History / Would Poland be better off if it had lost in the Polish-Soviet War? [44]

Don't underestimate the power either of the US army or the British navy at that time. Likely the Russians wouldn't have had a prayer:-)

History / Would Poland be better off if it had lost in the Polish-Soviet War? [44]

True, although my initial surmise would be that Russia might well have "gobbled up", so to speak, as much Polish territory as she could, therein reducing Poland's

geographic size, not to mention any possible geopolitical influence she might either have had or towards which she could have hoped to aspire.

Hitler would have attacked Poland, not matter what!

History / Would Poland be better off if it had lost in the Polish-Soviet War? [44]

Not exactly transparent from your thread post which war you meant, bobko old man!

History / Would Poland be better off if it had lost in the Polish-Soviet War? [44]

Hmmm, a titillating proposition. However, as with most all "What if..." scenarios, the background to the war, seen within the broader context of WWII itself, cannot alter the fact that it was principally the German invasion of Poland in '39 which turned the course of things, from merely a Polish-Soviet matter, into a continental issue which ended up embroiling nearly every nation of Europe, in one way or other:-)

At the time, Poland was neither well off nor badly off, having been under Russian control up till 1918 when she was finally liberated by Pilsudski, later dominated by the Nazis, after that, by the Soviets as one of many other satelites until '89.

The Germans saw the so-called "Polish Corridor" as a means by which Hitler could eventually claim military victory over Poland. Stalin though remained Hitler's chief nemesis, whom the Fuehrer saw as his life's mission to finally defeat, thereby laying claim to historical dreams of "deutscher Lebensraum", in the end, over the entire territory of Russia!

Travel / From Krakow to Auschwitz (transportation) [29]

That nearly happened to me during my one and only pilgrimage ("GRIM" indeed) to the Dachau Camp in the early '90's. Saw the sign "ZU DEN KREMATORIEN", turned tail and headed back to the hotel, luckily a bit of a distance away by U-Bahn in downtown Munich. The stones in front of the now sanitized barracks were plenty for me!

Travel / From Krakow to Auschwitz (transportation) [29]

I've not been privileged as yet to take the plunge, but if ever we do decide to make such a pilgrimage, I promised my wife to bring along plenty of smelling salts, perhaps a barf bag too wouldn't hurt either.

Travel / From Krakow to Auschwitz (transportation) [29]

Wouldn't ya need at least a day or so to "recover" after visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau??
Talk about iron-cast constitutions! Hey, and then it's off to Krakow...on a shopping trip, no doubt.
Charming.

Life / Popular Polish blog and chat sites [65]

Not if I and others like me can help it, NoToForeigners:-)

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

Quite, Vlad!

Olive complexion in my years of having lived and traveled throughout Germany pre-globalization indicates possible admixture with Southern Europeans.
"Ethnic" Germans often may have dark to blue-black hair, occasionally brown or dark-brown eye color, but the features remain typically straight rather than rounded, and the skin usually is fair. When I've encountered German natives with a touch of swarthy or olive complexion, in nearly every case, they were of at least part Italian, Spanish or Greek heritage:-)

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

Like I say, ethnically German.

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

With little difficulty on my end might be (mis-)taken for ethnic Germans.

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

Obviously of partially German origin:-)

Genealogy / The typical Polish look, or all Eastern Europeans [676]

The right picture might well be of two highly assimilated Polish urban Jews, most likely from the upper-middle classes. The one on the left could be German as well:-) German males often tend to have less oval-shaped and slightly squarer-looking faces, broader jawline.

The photograph even looks a little like the composer Hindemith:-)

Language / Maria, what is the Polish form? [30]

And interestingly enough, gang, "Marijke" (with a final "e" however) is Dutch, "Marika", Hungarian.

Genealogy / What does my Polish name mean? [402]

Rather the opposite I'd say. Like 'Smolarz' and others, 'Pacharz' looks pretty much Slavic to me.

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [630]

I thought I'd come across "blyat" in Russian meaning "bribery" of some sort or other:-) Although I'm sure there must be a slang expression as well, could have sworn I either read or heard this word.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

Absolutely.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

Not if one is a "native bilingual", grown up abroad until college, yet raised for the first five or so years in the source language.

