Language / Cultural disparities shown through Polish and English languages [86]

Perhaps similar to the Italian, "Show me who you're seen with and I'll show you who you are."

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

Again Mafketis and jon, I roundly concur, indeed thoroughly accept, the fact
that there is not ONE "English" standard! My point is, has been, and always
will be that whatever the standard, it nonetheless should remain a consistently high
one.

Who would have thought when I was in school that the English language, pride
of so many countries which speak her as their authentically native tongue, would
somehow become the rubbish bin of language, the pit into which all the filth spewed
forth by the lazy and ignorant?

There's British English, American English, Canadian English, and "Austrailish".
Yet all four strive to maintain a commensurately engaging level of
usage.

Compare US-American today with fifty or more years ago. Even within my brief
lifetime of fifty-something, the language has been experiencing a sort of schlerosis,
an Alzheimer's, before our very ears. Basic vocabulary such as "trestle", "siblings",
"to fare" and so forth has practically disappeared from daily speech and the only
way Millenials would ever recognize them, would be if they had unusally older parents.

@Bless you, Atch! From your click to his eyes.

Language / Cultural disparities shown through Polish and English languages [86]

In English, there's always "All that glitters is not gold."
However, you're right about that Korvinus, it's different.

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [58]

Not in the US! Here, Trollinger's a relatively unknown
quantity, whereas Liebfraumilch or Gewuerztraminer are
a dime a dozen.

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

Of course she'd "do fine" teaching English in Poland; no one would know (or hear)
the difference vs. a native English speaker of similar background LOL

My Latka Gravas analogy still applies; he doesn't hear how he sounds in English
and frankly, nobody around him really cares one way or the other! They figure he
just sounds weird and so the heck with it all.

@Maf, French too is a pluricentric tongue, yet care and attention are taken by her
writers, not to mention rank-and-file users, to ensure that her standard remains high,
no matter how "creative".

Face it, folks. All of us are applying the eternal double standard when it comes to English
and I'm getting pretty sick of it.

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

D'you mean "cheAp", Alien? :-)

I couldn't disagree with you more. Would you or anybody here
want a generation of English students to wind up speaking like the
character Latka Gravas on the US '70's-TV series "Taxi"??

Clearly not, I hope and pray.

Moreover, precisely because English strives to be a world language aka
"passport to the world", shouldn't we try to keep our passport in better
condition?

Off-Topic / Pop A Cork - Wine [58]

The best German Red I've ever tasted is the Trollinger grape from
near the Stuttgart region of Baden-Wuerttemberg, more Baden than
Wuerttemberg, if I'm not mistaken "zwischen Wald und Rebe" ('twixt
forest and vine).

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

Neither one is a viable option, in my professional opinion.
Perhaps the issue will never be resolved, as it seems not only
Poland, but many neighboring countries would rather save on
top quality by getting cut-rate English teachers instead of digging
deep and spending on the best.

A majority feel as Lenka that the insistence of native English instruction
is silly, since as long as people "understand" a person, there's no problem.
On the other hand, maybe the Brits are only being polite and expect less
from a foreigner speaking English than one of their own.

My philosophy here is, if you're not going to do it right, don't do
it at all!

Off-Topic / Random Chat Poland [1860]

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Off-Topic / Random Chat Poland [1860]

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Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

The point being that the average English teacher/instructor throughout
much of Eastern Europe was for many years little more than an underpaid
state-flunkey hack, at least in my experience over many years as both
language school manager and instructor.

Hopefully, this is either changing as we speak or has already changed.
If not, then the entire exercise is rather like a computer virus which infects
the whole system and can never effectively be gotten rid of.

Similarly, even one teacher's poor accent, "artificial academic knowledge",
and often sheer idiomatic ignorance can infect, in fact poison, a learner's
experience by reinforcing the non-native teacher's errors year in year out.

In the long run, the poor student must later rely solely on the availability of
educated English native speakers to undo the damage done by the non-native
English speaking instructor. This is usually costly from a financial point of view
and time consuming!

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

Hmmm, then her English skills would most likely be rather suspect!
Unless she is a truly native bilingual in both languages and not merely
in the language of academic instruction, I'd never hire this person to
teach in my school if I were the principal.....no matter how low the price:-)

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

Is this lady a native English speaker, I hope?

History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [825]

Boleslaw Beirut was born to Polish peasant stock from the Polish-Russian border!

@Alien, such facts are imminently checkable, rather surprised at you or were you just kidding?

Life / Wish to settle down, which country to choose - Poland or Russia? [88]

A sound suggestion, Pawian! They certainly need it.

Off-Topic / Random Chat Poland [1860]

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History / Terrible past for the Jews in Poland? [825]

@Pawian, Cojestdocholery is obviously nothing more than a provocateur, once again, pay him no mind.

USA, Canada / Any fluent Polish speakers in the GTA, Ontario? :D I can help with French and German [8]

French Canadian also has expressions I've only heard from that region of Canada, never in France, e.g. "Tirez une souche!" for "Please sit down!". As my French is no longer that good, perhaps it's in fact common in France, although I've never heard French from France use it, instead the more schoolbookish/normal "Asseyez vous, s'il vous plais!"

Sounds to an English speaker almost like "Pull up a chair!"

USA, Canada / Any fluent Polish speakers in the GTA, Ontario? :D I can help with French and German [8]

Jake,
Your German looks pretty darned good thus far!
My French could definitely stand considerable improvement.

Off-Topic / Random Chat Poland [1860]

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USA, Canada / Any fluent Polish speakers in the GTA, Ontario? :D I can help with French and German [8]

Are you a bilingual Canadian by any chance?

Off-Topic / USA News and Poland - Part 6 [1363]

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Off-Topic / USA News and Poland - Part 6 [1363]

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History / Poland: Her heroes and her traitors [208]

Or: One bullet for every one German.

Off-Topic / USA News and Poland - Part 6 [1363]

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Off-Topic / What is your comfort food??? [39]

In all likelihood.

Off-Topic / What is your comfort food??? [39]

Well, Polish apples are considered to be some of the best produce in Europe!

Off-Topic / USA News and Poland - Part 6 [1363]

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Off-Topic / What is your comfort food??? [39]

Interesting, thanks for the tip.

Off-Topic / What is your comfort food??? [39]

Rarely tried Polish seafood specialties.
Perhaps I'm too stuck on "podsilek" (good, stick-to-your ribs farmer food):-)