Travel / Are Polish people as unfriendly as Slovaks? [84]

Again, can't much speak for Slovaks, but yes, often younger Poles (especially women) do indeed tend to have what might be perceived as a slight edge to their personality.

I suppose it's because they're tired of being condescended to by their wealthier European neighbors, realizing too that their English skills frequently lag behind other, more typically "desirable" countries such as Sweden, The Netherlands, even France. In addition, which person of any nationality wishes to be thought of as either a bone-head or a prostitute simply because of decades of negative PR?

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1040]

Get a grip....

At least mine's firm at the wheel, Delph!
Plenty of people say/sing that. Don't judge everyone by the under fifty crowd:-)

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

Well stated, Maf.
Thanks, as always for your input! Sadly, I couldn't agree with you more.
All the pity.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

Reality?

Why then does "Europlish" continue to sound/look as it does?? Think that I think it's just a Polish problem?
Was once in what passed for an English class in Berlin quite a few years back, the so-called guest of an erstwhile girl friend
who was currently teaching at a high school in the Borsigwald district.

My friend walked into the class and proceeded, with a decided German accent, to elucidate some of the finer points of English pronunciation, later on

(unintentionally, no doubt) torturing my ears even more with some 'expert' knowledge of American idiomsLOL

Thought I would die laughing inside, yet naturally maintained the proverbial composure under pressure.
When class was over, Noelia rushed over eagerly to where I'd been sitting throughout the lesson, and asked me what I thought of her instruction.

As still a friend, I smiled broadly and said, "Just fine. Thought for a moment I was in San Fransisco!"

How could I possibly have hurt that poor girl's feelings?:-)

By the time "students" are finally released from their clutches and sent on those long and frequent exchanges, much of the damage has already been done and although sixteen through eighteen, for instance, is darned young in years, it's starting to get old in terms of fluid second-language acquisition.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

English exams, English exams! If the teacher's nonetheless a Pole, probably some state-salaried "refrigerator monster" from the good ol' Commie days, who
speaks Poglish, perhaps took some English courses in the UK, yet isn't a native speaker, all the exams in the world aren't going to break the cycle of government-perpetuated and sponsored mediocrity!!

Think anybody will ever spring for some native US or UK teachers for kids UNDER twelve so at least they'll hear authentic English BEFORE they enter university?

Long overdue, of course, because it's expensive and/or the state's simply too damn cheap.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

These then are authored by the BC in the United Kingdom, right?

Solid point, Maf. I wasn't able to enlarge unfortunately and so couldn't see right away for which age group the instruction was
intended!

Life / Mishmash facts about Poland and Poles [142]

Aha, much appreciated. Thank you.
I can now see the English/ German intereference in my Polish, much as the converse on occasion in your English!

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

Problem is though, the textbooks appear to be written almost exclusively in Polish! How then will the learners of English become immersed in the target language unless either a native English instructor, at the very least, a target language text, is used regularly?

For very young learners, I can understand, but as for more advanced high schoolers, I can't imagine how.
Guess it depends on the school system, funding, and so forth.

Life / Mishmash facts about Poland and Poles [142]

Dzien wagarowania, pawian? Somehow can't imagine a "National Hooky Day" here in the US!

Never knew that. Thanks:-)

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1040]

Roughly, "Three cheers for....."

"Sto lat!" = Gesundheit! (After someone sneezes) or "For he's a jolly good fellow....!" when congratulating somebody upon their marriage, for example.

Language / Short Polish<->English translations [1040]

"Niech ZYJE Rzeczpospolita Ludowa Polska!"

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [940]

Can't speak for Poland, although I'd imagine it does, but typically the US by sharp contrast, has always maintained a decidedly anti-intellectual, anti-academic, in the end, anti-education, streak, save perhaps for all but those most nuts-and-bolts trade schools which have usually been strictly "for profit" institutions, thus heavily susceptible to financial scams!

I ought to know, I worked for one:-)

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

Nonetheless, pawian, the image of the money-hungry Jew continued to haunt them, don't you understand? Who does "business" for free?
:-)

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

Diversity is seen as something imposed from outside, without plebiscite, and forced upon countries such as Poland etc. without the latter having
been consulted for discussion about the entire matter. Sorry if this sounds naïve.

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

While I can't blame them, we also have to analyze the misguided policies which has brought both Britain and much of the
continent to this point. The answers are clear, the solutions, less so:-)

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

A nice post, Ziemowit!

