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

First, as a rule linguists _hate_ the question 'how many languages do you speak?' Linguistics is about studying languages as functioning systems (and some other stuff). (but I'm not mad, it's just a hard question to answer and alien to most of my concerns).

The number of languages I'm really capable in isn't necessarily so impressive. On the other hand, the number of languages whose grammars I thoroughly understand is very high. At one time I could parse Japanese sentences with the best of them but I can't speak, understand (much less read) Japanese.

On the other hand, I think the term 'monoglot linguist' is an oxymoron and I don't respect anyone who calls themself a linguist and who only speaks one language but linguistics isn't primarily about learning languages.

Anyway, I like to rank languages by ability

NAmerican English : 1
Polish : 2
Spanish (at various times Iberian and Mexican) : 3
Esperanto : 4
German : 4
Hungarian : 6

Can read a fair amount but not speak or understand:

Norwegian
Portuguese
Italian
Swedish
French

Roughly at an equal level with thorough knowledge of grammar without much practical ability:

Turkish
Vietnamese
Thai
Japanese

There are others too but they're pretty obscure.

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


It depends on how you define 'correct'. According to many prescriptive grammarians

"Whom did you see at the ballgame?" is technically speaking correct.

But no native speaker actually says that. It sounds bizarre, maybe a little like pronouncing a heavy nasal vowel for every single -ę in Polish. Also technically correct but no one talks that way.

Probably 99.99 per cent of native speakers would say 'who' in that sentence.

'whom' is sometimes (not always) used directly after prepositions (especially when the who is a relative clause marker but if the who and preposition are separated most people will say 'who'.

Those are the people for whom I wrote the book.

vs

Those are the people who I wrote the book for.

who in the first sentence would sound wrong and whom in the second would sound wrong.

And English does not have a dative case anymore.

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

Hot damn! That means I'm like an effin' GENIUS! Eat it average intelligence fools!

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

Augmentative.

I would argue that -ch(a) is a diminutive (granted one that needs to be carefuly used). It's very popular among students IME.

On the other hand -(i)sko is a real augmentative (though I don't think it's really used with names).

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]


a nie Justycho?

Love / Polish Pet Names For Girls. [156]

uh .... no.

Law / Poland - Temporary Residence card - Karta pobytu - required documents [146]


If I'm not mistaken, EU citizens wouldn't have to have an interview.
But then I'm not an EU citizen and I never had an interview as such (besides the normal process of visiting the offices to keep the karta up to date) so I'm not sure what the original person is talking about.

At any rate, for non-EU citizens seeking long term (or permanent) residence in Poland, the ability to function in the local language does not seem to be an unreasonable demand.

Law / Poland - Temporary Residence card - Karta pobytu - required documents [146]

Why should any government representative conduct an interview (about granting residency in a country) in a language other than the official language of the country in question?

Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]

Gregorz, I'm not British. I'm American and the last I knew (yes, it's been a while since I've been there) Polish amounts of litter are just not tolerated in most of the united states outside of inhuman cities/ghettos. You drop your candy wrapper on the sidewalk and people will tell you to stop being a pig.

Specifically I'd like to introduce American attitudes toward correct litter disposal to Poland.

Clear?

Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]

I'm not interested in "X is worse" defenses. Littering is wrong, period. It's unhygenic and is indicative of social breakdown. I have no trouble believing that Britain (which no longer exists as any kind of coherent society) has even worse litter problem than Poland but it's irrelevant. There's no excuse for pigs who drop their garbage anywhere (or throw it out of cars).

A few years ago on TV there was a news report from a neighborhood in Warsaw where rats had taken hold. There were several interviews with local people who were calling on the government to _do_ something!!!!!

Meanwhile, the bits of garbage blowing around the street (esp candy wrappings and potato chip bags) made it clear these selfsame people had been feeding the rats for quite some time.

Life / If I could introduce something from my country into Poland, I would.... [175]

THE IDEA THAT TRASH BELONGS IN A TRASH CAN AND NOT ON THE STREET OR TUCKED INTO BUSHES OR DROPPED WHEREVER YOU FEEL LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!

DIDN'T YOUR MOTHERS EVER TEACH YOU _ANYTHING_??????????

The Polish attitude toward litter in public is certainly not one of the more attractive national characteristics and every once in a while drives me to a screaming frenzy.

Food / Polish head cheese [46]

Here's info about head cheese:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Head_cheese

In the southern US it's also called souse (I think technically they're different somehow but they're the same kind of thing).

Life / 3 reasons why you hate Poland. [1049]

Why is the name of this thread phrased so negatively? No way am I participating in it beyond the following comment:
Yes, there are things I don't like in Poland but I certainly don't hate the place (I certainly wouldn't live here if I did). I'll decline to comment anymore on this thread.

I might contribute to a thread devoted to pet peeves but not one that implies that I hate Poland.

Polonia / Polish workers in Denmark [41]

You might wanna brush up yourself before correcting others. It's actually "Polish people who work."

Cześć now.

Genealogy / Polish Gypsy Roots & Roma ancestors in their families [205]


And so modest!


Are you related to a Ms Pollard by any chance?

youtube.com/watch?v=HPM4emsqwag

relevant quote at 1.27

Food / What is your favorite Polish Vodka? [653]

My current favorites:

Luksusowa : cheap and good, you can pay a lot more and not get better vodka (and it works very well in mixed drinks)

Żołądkowa Gorzka Czysta : At first I was disappointed, these folks usually put out herbal vodkas (which I like very much) and I thought this was a new flavor, but it's not, it's a ... clear vodka that's _very_ smooth.

Non-Polish all-time favorite: Finnlandia

History: I never much cared for Wyborowa, the first time I was in Poland, the big vodka was Żytnia (made from rye) but it's all but forgotten now, it exists but who drinks it? This may be related to the general fall in quality in the early 90's when there was also lots of pirated vodka (that could get you very sick if you happened across it). I would like Żubrówka more if I hadn't drunk a bunch once after drinking a lot of wine (hey, I was young and innocent and didn't know that's a bad idea) with all too predictable results (holding onto toilet for dear life).

Life / Any good Polish films to watch? [112]


Not to mention totalitarian murderers... No wonder you don't like Poland or Polish people.

Language / Polish slang phrases - most popular. [606]

zacznij żyć

zacznij is the (singular) command form of zacząć (start, begin)

żyć = to live (be alive)

so, 'start to live' or 'start living'

Off-Topic / Are Polish Christians here? [144]

IINM Adam Małysz is also a protestant.
I don't know if he belongs to the same denomination as Buzek (former PM) or not.

Language / Your perception of the Polish accent [145]

People are naturally hard-wired to find differences attractive to some degree (to facilitate gene flow), so accents (especially unfamiliar or uncommon ones) will almost always be a plus on the dating side. How it works in other areas of life is a different question. The accent that makes a Polish girl popular at a party might keep her from getting a job where accent is important (like a receptionist).

Also, people are fundamentally irrational about accents. There's no objective reason why particular accents (whether native or foreign) arouse particular feelings. It's all stereotypes and custom. I'd rather rinse my ears out with battery acid than listen to a Manchester accent for long periods of time but I recognize that that's just prejudice and I'd try to not let my asthetic judgement cloud how I treated a person with such an accent. But that's easier said than done.

I hardly hear Polish accents anymore unless it's really extreme.

For most people in the US any Slavic sounding accent (if it's very strong) has features that combined sound a little silly in serious environments like work or politics (this is the Borat syndrome). On the other hand, the Polish accent is much less "Slavic sounding" than Russian or Czech accents.