Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

Several weeks ago, my wife and I were in Greenpoint, Bklyn. at a local Polish street fair.
As soon as I opened my mouth, seeing I was clearly not Polish,a teenage boy roughly about seventeen or so, begins
pelting me with questions in almost impenetrably Polish accented English, "VAJ, YU ARR SPIKINK PAWLISH?" etc...

Rather than being irritated, the young man seemed thrilled that I was able to communicate with him in his native language.

Language / Is Polish amongst the best-sounding languages in the world? [123]

Polish certainly remains the most distinctive sounding
amongst the Slavic languages, if for no other reason,
those nasals along with the fact that modern Polish has
zero short vs .long vowels as exist in Slovene, Russian,
Croatian and Czech.

Life / Jewish culture in today`s Poland [153]

You know perfectly well what I mean, Rich, so stop trolling!

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

@Joker, it's probably because they least expect it, especially from an American:-)

Life / Jewish culture in today`s Poland [153]

Apart from filmmakers such as Agnieszka Holland (although half-Jewish only on her father's side!), assimilated Jews have contributed
richly to Polish culture, while acknowledging simultaneously their Jewish heritage, e.g. Tuwim, Roziewicz, in literature or Jan Kiepura,once dubbed
"the Polish Caruso", Artur Rubinstein, Henryk Szerying in music, Kazimir Funk in science along with Stanislaw Lem in mathematics etc.
There are nearly too many for me to enumerate!

Life / A detailed description of the Easter tradition in Poland [41]

Isn't it also common in Poland as an Easter greeting "Wesolych Jajk!"?

Food / Poles have a more loving attitude to food than here in the UK [69]

Feasting holidays do draw the crowds to church, Rich and Pawian!
Drinking as well. Was it not St. Thomas who said, "A glass of wine for
thy stomach's sake."

Food / Poles have a more loving attitude to food than here in the UK [69]

Some people eat to live while others live to eat. Probably, the Poles, as
with the Italians and the Spaniards, fit into the latter category!

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

Thanks for straightening me out, jon!
I sent you a private message about "sie" and sometimes
Polish native speakers can't understand me when I say it.
Since I don't want to take a chance with English, on occasion,
I've actually end up writing it down and then they understand LOL

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

So true, jon!
Sorry, I meant before "Standard English", as of course there are Irish, Scottish, and Welsh varieties of "English" pronunciation:-)

Your analogy of "ugly" with "wood" suggests that your native pronunciation/accent is from the Liverpool area, e.g. "Luv,
*** over to the pub!" as opposed to that snooty-sounding, upper class, posh accent, am I more or less correct?

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

Well, take for instance the English word "ugly". From my perception, I hear this word
pronounced in "Standard British" aka "RP" (Received Pronunciation) as roughly "Ahgluy"
vs. "Standard American". Polish, as with many European languages, has no phonetic equivalent
to the American short "u-sound".

Conversely for this reason, Poles probably can pronounce British far more easily than
American English, along with the other obvious reason of sheer language exposure to the UK
rather than the US.

Off-Topic / Happy Easter, everyone! :) [76]

Wesolych Swiat wszystcim!!

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

That's actually a good point, jon. Perhaps too, the fact that your native tongue
is British and mine is American definitely influences how we pronounce words
in our own language and how "English" pronounces sound such as the "or-" in
"wORd", for example, is quite different from how we say the same sound in
the US variety!:-)

We have many more schwa-type sounds in American English and probably
it's therefore a tad easier for a native Brit such as yourself to learn to pronounce
Polish than for a native-born American English speaker like me, don't you think?

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

Those affricates are a challenge, that's for sure. You're right there, Lenka.
I'm talking here though solely about pronunciation as dead give away that the
interlocutor's a foreigner. Forget about vocabulary or syntax, punning and other
types of verbal humor:-)

Language / Foreigners speaking Polish - examples. [61]

A native Polish speaker friend of mine once told me that in his experience,
foreigners such as myself nearly always trip themselves up in their pronunciation
of consonant clusters! Dipthongs were rarely an issues, but consonants such as
"rz-" "brz" etc. usually got the better of us, first to admit it.

During my initial phone conversation with the above gentleman, he confessed that
he was almost fooled into thinking I was Polish.......except when he heard my consonant
clusters, By then, the jig was up LOL

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

Definitely no, Miloslaw!

America, particularly folks like Trump, has demonized brown skinned peoples for
many generations, from native Americans to Hispanics, Filipinos, Southeast Asians etc.
As I've said before, if Mexicans arrive in the States and don't know the language well,
undercut native-born North American of Northern European descent, we all scream
blue murder. It's merely economics.

Were the tables turned and it were Swedes or Dutchmen who came across the Pond
looking for cheap wage labor instead, rank and file Americans wouldn't have any problem.
And herein lies the double standard.

Love / What to answer to the Most annoying phrase that EVERY and EACH polish girl always says? [58]

As I said, Dannytoro, Poles, particularly women, sound as though they're chirping
whenever they speak, either Polish or English.

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

I picked the less idiotic:-)

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

I just answered your question, Rich!

Love / How do I make a Polish guy fall in love and his family.( I'm American) [10]

You know the German expression "Wo die Liebe hinfaellt...." = Wherever love may fall...
(no mention of sky)

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

Encourage those who wish to cross the Rio Grande to decide why they are coming and then
give them a compulsory language test! It's a one shot deal; if they fail, they go back, kicking and screaming though they may.

Love / How do I make a Polish guy fall in love and his family.( I'm American) [10]

That's another option, Atch. However, it sure never hurts to try.
Probably the other person will appreciate the effort:-)

Life / A detailed description of the Easter tradition in Poland [41]

I forgot for a moment when it's appropriate to wish someone "MOKREGO SMIGUSA DYNGUSA!"
vs. "WESOLYCH SWIAT WIELKANOC!".

Whoops, just got the answer from looking at the original post, sorry.

Love / How do I make a Polish guy fall in love and his family.( I'm American) [10]

Milo's right on the money this time.
Poles, like most Continentals, love their mother tongue
and a foreigner who takes the time to learn that language
will have the other person eating out of their hand in no time flat!!

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

@Rich, there are usually no cut and dried answers to complicated questions such
as how to protect our Southern border without becoming what we hate about the enemy!

The Mexicans, Guatemalans in and of themselves are not our enemy, rather, the governments
of those banana republics, who play politics and do nothing for their own people, thus forcing
them to migrate to the US.

Surely if they had their way, they'd stay at home.

News / Polish President vetoes PO's dingbat gender law [173]

Apparently the state of Wisconsin roundly agrees!
Gov. Mark Gordon just signed something similar into law.

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

Frankly, you're giving him far too much credence! I admire the Energizer Bunny, but surely
wouldn't place anything in what he says. Energy without direction or [CORRECT and intelligent focus is meaningless.

History / Poles in the RAF. [15]

I can imagine.
Only place close to where I grew up was a bleedin' brothel LOL

News / How will Polish-American relations change if Trump is elected president again? [229]

You clearly are tolling as usual and have little respect or understanding of the topic at hand. Surprise, surprise!

History / Poles in the RAF. [15]

I see. Thanks again, jon.