist for other languages like German, and are usually published in Britain.

Good hunting and wish I could be of more help.
tarsape@gmail

Life / Going to Poland in a hijab - Polish people and Islam [154]

I believe we were discussing head scarves, no?
:-)

Life / Going to Poland in a hijab - Polish people and Islam [154]

Thought the issue was headgear, not food.

News / Polish embassy in Tel Aviv vandalized [15]

No, Crow, I have nothing against anybody, per se, though if they are stupid, I DO have something to criticize, be they Catholic Serbs, Protestants, Muslims, Jews, what have you. Ignorance doesn't discriminate. Neither does bigotry!

News / Polish embassy in Tel Aviv vandalized [15]

@Crow, and Serbs are Serbs, Croats are Croats etc... So what??!

NO organization deserves to be vandalized, be it the Democratic National Headquarters during the Watergate Affair, or this most recent act of vandalism in Tel Aviv. It serves no purpose other than to fuel the hate of bigots.

How about if the Israeli Embassy were to have vandalized in Warsaw, for example? There's NO justification in either act.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

No comp. problem, roz. merely read the message too quickly, that's all:-)

A lot of institutions here in the States will accept either CELTA or TESOL.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

TESOL- certification as well can come in handy.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

Was discussing a number of issues yesterday evening with an ESL-colleague who shared with me her first interview for an ESL-teaching position.
The interviewer blithely assumed "And, Erica, you're obviously an American native speaker..", at which point my colleague became rather annoyed an bluntly asked why it was important, whereas any number of equally qualified foreign-born instructors with the same training might do the job just as competently.

The moral here, is that in the end, while the ideal teacher of any foreign language should be a native of the language, in the long run, credentials and the requisite skills are more important in the classroom!

Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

Nice offer, Chemikiem! Thanks.

Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

Maybe I should. If my better half is up for it, then away we go!

Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

Krakow is certainly the most aesthetically picturesque of any Polish urban metropolis I've ever seen. Sadly, I only know Szczecin first hand , which is though hardly a shabby introduction to Poland for an initial visit:-)

Travel / Help with a travel plan to Poland [72]

Got news for ya, Johnny, "she"'s a HE!!! Check out his profile.

Work / Native English looking for a teaching job in Poland [135]

ESL teaching is an extraordinarily rewarding profession. The difficulties often lie, certainly not with the students, rather, with the administration of any number of language institutions (including universities), in which profits far too often outweigh the need for truly qualified, NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKING instructional staff, almost exclusively so as management can save moneyLOL

The entire trade has become penny-wise and pound foolish, to which I add: Cheap is (always) dear.
:-)

History / Israeli wants to wipe Poland off the map! [198]

Gosh, Ironside, you'll have to explain that one to our members, 'cuz you're making a royal ass out of yourself:-)

History / Israeli wants to wipe Poland off the map! [198]

Another example, Ironside, of misunderstanding the expression "Chosen People" (and no, I'm not referring to North Korean Jews eitherLOL).
It never meant, contrary to popular opinion, the Jews believe they are chosen above all others, aka, to be "better", rather, that G_d chose THEM to be a light unto the world.

There's a huge difference between these two ideas, perhaps not easily gleaned by a non-native English speaker:-)

UK, Ireland / Living in a Polish/Gypsy community in Poland. People don't like me there. [25]

A linguistic aside. In Romany, the word for foreigner or non-Gypsy is "gajo". In Japanese, the word for foreigner apparently is nearly identical in pronunciation.

History / What do Polish people think of Palestinians? [20]

The ancient aka Biblical Holy Land of the Jewish people was called "Judaea", not "Palestine"! After the British Mandate following WWI, Palestine was the name for the ancient Jewish State PRIOR to Israel's independence from Great Britain in 1948.

Today however, Palestine refers exclusively to the Arabs territory for those living in what was once known as Judaea, presently the State of Israel. Palestinians in common parlance therefore never referred to Jews or Israeli Arabs (Arabs who happen to be living in Israel), but solely Palestinian Arabs!

The nomenclature here is vital.

History / Polish perspective of WW1: Germany, their Defeat & the Legend of the Stab in the Back [17]

Hitler parleyed the stab in the back legend into his rapid ascent to power! German aggression in Verdun, for instance, was in fact often excised from German school history books during the Reich. Anyone caught teaching same would of course run afoul of the regime and could easily lose their job, much less their life.

History / Israeli wants to wipe Poland off the map! [198]

The Jews have been hated because they were always seen as being different. Unlike the New Testament, the Old Testament contains a line in which it commands the Israelites aka "Judaeens" to GO FORTH FROM AMONG THEM AND BE YE SEPARATE!! Precisely who "them" is remains a bone of contention to this day.

News / Polonophobia rising in Israel. [144]

Israel has been interested in dialogue, only Arafat wasn't listening. We could reduce the Jewish State until it's next to nothing, but what good would such a move do Israel....or her Arab neighbors? The Mid-East needs Israel as much as vice-versa, lest we forget!