Off-Topic / DALMATIA - How much Poles love Dalmatia ? [123]

If religion is the "enemy" of intelligence, how then do you explain the enlightened writings of many a prominent theologians and philosophers
such as Reinhold Niebuhr, Martin Buber, Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas along with many others too numerous to list here?

If you've heard of, much less read, any of the above, I'll eat my hat!

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

What has that to do with the present topic thread?

Life / Why Polish people should be proud of being Polish? [370]

The Poles have a proud heritage, sadly ignored, often maligned by the West.

Off-Topic / DALMATIA - How much Poles love Dalmatia ? [123]

Without spirituality, there can be no religion, merely idol worship or the worshipping of tin gods such as Hitler:-)

On the contrary, Rich, religion discussed intelligently doesn't end conversations, it begins them!

Life / Poland vs Hungary for an expat? [41]

Yes, I've been told the same thing.

Regarding the ease as opposed to the difficulty in learning either Polish or Hungarian, I'd have to say that being an Indo-European language, Polish is somewhat more lexically "transparent' with numerous related root words and Latinate productive verbal prefixes than Hungarian, with its heavily Uralic word stock as well its frequent S + O + V structure.

History / What do Poles owe to Germans? [451]

Poland owed or owes NOTHING to Germany, and to assert the contrary is as farcical as it is criminal!

Life / Poland vs Hungary for an expat? [41]

Compared with Poland, Hungary fared far better under their brand of "gulyas-communism" than most of Europe, this I will say!
Kadar and Nagy proved themselves far less authoritarian than either Gomulka in Poland, certainly than Rakosi, the head of Hungary's Communist Party immediately after the War. Economically of course, Hungary surpassed Poland considerably, even if the forint and the zloty were more or less on a parLOL

It's interesting to compare how these two countries approached the entire party line from Moscow, in contrast with the former East Germany. Although every Communist society had some form of State Police, Hungary's was more there for show than for shackles:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

Rubaszny Rumcajs,

Yes, it IS in fact "pre"-scriptive, since I was recommending aka "prescribing" rather than prohibiting" or "proscribing", quite right, my hat's off to you! In addition, kudos to someone whose first language isn't English catching a native English speaker on a point of use. Good show indeed, old chap.

Language though very much is a thing, a living organism with a life all its own, I constantly tell my students:-) As you wouldn't consciously or with malice of forethought, presumably, damage a flower, willfully harm a blossom, kick a sick puppy or take the life of an animal (save for shooing away bugs and the like), except for a disease-carrying rodent, or in self-defense etc., why should you apply a double standard to the life of a word??

In the beginning was the Word, according to the Bible, and about that, there can be no dispute! Verbal language is that which separates us from the four-legged species of animal. By using language with the care and precision which it no less deserves, we are all reaffirming our humanity every day of our life. Language is sacred, and so too its users. Devalue language and we devalue one another.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

Possibly too, native Yiddish speakers perhaps, from a shtetl who managed somehow to cobble together some broken Polish?

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

You want to believe in American English, since you know no other language but English,
and are therefore ignorant.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

Or forgot their native language:-)

Off-Topic / DALMATIA - How much Poles love Dalmatia ? [123]

Can't make out your question, Rich.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

The American accent IS "British" pronunciation, only not RP, but instead an amalgam of Southwest Dorsetshire with their flat a's and voiced frontal r's, combined probably with Scots-Irish along with certain influences from the Scandinavian immigrants from Sweden who populated much of the current Midwest:-)

@Rubaszny-Rumcajs,

Firstly, I think you meant prOscriptive, secondly, the degree of "penetration" into the world markets is only due to the presence internationally
of mostly US-companies, in addition to the attraction of rock music, namely Elvis and the Beatles and the rest is history, no mystery!

Regarding the admitted importance of English as passport to the globe, I ask for the zillionth time, would you keep your passport in as orderly, clean and presentable condition as possible, or rather all dog-eared and dirty?

Only you can answer that...yet somehow, I already know unfortunately what the answer will be.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

Older Poles with possibly limited schooling were probably conflating two separate idioms which sounded to me as though they belonged together.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

Heck, when I was a boy, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I can still remember corrective re-casts of people's speech, right on the air live:-) This was for rank-and-file Americans, Rich, not NYC college types!!

Off-Topic / DALMATIA - How much Poles love Dalmatia ? [123]

Spoke to soon, he's at it again:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

First time for everything, Rich!

Thing is, what was once everyday vocab when yours truly was coming up, has become high-level and less frequent nowadays:-)

Off-Topic / DALMATIA - How much Poles love Dalmatia ? [123]

Good point, Crow. Is it only my imagination here, or is Crow actually starting to make bother grammatical and logical sense?
:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

I wasn't accusing anyone in particular of being a buffoon, really, truly!
In my idealistic zeal and determination, I can come across somewhat truculent on occasion, this is surely true.

