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

I once observed, for instance, that in Czech "Pozar!" means "Attention!" (in Polish "Uważa!") while in Polish "pożar" means "fire", though not as in calling out "Fire!" (in Polish "Pali się!")

Most intriguing this thread.

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

Slavic, like Scandinavian, languages are NOT mutually or seamlessly "intelligible"! A Slovak native speaker trying to communicate with a Pole in the former's native tongue will have numerous difficulties, apart perhaps from sound-alike greetings, maybe counting numerals etc.

Yes, as in Scandinavia, Slovaks, Czechs, Slovenes and Poles will doubtless attempt communication in English nowadays. Of course, this is usually the choice of least resistance and becomes all too often a comic exercise in makeshift futility, that is, so long as a native English speaker's around if only to listen in on the inherent humor of this familiar routineLOL

I'm a speaker of Polish, and while by no means a native (nor even completely fluent), I can glance at another Slavic language such as Czech or Croatian, one also written in non-Cyrillic alphabet, and more or less grasp the gist of similarly lexemic phrases. Other than that, I'm lost, what with the umpteen false friend booby-traps awaiting me at every bend and turn!!

And SPEAKING or understanding them in a spoken context?? Forget it most of the time:-)

Genealogy / KUKULA ancestry [32]

The double 'k' for sure. The Polish spelling with a single 'k' may well be native Slavic, perhaps even of Hungarian origin (there again, the Uralic connection):-)

Genealogy / KUKULA ancestry [32]

Interestingly enough "kukkula" (with two 'k's') in Finnish means "flower", I believe.
:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Atch, now here's a question for you. Do you think on a sliding scale of difficulty that Irish aka Erse (Irish Gaelic) is comparable in "difficulty" with Polish? Celtic languages have a reputation for a fiercely chaotic phonology and many morphological mutations, e.g. Welsh as well as a phonetic disconnect for Anglo-Saxon speakers, making it nearly impossible for us non-Irish to correctly pronounce the language without much practice, for instance "Slante!", the first name "Siobbhan" etc. So too Polish.

How do you feel about such a comparison?

UK, Ireland / British guy refused work because of Polish workers [39]

Unless of course the Polish people in question don't know English and therefore don't wish to embarrass themselves by speaking in a language not their own, thus making any number of gaffs:-)

UK, Ireland / British guy refused work because of Polish workers [39]

Sorry, Dolnośląsk. Do you mean "ever" or "never" was refused?

UK, Ireland / British guy refused work because of Polish workers [39]

Conversely, I wonder just how many POLISH guys have ever been refused work by BRITISH aka English workers.
Only curious:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Begorrah! Was that himself who wrote that message?

TanksLOL

Appreciate the reference as well. And to answer your question, no, I've not the slightest bit of Celtic background, just Teutonic:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Often times though, a thesaurus cannot realistically provide all the myriad possibilities for productive verbal aspects in Polish. While such a volume can indeed be helpful for listing synonyms, apart from that, its usefulness is frequently limited, at least in my experience.

@its'me,

What you and certain others fail to acknowledge is that translations or definitions may vary, except of course where the "meaning" is cut-and-dried, e.g. kapelusz = hat, góra = mountain etc....

"Pomieszkiwać" can indeed mean to live somewhere for a long, long time, since "pomieszkać" > "mieszkać" means "to dwell for a while".

Don't think I can be cowed into submission. I put up a mean fight and play to win!!!

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@its'me
My translation of "pomieszkiwać" was certainly as on point as any other translation into English:-) Because our language often lacks any direct aka "literal" rendering of Polish imperfective aspects, the objection is really moot!

In German, with various inseparable prefixed verbs, there might be a parallel, though not always, and SCARCELY on a regular basis.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Mistakes are universal. Enough said:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@Chem, the point is that Poles too make mistakes, even by native speakers of the "hardest language in the world to learn".
:-)

The English equivalent of "pomieszkiwac" might be "to continue living for a long, long time".

UK, Ireland / British guy refused work because of Polish workers [39]

Hmmm, a nationwide problem then, I suspect.

UK, Ireland / British guy refused work because of Polish workers [39]

An insightful article, yet I dare say, all too typical. A small point perhaps Tic, but your thread title sounded almost as though the British bloke himself refused to work with his Polish colleagues, rather than that he WAS REFUSED work simply because he was English!

Until I actually read the story, the thread post might have been more than slightly misleading:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Ironside, like Poggy, Wulkan and perhaps a few others, the more exacerbated you get, the worse your English becomes:-) Ol' poggy counted ballpark 16 infractions against my Polish earlier today. I can count about the same in your English, but, 'cuz I'm in a good mood this evening, I'll let you off easy and not even mention 'em.

LOL

Apropos Polish verb aspects, I always used to think they corresponded to English tenses.
Boy, was I ever wrong. Polish has to do with repeated action whereas English has to do with duration of action.

Many Poles tell me that even native speakers learning their own language in grade school sometimes write "ogurek" instead of "ogÓrek" and similar orthographic errors:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@Ironside et al, judge all you like, it doesn't mean it has the slightest merit. Kindly refrain from judging my English, you and Poggy, as I would refrain from judging your Polish:-)

We learn in the translation field that ONLY a true native (at "worst" a bilingual native schooled in the target language exclusively) can translate or judge the quality/aesthetic of his or her OWN language, not a foreign-speaker not matter how well- or bad intentioned!

