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Posts by Borek Falecki  

Joined: 30 Oct 2014 / Male ♂
Warnings: 1 - O
Last Post: 24 Mar 2015
Threads: -
Posts: 52
From: Poland
Speaks Polish?: Yes
Interests: That would tear many asunder

Displayed posts: 52 / page 2 of 2
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Borek Falecki   
29 Jan 2015
History / Heresy of Germanization and/or Anglicanization - The genesis; Polish, Slavic opinion [14]

The way of all heretics:

First they ignore you, then they say you're mad, then dangerous, then there's a pause and then you can't find anyone who disagrees with you.

Tony Benn

Knowledge of the English language, for example, occurs useful to get to know a liberating from dogmatism story of Neoliberalism:

youtube.com/watch?v=PkWWMOzNNrQ
Borek Falecki   
22 Jan 2015
Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

However, I would still strongly maintain that primary translation of "Murzyn" is not the offensive "N----r" word in English (if you were to type in the N-word word to search a major English newspaper, would you see it being used by reporters? If the paper is respectable, you would not.)

Since the time the word was taken from the Latin language to all Slavic languages, it has evolved (look Moor in the online etymological dictionary) both in meaning and sound; after that. The meaning changed, influenced by western languages (so-called loan translation) or I should rather say it was influenced by the connotations reflecting attitudes of the western societies, or elites of the western countries - mostly colonial ones.

It is a general truth that the offensiveness of the word depends on the intention of those who use it and sensitivity of those who are called by it and true not only about the word Murzyn but also about any word; so, I should have rather writen that

Offensiveness of A word depends on the intention of those who use it and sensitivity of those who are called by it. If there are any bad connotations, then you should look for them in the wider context, and not only confined to Poland.
Borek Falecki   
22 Jan 2015
Language / IS "MURZYN" word RACIST? [686]

On etymology of the word:

Zapożyczenia w językach słowiańskich:

murinъ 'Murzyn' (← sgn. mōr, por. niem. Mohr, Maure, isl. mór; ← łac. Maurus 'Maur, Murzyn północnoafrykański'; pośrednictwo germańskie mało prawdopodobne, bo nazwy grup etnicznych z przyrostkiem -inъ mają zwykle rodowód łaciński);

Online Etymology dictionary:

Moor (n.) Look up Moor at Dictionary.com

"North African, Berber," late 14c., from Old French More, from Medieval Latin Morus, from Latin Maurus "inhabitant of Mauritania" (northwest Africa, a region now corresponding to northern Algeria and Morocco), from Greek Mauros, perhaps a native name, or else cognate with mauros "black" (but this adjective only appears in late Greek and may as well be from the people's name as the reverse). Being a dark people in relation to Europeans, their name in the Middle Ages was a synonym for "Negro;" later (16c.-17c.) used indiscriminately of Muslims (Persians, Arabs, etc.) but especially those in India.

Meaning of the word in contemporaty Polish

1. the primary sense of a word «Black person»
2. colloq. «(deeply) tanned man»
3. colloq. «one who works for another without revealing his identity - a ghostwriter»
4. colloq. «one who works very hard and is exploited»

Offensiveness of the word depends on the intention of those who use it and sensitivity of those who are called by it.
Borek Falecki   
15 Jan 2015
News / Multi-culti (in Poland) -- roadmap to disaster? [344]

Low skilled people from conflicting cultures (you know what i am talking about) should not be allowed.

From Everyone According to His Whim, to Everyone Whatever One may Wish for and without any coersion or outside pressure - the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth should work for everyone; in short: od każdego według jego zachceń, każdemu co dusza zapragnie
Borek Falecki   
10 Jan 2015
Po polsku / Polskie filmy, seriale z polskimi napisami to learn Polish? [14]

Wiadomo, przy serialu się wciągniesz i osłuchasz... :

Ostatni dzień lata
sfkadr.com/lista-dialogowa,1205,1,show-6228,dialog

Było rozdarcie, nienawiść, niechęć wzajemna i grymas. Był zaułek ślepy i płaskie twarze murów, dziobate od salwy. Wywalani z bydlęcych wagonów, stado pędzone razami i rykiem. A obok - tylko łapy psów. £apy psów... £apy psów... Ja wiem, nie trzeba tak... Ja wiem, ja wiem... Ale kiedy przyjaciel wyciągnie rękę, zasłaniam głowę jak przed ciosem. Zasłaniam się przed ludzkim gestem, zasłaniam się przed odruchem czułości.
Borek Falecki   
25 Dec 2014
Language / The combinations bi, ci, fi, gi, ki, mi, ni, pi, si, wi, zi [3]