Not on purpose though, I can assure you.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

I never said that, Rich, and you know it.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

But if the precise nature of an idea, any idea, is in fact MIScommunicated because nobody's listening to the answer since their brains are sleeping at the switch, so to speak, we're not really communicating, we're approximating, aren't we.

Could be too that one of many reasons for the rampant rate of divorce throughout the world, particularly since the advent of digitalization, is that couples are too busy fighting over what something is "like" (that maddening filler word of the empty-headed) rather than what it "is"!

Not too long ago, a youngish woman at a party my wife and I attended, who it turns out was from Turkey, was chatting with us at our table amid a sumptuous buffet supper, and happened to ask me what I do for a living. I replied that I'm a college professor, at which point she chimed in, "Oh, you're like a teacher?" I answered her in what I thought was a witty rejoinder, "As a matter of fact, I really am a teacher, no foolin'!" Her English sounded as though she just arrived from California, and so not hearing any interference, I figured she understood American-style sarcastic humor.

Well, I was wrong. She got the tip of the iceberg as though she were an American, yet missed the subtlety of the joke by a country mile.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

No thanks necessary, as it wasn't entirely meant as a compliment!

I grew up during the Sputnik Era, mid-to-late '60's, when foreign language learning in this country was at a level higher than it's ever been. The differences between the way I was raised and now are so frightening, it's almost as though I were a stranger, both in my own country, more to the point, in my own language.

You can accept things as "normal" since you doubtless never knew just how great, how mind-blowingly wonderful, the good times were. I only attribute this to latent naivete. As the offspring of slightly older parents, not two teens or twenty-some-things who shacked up on some commune and started making babies, I was born with a whiff of the FRD-Era in my nostils, as part of my pores practically, and the aroma of prosperity and discover has not diminished.

Therefore, when I see the wanton indifference with which human language is being trampled upon twenty-four-seven, guess I go a bit bonkers every now and then.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

As long as this sort of attitude keeps up, might as well simply all pack it in and emit a series of grunts, wheezes or barfing sounds to "get the message across".

Doesn't say much about the message then, does it!

Can't say as I blame your feelings any, to be honest. You're doubtless too young to have experienced English, even American English, in her heyday:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

As Americans typically vulgarize their mother tongue everyday, even if it's their adopted "mother" tongue, I've have been wondering for some time now whether or not the molestation of a language is as bad as that of a person; in both instances violation has occurred!

No end intriguing how Europeans who are most up in arms over foreigners destroying their beloved mother language, often pay little regard to how they mutilate English:-) Let's hope the latter doesn't end up sooner rather than later on a list of endangered languages LOL

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

In all likelihood, pawian.

Language / Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases [159]

The difference then between "psiakrew" vs. "psiakrew bydlo"?
Always been curious about that, but even native speakers seemed hard pressed:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

Answer to your question by way of a quote from the movie "The Fountainhead" :

Toohey: Mr. Rorke, I want you to tell me in no uncertain terms exactly what you think of me!

Rorke: But that's just it, Mr. Toohey, I don't think of you.

Life / The nature of Polish jokes? [128]

Don't know if the following applies as "Polish" humor, but I read it in Rzeczpospolita recently and found it amusing, so much so in fact, that I was heard chortling a few chuckles on the bus the other day alongside total strangers!

Boss: Ms. Teresa! As you know, we are a business, and as such begin the business day ON TIME! Are you aware, Ms. Teresa, that we begin work at 9:00 sharp?

Teresa: No, I wasn't. By the time I arrive at the office, there are already people working.

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

Apropos having the last word, I was in Denmark as a young grad student and remember clearly walking into a local pub somewhere in Copenhagen, "Den lille kro", if memory serves me right. At the tap dispensing area I saw a sign which caused me some amusement as an English native speaker, PLEASE DON'T HAVE CHILDREN AT THE BAR! I went over to the bar keep and, in normal English, (and not a mock Danish accent!), commented that maybe a hospital would be a more sensible place for same.

The gentleman, a Danish man of about fifty, was clearly annoyed and was unable to see the humor in the situation.
What became of the land of Victor Borge?
:-)

Off-Topic / The "Anglicization" of Europe [132]

Oh, yes they do Milo! Grammar might well be an abstract construct, but rules there are aplenty.

Don't project your own indolence onto language, simply because perhaps you are too lazy to apply yourself:-)
Please realize that I LOVE the English language which is why I hate to hear or see it mutilated. at the same time rewarded, by no-nothings who never even graduated kindergarten.