News / Poles in work-life balance crisis [22]

Many don't appear to be out of kilter but I know quite a few work very long hours to make ends meet. However, let's keep things in perspective. They have MANY holidays and the weekend is spent recharging their batteries. It's not as if Poland is the epicentre of entertainment anyway ;)

History / Symbols & Signs in Polish History, Culture & Life [89]

Symbols and signs? Like the Eagle? What is that red sign with white markings outside official offices, is that the eagle too?

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

AS has a fair point! Slovak is easier for Poles but I don't think it's as big a difference as some would lead us to believe.

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

With minor difficulties but I get the gist of it. I don't believe in over-the-board claims but more in showing in real life.

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

I can read it no problem. Read Marek Szołtysek as he is the leading expert to my knowledge. I have his gwara book.

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

Ancient Polish? Not really. It's Polish with German and Czech influences and vowel changes. If you call 'Polish' food Polish due to all those external influences, aren't you prepared to call Polish language Polish despite the minor foreign incursions into it? ;) ;)

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Nah, I don't think so ;)

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

Rower is koło here in Gliwice ;) ;)

Some say deska as płyta here too :) Must be the Cieszyn folk :)

Some say paliwo or płyn here too :)

Some Poles see more similarities than you do, AS ;)

News / Over 2 million Poles drowning in debt [19]

You just make David Rockefeller cry ;) ;)

2 million? Try 4.

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

AS, look and you may find similarities :) :) Dobri den is close. Some Slavic languages are closer in some vocab and then more distant in others. Take uchets in Czech (rachunek, a bill). It's raczun in Serbo-Croatian. However, they say dobro jutro which might be baffling to Poles, not to mention zatrudniłem = zapłodniłem, kurcze = O, Ty ch*ju and opaliłem się is rznąć in Serbo-Croatian. So you see my point? ;)

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

Copernicus wrote in Latin but he was Polish/German ;) ;)

Anyway, I hear Czech sounds differently now. The accent is fundamentally different but it's nice. I was in Brno and they sound so lush.

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

It sounds a bit like a weaker version of Kazik Staszewski :) Clearly not a Polish guy although there is variation in Poland. The Highlanders here (góraly) speak quiet soft. The Gazdówka menu is translated from Polish to Góral, LOL. Czechs would identify with it more.

News / Poland Parliament elections in October 2011 [944]

Tusk is ready to listen to Arab bidders and many Poles have told me the same. Money talks, BS walks.

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

My Polish friend speaks Czech as he does business there. He has minor problems only. I guess I understand the Czechs softness better. I imagine the following song to be much easier for a Czech person than for a Pole,

youtube.com/watch?v=gYdHE3qe-4Q&playnext=1&list=PL5DBBD4A1A315E5BF
the sounds are softer.

youtube.com/watch?v=tT7QbT5ckw4&feature=related
a beautiful Russian woman singing a beautiful Russian song about a cap, dancing and prancing around :) I hear some similar Czech sounds :)

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

I'm not to keen on the German language. Czech sounds funny to me but even funnier to most Poles. I must sound Czech sometimes as I try to say words like 'czepek'. I always say it too weak.

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

Way back in 2005, I used to listen to a Czech radio station from Olomouc as it had great music. I could really hear the similarities to Polish. It is weaker for sure but, then again, so are most Slavic languages. To my knowledge, only Poles pronounce wieczór that hard. The Czechs don't, the Russians neither (oj to ne vecher). I love the way young Poles speak. The kid of my wife's bro is SOOOOO cute. He says byba instead of ryba. So many things are 'ka' and you are left guessing as to what he means. I guess Czechs would identify with him ;0 ;)

News / How long will it take for the first 9/11 to occur in Poland? [55]

I would advocate a strike at politicians were Poland to be hit. Make them suffer for putting their people in harm's way without a referendum. Send in a few Mujas to chase Tusk around the Sejm and let's hear his comments on the War on Terror then.

Love / The constant unfortunes of Polki - Polish women [16]

No, I will not lie about things here. Trust me on that one! There is almost an inbuilt mechanism in many which drives them to feel that they are ill. This is not an attack on them, it's an observation based on a wealth of watching. Of their own admission, they complain a lot about almost anything. Scots are quite similar in that way.

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]

Bah, she can't remember. Fabusie and, to my recollection anyway, smakosie was the second one. They were absolutely delicious but, predicably enough, loaded with calories.

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]

Like a soft pastry type thing with a ham filling inside. One was with mushrooms.

News / How long will it take for the first 9/11 to occur in Poland? [55]

Ooh, that's a tough one there, Crow. I don't think the US had a hand in that. I think it was a combination of Russian lack of thoroughness and Polish pilot error. Poland will not face a 9/11 type attack for a long time.

Food / Expats' Polish food favourites [140]

There was a lovely food that my wife called 'fabusia' but the butcher place I used to buy it at doesn't have it anymore. There was another similar one whose name escapes me.

News / How long will it take for the first 9/11 to occur in Poland? [55]

Probably the best answer so far. There are so many foreign policy hawks with power and the ball is in their court!

Love / The constant unfortunes of Polki - Polish women [16]

I think it is often perceived misfortunes. That they are always ill or nothing seems to lift them sometimes. I think it is just because many Poles don't make living easy for one another.

News / How long will it take for the first 9/11 to occur in Poland? [55]

It stiffens the resolve of the government. Just look at Russia, they intensified their campaign against the Chechens due to events like at Beslan. War is meant to be brutal, unfortunately.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

Not archaic, no. Just used in limited contexts like the one I said or when families are describing their son or the son of another family.

News / How long will it take for the first 9/11 to occur in Poland? [55]

The wrath is aimed at America and Britain, not Poland. I just find it wrong that they target innocent civilians but, then again, many innocent civilians have been killed in this phony War on Terror.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

Well, I've just come off a class with a lot of French-English so forgive me. I was clearly thinking in French. It's French, not English.

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

I meant that it is incidental to the main discussion. It is more of an aside point, highly specific in its nature. As you said, most is most often the superlative and not often couple with 'a' but 'the' :)

Language / Use of A/An/The ...... Articles [186]

french.about.com/od/vocabulary/a/aufait.htm

here :) It's a rather obscure point which I've never had to teach and I often cover articles.