The combinations bi, ci, fi, gi, ki, mi, ni, pi, si, wi, zi plus a following vowel

Note that "i" here is only a sign of softening the previous consonant and then goes always a vowel. So for example niebo (there is no ń initially) and słoń (not initially - midword or final position) sound the same. "F" in the word Firma may sond a bit soft because of assimiltaion to the following sond, but here only spoils the clean orthographic rule.
Borek Falecki   
26 Nov 2014
Language / Learning Polish but not focusing on the grammar, good idea? [37]

The grammar is definitely something that I, as a non-native, found very hard to pick up

Grammars are mere collections of idiosyncrasies added to the internal language of thought to produce Polish, Engish or any other language... that infants can virtualy get from the air - it must be thus a piece of cake for an adult.
Borek Falecki   
13 Nov 2014
Po polsku / Rodzina zastępcza [10]

SÓL ZIEMI CZARNEJ cały film
Borek Falecki   
13 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / My opinion on why Poles & English dislike each other [25]

You mean machine translation not speech recognition software.

I find her writing perfectly understandable but a bit clumsy. It would be more understandable if she began for example like this:

I want to tell you why it is said that the English doesn't like the Polish and vice versa.

At the beginning, I think it appropriate to say something about myself: I'm one quarter Polish and three quarters English thus my comments should not be viewed as biased...

Borek Falecki   
13 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / My opinion on why Poles & English dislike each other [25]

My 10 year old students write better than the OP. Wot skool was teaching 'im?

The OP (as I understand the original poster) is she not he.

Wot skool was teaching 'im?

I wot not what.
Borek Falecki   
12 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / My opinion on why Poles & English dislike each other [25]

And exactly which company is going to set aside the hours and money to train a low skilled workforce when they already have an ample pool to choose from.

This is the way of thinking I wouldn't like to put up with.

The Democratic country's mission must also be to reach out personally to each and every person: since this man is the way for the Democracy, the way for its daily life and experience, for its mission, the Democracy of today must be aware in an always new manner of man's 'situation.

The pontifical tone not for me to assume.
Borek Falecki   
12 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / My opinion on why Poles & English dislike each other [25]

If the indigenous workforce is too lazy to bother putting in enough effort for a job then I say sod 'em, let the others take it who are willing to graft and do it for less.

Why do the British address the working people with such language that you wouldn't use to address the people who employ them?

Wouldn't it be better for employees to choose their employers to redress the balance? Setting a good example would better the situation of working people not only in Britain but elsewhere as well.

Poles would then return to Poland and everyone would be happy.
Borek Falecki   
11 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / Modern day slavery in the UK [36]

The answer is simple but maybe unacceptable for more modern minds: austerity and self-denial especially for the rich and opulent, but not only for them.
Borek Falecki   
11 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / Modern day slavery in the UK [36]

...all the ordinary men and women who campaigned and won as well as ignoring his broader social campaigning.

What do you think then of Noam Chomsky's campaing:

Let me begin by saying something about liberalism, which is a very complicated concept, I think. It's correct surely that liberalism grew up in the intelectual environment of the rejection of the authority and so on. However liberalism has undergone a very complex evolution as a social philosophy over the years. If we go back to the classics, or at least, say, for example, Humboldt's limits of state action, which inspired Mill... The world Humboldt was considering - partially an imaginary world - was a post-feudal but pre-capitalist world.

This is a part of his answer to the last question asked by Bryan Magee (1978 BBC programme):

youtu.be/3LqUA7W9wfg
Borek Falecki   
11 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / Modern day slavery in the UK [36]

The story of William Wilberforce seems a very pleasing one - the one the slave owner would ever tell if he wanted to be seen as good... at least in his own eyes.
Borek Falecki   
11 Nov 2014
UK, Ireland / Modern day slavery in the UK [36]

Maybe you can't help everyone, but you can probably prevent more from falling into this trap

No matter how learned you were, sometimes you won't do anything to prevent himself falling into the trap waiting for you. Just don't go to countries practicing slavery and having a long history of spreading it around the world.
Borek Falecki   
30 Oct 2014
UK, Ireland / Polish Mineral Water In the UK [7]

What makes the Polish mineral water so special? Is the Polishness of the water, as its essential quality, that makes it so tasty?
Borek Falecki   
30 Oct 2014
History / History behind Poland and Turkey's Relationship [118]

Friedman has obviously never heard of the European Union and the end of WW2 several decades ago. What a clown.

... dirty old granddad, it's time for the grave, not for the games of youth.