This should prove once and for all to the naysayers out there, here on PF and beyond, that the notion of the Jew as some sort of foreign, unassimilable body, is pure rubbish.

While we're on the subject, Jan Brzechwa, a half-Jew on his mother's side, penned the most famously difficult of all Polish tongue twisters, often featured here on this Forum:-)

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

@Dirk,

I'm simply saying the deck was once almost entirely stacked against dark-complected minorities, therefore ever since then, there are those who are attempting to set things right. Problem is, the latter's "equally" 'unfair', only in a different way! Now, rather than making room for BOTH, certain institutions etc. are excluding the white applicant, candidate, what have you, based on discrimination over past wrong, instead of solely on competence. Just so long as we're clear on that.

@Ironside The Wise Guy,
How could Jews incite anti-Semitism by virtue of being Jews. The issue is ideological, fomented in large part by the Church which deliberately excluded Jews

from full participation in society! Don't give me this, "Oh, Marek. The Jews wanted to remain separate!", If that were the case, there would have been no Enlightenment at all and Moses Mendelssohn would have been a mere footnote in history.

Are you honestly such a jerk or are you faking? How can anyone be that stupid, except maybe, and only maybe, they're actually an agent provocateur!

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

A Harvard study, Dirk ol' man, conducted, disseminated, and doubtless read, mostly by white people. So where's the validity of your argument?
Shot to hell!

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

How indicative of what nationalities think of or picture foreigners!
In German, there was an expression before the end of WWII, roughly translated as follows:

The teacher walks into a particularly noise classroom and roars, "HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS, A YESHIVA?" (Ruhe, hier ist keine
Judenschule!). The Polish idiom implies Jews are rootless without a homeland, the German expression implies that Jews are noisy.

Life / Why does Poland need racial diversity? Opinions [67]

I think the question ought to read "Of what value is racial diversity in Poland?"
Probably, reacting as an American, I would tend to think that everyone in a country ought to be
considered as a native of that country.

However, I realize that such is nearly impossible, particularly in a homogeneous and conservative society like Poland.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

We also say here in the States "plain as day" (jasno = literally, "clear").
:-)

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

Furthermore, the "Enabling Act" of '33 which facilitated Hitler's entry to complete and absolute power in Germany was a direct result of DISabling an already shaky German Constitution:-) All done 'legally' though obviously not 'democratically'!

:-)

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [656]

If not, such a pity! I see I must know lots of retro Poles:-)

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

Oh, but I never once said "democratically", did I? Don't forget, the Nazi regime had her own spin on the whole idea of legality! Methinks you're splitting hairs once again.Someone can be legally appointed, even if not "democratically, as understood by us in the current US.

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

He was an instinctive orator, although technically, a louse elocutionist!

In a country weak, defeated, and morally sick, he pandered as none other to the primitive fears and yearnings of a "civilized", yet profoundly unenlightened, people.

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

The point is that Americans typically believe that Hitler merely walked in to the parliament and seized control of Germany, and the issue is that he was elected.

That's not difficult to understand:-)

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

@Weimarer,
Then I guess you would have been a Hitler supporter! G-d Bless the FuehereLOL
As a non-Christian, as someone who doesn't acknowledge the sanctity of spirituality, you never were taught
that humanity is ALWAYS a valid concept, rain or shine!!!

@TheOther,
As I said, Hitler was appointed LEGALLY, when President Hindenburg was deemed too mentally unfit to serve, not realizing the consequences of his decision. This is known as the "Staatsakt". The Nazi Seizure of Power was mandated, if you will, by a majority vote. Thereafter of course, the entire law was re-drafted to fit Nazi ideology, culminating in the Nuremberg Law.

Please don't debate me on the facts of history, 'cuz you'll lose hands down!

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

..because Germans weren't intellectually ready to accept the concept of democracy, delph!

That's been proven umpteen times, by German as well as Anglo-Saxon historians who point to the numerous flaws, among them, the "Sonderweg" of German history.

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [656]

The Canadians then share something in common with the North Americans, even if they wouldn't necessarily care to admit it.

History / Cursed soldiers controvercy - not all Poles respect them [282]

Also, Hitler was LEGALLY elected Chancellor. The failures of democracy in that country, evidenced by the swift collapse of the Weimar Republic, provides ample evidence:-)