Bear that in mind. Remember too "Ćwiczenie czynni mistrza."

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@Poganin and Ironside, as Poles, neither of you two should even attempt to compare, that is, judge the English of an educated native speaker; you both will fail HANDS DOWN!!!

As regards my Polish, it is better than that of most US-Polish speakers and despite errors, is comparable with the attempts of Polish English learners to communicate in English, if not fluently, then at least accurately:-)

English should once again not be evaluated by Polish standards.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Right on as usual, jon ol' man!

This question of lexemic stratagems in Polish reinforces the concept of the relative ease in vocabulary acquisition among foreigners learning Polish as opposed to the reverse. Albeit the morphology of a language such as Polish can be daunting at the very outset for non-natives, imagine the sheer frustration of the Polish student of English being confronted with the plethora of word choices in that language, e.g. "desk" vs. "writing table" vs. "secretary/anoir" vs. "lecturn" vs. "pulpit" etc..., each one from yet a different root origin, whereas the still homogeneous Polish has little non-Polish, i.e. non-SLAVIC, word stock from which to choose:-)

Why do you find it funny, Liebermann? Just curious. Your post peaked my interest, that's all.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Ziemowit's correct that English most certainly is the hardest language in the world to learn (.....CORRECTLY!!). As the standard across the continent regarding English is relatively low, it should come as no surprise that those here on PF who claim to speak it adequately at best, don't honor standard, except in their own language:-)

Polish difficulty measured next to English, German for French, is based again on expectation of (in-)ability among foreigners to speak that language. The same level of difficulty is not expected of English nowadays.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Thanks, Ziemowit:-)

Poganin is doubtless frustrated that my English is better than his.

@Poganin, not ALL Poles can be another Joseph Conrad. Sorry to disappoint youLOL

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

"What would you call someone with an abhorrent attitude, combined with [AN] inferiority complex...?"

In the US, we'd call them a Republican:-)
lol

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I will gladly adviSe you that the word is "thickheadedness":-) Were you perhaps confusing "dick" with German "Dickschaedligkeit" aka "having a thick skull", being chronically stubborn?

Thanks, gummi!

Even to this day, I have to weigh what the noun stem is before I attempt normal paragraphs! What should take me seconds, can take anywhere from five to ten minutes:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@Ironside, you're scarcely the one here to judge my English or that of any other native speaker on PF! Am happy to see though that you and Wulkan post frequently. It's a good way to keep up your English skills much as I keep up my Polish:-) Don't be afraid of correction however. We all learn from our mistakes (..myself included).

You're exactly right, Chemnikiem! I was alluding to differing preposition use between Polish and English. Incidentally, I posted in error that "w podróży" stands in the Accusative instead of the Locative. My oversight.

@Poganin,
As you've never seen examples of my German, moreover, are not an English native speaker, I'd refrain from pop-psych appraisals in which you have no first-hand knowledge. Sorry to be so blunt!

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

ON a trip = to be travelling, auf Reise sein,

W podróżY!!!

But of course, yet another silly typo. "Podróż" follows that irregular feminine noun declension pattern in the accusative singular. As a foreigner, I really ought to have known better.

Sooooorrrry, folks:-)LOL

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I'm glad to hear you say that, gumishu! Many, many thanks.

But, yes, BACK TO POLISH FINALLY, for me, the toughest still remains the counting:-) I know the rules, but it's the application which continues to dog me.

On the other hand, although many refuse to admit it, English articles, prepositions, and above all tenses, are often problem areas for Poles.

It seems, we have to think differently, whether we're "on" a trip or "IN a trip" (w podróże) etc...

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Oh, I don't pay much mind to it, Delph! I figure those who are serious will improve, those who aren't won't, that's all:-) Thanks just the same. I'm actually used to it, sorta comes with the territory.

It's easy to jump on stupid typos, though when I make a typo, the difference is I KNOW it's a typo and I don't rationalize.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Whilst I'd have to agree in the latter point, it's nonetheless no end annoying to be carped upon and caviled for my admittedly common Polish errors, when the poster in question is loathe to correct their own equally common English mistakes!!!

The effect of such intransigence is that somehow Polish is "superior" to English, ergo, mistakes in English are of lesser import:-)

Sort of reminds me of the well-known riposte of Voltaire's when asked by another contemporary whether he planned on learning any English upon visiting Lord Chesterton, to which the great man is said to have replied, "But my dear, what is English anyway, but French spoken badly?" LOL

That sums up much of the continental prejudice regarding English in a nutshell.

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Vowel shifts in the plural can indeed be daunting for those learning the first time out:-) Orthography too can cause some confusion without repeated practice, e.g. chrząść (which is WRONG, I later discovered!!!) vs. "chrząszcz" etc...

@My dear Wulkan, as far as English, if you omit one more definite article and the the like, I think I'll scream:-)

Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

@Wulkan,

Your English mistakes are so legion, I'd need too much time to even BEGIN a short list:-)

Back to Polish, at least when I speak or write Polish, I aim high rather than low! As far as it's supposed difficulty, I defy anyone (including you) to name a language which is, so to speak, easy!!!