As you've never heard me speak, how can you honestly judge?

Uh-huh, sir! I still stand by my scratches beneath the polished veneer analogy, any day, any time.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

But I do, TheOther, you know that, so quit "messing" with me, as you like to say.
:-)

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

Germans are a mixed bag.

Sure, there are plenty who know really fluent English and can negotiate effortlessly in nearly any everyday situation. The trouble often comes when one scratches ever so slightly beneath the highly polished veneer of many a yuppified urbanite in any of the major centers, only to hit a stone wall; their English started out solid and rarely, if ever, moves beyond that point in terms of learning either more deeply the idiom of Standard English, or (HORRORS!!) recognizing there's till a great deal which they don't know and admitting it either publically or privately:-)

On the other hand, most Germans well over senior age, tend to know next to zero English, and if anything, WWII catch phrases such as "Lucky Strike", "See you later alligator" or the like, always rattled off with a thick native accent.

Law / The right to own guns: would you support such legislation in Poland? [2237]

If at first you don't secede, try, try again:-)

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

Yep, spot on matey!

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

There are so many false friends Russian to Polish, and even reverse, that maybe only with the most basic, everyday vocabulary, could a Russian understand a Pole or the other way round. Often though, simply grasping a word here and there, is scarcely the same as understanding either the entire conversation as well as the gist of what is being said. An example I enjoy quoting is the Russian verb "pukat" vs. its Polish sound-alike evil "identical" twin "pukac"...similar pronunciation, but HARDLY the same meaning:-) lol

The list of such troublesome pairs is quite extensive, I can assure you!

Concerning using Polish in Germany, one has a far better chance of being understood using German in Poland. English naturally is taught everywhere, however, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's used or understood with equal precision.

Language / Polish language would look better written in Cyrillic Script? [212]

Oh, English too has many examples of unstressed vowels. Check out Southern US dialects in which "potato" is often prounounced " P - U - H - T - A - T - U- H", same with "tomato" etc.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

No debate here. The relationship between the two neighbors has been anything but either easy or pleasant. Each tolerates the other, but it's far from on an equal footing, and both realize this, I'm sure..

Apropos Turkish, in Berlin, it has become in certain sections of town nearly like Spanish in certain "barrios" of New York especially, and to be sure, Turkish will get one by to a degree in the German capital. Outside of Berlin, forget about it, especially in the former East Zone, as ethnic/racial tensions are running particularly high at the moment.

Language / Will Germans be able to understand Polish enough? [77]

Outside of Poland, of course, possibly Ukraine and the Northern Carpathians, can't really see Polish being that helpful.
With German, you will get by in parts of urban Poland, however I'd find it impossible to believe that Germans will understand enough PolishLOL

The minority will usually understand some of the majority language, though rarely if ever in the reverse!

Language / Polish language would look better written in Cyrillic Script? [212]

One reason why Russians in particular have such problems with the stressed vowels of English, Spanish, and Italian, what with their final "o-sounds", making them sound almost like "schwas", e.g. M - O - D - E - S - T - O will typically come out sounding like " M - U - H - D - E - S - T - U - H" etc.

Language / Polish language would look better written in Cyrillic Script? [212]

My teacher made me say the Russian word "D - Y - A - D - Y - A" (uncle) almost fifty times until I got the full palatalization. Thought I'd practically swallow my tongueLOL

Language / Polish language would look better written in Cyrillic Script? [212]

Russian pronunciation continues to dog me and my inability to pronounce even basic words/names such as the "soft" d-sound in 'dver' or the t-sound in my tutor's first name 'Katja", remains a constant source of frustration.

On the other hand, Polish pronunciation I picked up a like a fish to water. Still can't say why...and I'm the linguist who should be able to distinguish a struant from a plosive from a labial and a bilabial:-)

Language / Polish language would look better written in Cyrillic Script? [212]

Using English to communicate with Poles (on average) in my experience would be rather like using a drill for a job where a jigsaw would do even better:-)

Eventually, the wood can be pierced, but why all the extra added effort?