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Posts by Koala  

Joined: 4 May 2011 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 12 Jan 2012
Threads: 1
Posts: 332

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Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

Thank you, Captain Obvious. My Polish grammar is actually quite good for a non native. I studied declensions more than anything else during my first 2 years of learning Polish but when I get to names like Harrison Ford and Meryl Streep, I just can't get myself to decline them. Way too ridiculous.

Well you musn't decline Meryl Streep as we don't decline foreign female names!

All of the sentences below are correct!
To jest Meryl Streep.
Nie ma Meryl Streep.
Robię kawę Meryl Streep.
Widzę Meryl Streep.
Mówię o Meryl Streep.
Rozmawiam z Meryl Streep.
Meryl Streep, przyjdź tu!

Not so ridiculous anymore, is it?
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I'm not a teacher though and won't struggle to remove my accent as it'd be entirely pointless - I've never had any problems with native (or non-native for that matter) English speakers comprehending me and I'm not ashamed of my origins.

I also had a pleasure to have classes with various native English speakers for 9 years, it's only 1 hour a week, but a great experience nonetheless.
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I'm settling for a low standard, it's just that practicing the standard English or the standard American accent (if such exist) would take me years probably and would turn out to be a useless skill as I have no immediate plans to travel to UK or the US. I'd rather commit that time to improve my German or French.:)
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Koala, as you also appear reasonably dedicated, I trust your level of French or German will therefore be 'higher' than you English!

I'm afraid that's not possible. :( I just don't have the patience anymore for that. When I was a teenager, I was reading English novels, playing video games, watching movies etc. and translating every single word, so that my vocabulary is rather extensive (and on the university I was studying exclusively from English textbooks), so even if my grammar is far from perfect, I'll never be able to match that knowledge and fluency in any other foreign language, maybe only if I moved there...
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

I know plenty of Dutch people, and they don't seem arrogant at all. We always talk in English and the conversations are very smooth usually, I'd say they're statistically much better in English than other mainland European nations. In fact, I worked in Northern Belgium for 3 months and only learned a handful of words in Flamish/Dutch (they're almost the same language) as I could always speak in English! (I was a student at the time and my job was helping in organizing beach parties during Summer - one of the best times of my life :)) In Germany or in France there's much lower probability of meeting people speaking English.
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

That's my problem, too, as I learn a lot from watching movies or reading message boards and it's hard to determine for a non-native what is colloquial and what is considered more formal.

Zupełnie się zgadzam, Madziu. Holendrzy płynnie umieją po angielsku, często bez akcentu, tylko nieczysto umieją-:)

Fixed :)
Koala   
9 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

Two things.

I've seen foreign womens' names declined both on polish internet pages and in print. In Poland.

If and only if the last letter of the name is 'a' (first name or last name, doesn't matter). Otherwise we do not decline. The same example, but with Serbian tennis player Jelena Jankowic.

To jest Jelena Jankowic.
Nie ma Jeleny Jankowic.
Robię kawę Jelenie Jankowic.
Widzę Jelenę Jankowic.
Mówię o Jelenie Jankowic.
Rozmawiam z Jeleną Jankowic.
Jeleno Jankowic, przyjdź tu!

I hope you found it useful.

Secondly, if it were true that foreign female names followed no Polish grammar rules yet the names of foreign men did, it would make it even more inconsistent, confusing and if possible....more ridiculous.

Not really. Please keep in mind that we don't have female first names that do not end with -a, so we don't know how to decline such names that do not end with -a, therefore we leave them undeclined. We tradionally add endings -ówna (for unmarried women) or-owa (for married women) to surnames that do not end with -a,so that they're easy to decline, but nowadays it's more popular to leave the last name undeclined.

I think there's logic in it and is less ridiculous once you think it through.
Koala   
10 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

I think the ultimate rule is that we decline what is convenient and easy and sound sounds natural when declined and what is not we leave undeclined. :D Not much of a guidance for foreigners though trying to learn Polish as they have no idea what soinds natural and what doesn't :P
Koala   
10 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

I remember someone complaining that we use words komputer or pecet for computer, which are both borrowing. However, in less formal circles, other words can be used - piec, piecyk (both refer to PC obviously, but both more familiar), blaszak, blacha. So it's all good in my opinion. :) (even ignoring that blacha comes from German)
Koala   
10 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

That was my afterthought as well, but though this inflection seems correct, as in "sounds good to me as a native speaker", if I were asked whether most Polish people would know or bother enough to actually use it - my answer would be "probably not", when there are so many people out there who don't even inflect "easy" surnames such as Wiśniewski or Kowal.

That's the first time I heard about not declining such surnames. "Idziemy do Kowal"? No, just no. Actually, I had a teach in high school whose name was Morajko and everybody declined his name even though he preferred his name undeclined!
Koala   
10 May 2011
Language / Too many English words in the Polish language! [709]

How about "widziałem pana Kowal" "idziemy do pana Kowal", "wypiłem setkę z panem Kowal"? Unfortunately, this happens more often than you think! ;-(

I really do not encounter such forms.

ale do Cottbussu to chyba nie jeździsz :P :) tylko do Cottbuss

Do Chocieburza :P
Koala   
10 May 2011
Language / Polish was chosen the HARDEST LANGUAGE in the world to learn... :D [1558]

Fixed :) tit for tat (he-he!) Proszę nie bądź mi zły! Inaczej jest Twój angielski nieźleLOL

Nie jestem na Ciebie zły, ale poprawię:P "Proszę nie bądź na mnie zły! Ogólnie Twój angielski jest niezły" <- "Inaczej" jest poprawnie, ale w tym przypadku nie pasuje :) We say in such cases "in general", not "otherwise".

I think everybody saw Trainspotting, at least everyone who met at least one Scott in his life as every Scott asks if you saw that movie.
Koala   
10 May 2011
News / Do Poles take Kaczynski seriously!? [199]

I like how Kaczynski put department of economy into really competent hands (Zyta Gilowska) back when he was prime minister... However, I dislike pretty much everything else about him. I definitely won't vote for PIS in Fall (or PO for that matter).