Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

My sense is that the English especially (compared maybe with the Welsh, Scots, and Irish) are only superficially polite, like the Americans, but the Poles really mean it when they are polite!

The Viennese for instance, still rattle off "Kiss the lady's hand!" as a kind of perfunctory greeting at fancy social events aka annual The New Year's Ball at the Wiener Oper. But they don't mean it.

When Poles say "Całuję Pani rączki!", they mean it. In short, the Poles are generally more sincere and honest than a majority of the English:-)

Language / How well do Polish people understand Slovak? [88]

A Ukrainian speaker once asked me how to say "govorit" in Polish, to which I replied "mówić". "Oh, but M - O - V - I - T in my language sounds like really old-fashioned book language!", she said smiling broadly. "We might understand, but nobody says it.", she added.

Language / How well do Polish people understand Slovak? [88]

Isn't that the truth??

Thing about related languages often is that one of the languages will sound like an "older" aka vestigial version of the other. Ukrainian tends to sound like "older Polish", so I'm told, or another example would be Romanian to a modern Italian speaker sounds almost ancient etc...

In some languages like Turkish, the more "native"/Turkic the speech, the more everyday sounding. Add Arabic loan equivalents from centuries past, though still extant, the language will tend to sound highbrow and above the ken of most commoners:-)

Is English really so different? If I want to communicate with the rank-and-file illierati, I'm not going to say "Masticate your victuals in succession!", a comical phrase full of Latin and Greek, instead, I'd say "Chew your food many times!", using good old-fashioned Anglo-Saxon for folks to understand!

lol

Language / How well do Polish people understand Slovak? [88]

Though I don't know any Slovak, I've been following this entire thread with some interest!

Any list out there of "false friends" between Polish and Slovak? I know about Czech, "szukać" vs. Polish "szukać" etc. Curious though as to whether there's a rough equivalent group between Slovak and Polish.

:-)

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

Copenhagen must win for politeness!

When first visiting in the mid '80's, a passenger on a regular city bus apparently dropped his fare money and it rolled onto the street.

Without the slightest hesitation, the bus driver exited the vehicle, went to fetch the money, returned it to the rider, and we were off again:-)

Impossible to imagine anywhere else in Europe.

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

If voice is a factor, then the Italians ought to take first prize for aggressive-sounding discourse!

Once in Florence, I was with a native Italian acquaintance of mine at the time. I observed two people in such spirited conversation with one another, I thought one was going to kill the other:-) My friend saw my puzzled look and said in fairly fluent British-accented English, "Oh, don't mind them! He just invited the other one to supper, but she couldn't come, so they arranged another day, that's all!"

Raised volume and pitch need not always indicate anger:-)

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Being sarcastic, I take it:-)

Life / Do you think that Polish people are rude? [951]

Romanians may have had much less contact with the West than most Poles, therefore they aren't as jaded or cynical and can still enjoy the naive pleasure of just being friendly and warm.

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Well, now that Putin's annexed Crimea, guess all that stuff's basically on the back burner, bud!

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Forgiven, but not forgotten:-)
lol

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

It shouldn't have blown your mind that much, after all, Gothic hegemony extended way beyond the borders of continental Europe:-)

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Correct as well, Bobko!

Did you also know that the long extinct Gothic tongue was still spoken in isolation in the Crimean Peninsula as late as the late 18th century?

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

?? Actually, more the reverse, not to even begin to mention the vast influences in vocabulary in Hungarian, Romanian, and Albanian from Greek and Turkish!
Small wonder however; Greece and much of Eastern Europe (including Austria) was occupied by the Turks for some time until King Jan Sobieski drove them out of Europe:-))

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Well, in the latter, the word for "yes" is "Da", the word for "time" (??) is of Slavic origin, I think. Honestly, I can't provide immediate example, copious though as they are. Take my word by consulting any source, on line, off line, bottom line (LOL) and you'll find plenty of 'em, rest assured!

News / Future of Polish-Ukrainian relations [669]

Nor are Romanians or Albanians, yet there has been a considerable overlay of Slavic in their respective languages, particularly Romanian:-)

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

Quit projecting, Ironside! You only keep making yourself look stupid:-)

Jew-friendly country in Europe?? I think Vienna would take the prize there. I should know; I lived there for a while in the '90's and found the Jewish presence quite open!

Genealogy / Jewish Roots of Poland [638]

Of course it's not, Gregy!

Many hostile to a continued Jewish presence in Poland, such as certain adherents of the PiS etc., however consider it such, I'm sorry to say.

News / Poles call for EU reforms. [67]

As there is a USA, there too must be an EU, or the whole continent will be lost and we'll all be back to where we were centuries ago, fighting brutal trade wars based solely on gain, without treaties, without finite goals!

Genealogy / Typical Polish Eye Color [77]

Precisely! The small, turned up nose, bright blue eyes and often sculptured features are typically Polish facial charactaristics:-)

Genealogy / Typical Polish Eye Color [77]

?? Which Poles have you been staring at recently? Most in my extensive experience observing faces have at least lightish to piercing cobalt blue eyes (like Radek Sikorski and Beata Szydło), and those with brown or darkish eyes are most likely an admixtures way back when of Polish with Kaszub or Carpathians:-)

News / Poles call for EU reforms. [67]

Oh, au contraire. It's barely started:-)

Genealogy / Polish & Prussian/German town name cross-reference. [100]

Poland didn't so much "welcome" German "settlers" into what was at the time deemed Polish territory, Poland needed the skills and services offered by neighboring Germany!

The latter was to be sure far more advanced academically, scientifically and later on, industrially. Rarely did Germans choose to study in Poland, yet Poles could not say their professional education was even complete without at least a period abroad, studying for example in Berlin, Munich or Regensburg.

The presence of Germans in Polish territory, as I've said often before, is one of the reasons why so many German cities, town, and villages have German names alongside Polish ones.

News / Poles call for EU reforms. [67]

Trolling?? Look who's talking! If you're simply posting in order to provoke, THAT'S "trolling", but if one's posting in order to generate interesting, fruitful, and useful discussion, that's "contributing":-)

Sure you know the meaning of the word you used or are you merely mimicking other English expressions you see on PF?
lol

What exactly do you mean by "out of the picture"? As I recall, actor Sean Connory and many others have desired a clean break from the UK aka the EU for years!!

News / Poles call for EU reforms. [67]

Poles call for EU reforms.

Really???! Ya coulda knocked me over with a featherLOL

Add their name to that of the English, the Scots, the French, the Italians, and the Germans!! Poland, you're in splendid company:-)

Love / Fell in love with Polish girl at work : / [22]

Well, at least he'll begin to peak her interest:-) I mean, how many Polish girls aka women expect that some British bloke's gonna even bother to learn her language, much less properly?

Love / Fell in love with Polish girl at work : / [22]

If you learn her language, but seriously and well, you'll all by knock her stockin's off:-) You'll have her eating out of your hand in no time!

Genealogy / Displaced Persons Camp / Work camp and concentration camp difference [86]

In Bad Arolsen are located the files of not only displaced persons, but also individual Holocaust victims and their known fate:-) Typically "Arbeitslager" were separate and distinct from concentration camps aka "KZs", or "Sammellager" in which both gentiles as well as Jews were interned!

This is my understanding from years immersed in research on the subject.

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

I agree. He's more of a sort of "home boy" hero type to me:-)

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

Some debate about whether or not he was technically considered Polish or German, after all, Toruń at the time of his birth was still called "Thorn"!

Sorry to nit pick.

History / Why Poland achieved nothing at all? [69]

There was a famous French poet named "Apollinaire" and I believe he was Polish as well.