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"Poles" or "Polish people" - which is better to use?


BubbaWoo 33 | 3,506
26 Aug 2007 #31
there is no shortage of nazi memorabilia for sale in poland
ajgraham - | 121
26 Aug 2007 #32
To me they are simply stupid Poles, maybe they are the same type of Poles that should be stuck in the ground!

I see your in a bad mood again Michal?.......I collect military cap badges for a hobby and i also have some German stuff....So does that make me a Nazi also?
Michal - | 1,865
26 Aug 2007 #33
does that make me a Nazi also?

No, I was not saying that. I bought some stuff, so called German war memorabilia and I was later told that it was fake back in England. I bought it in a market in Szczecin many years ago, it did not cost very much about £10 or so so I would not have lost much. If you are interested in memorabilia you could try a car boot even, you may pick up a bargain.
Lady in red
26 Aug 2007 #34
To me they are simply stupid Poles, maybe they are the same type of Poles that should be stuck in the ground!

Yippee.............another horrible post about Polish people from Michal.........
you need help man. You have a weird fixation and hatred of Polish people.

I expect they make you feel inferior.......so you come onto the forum to get rid of all your pent up feelings...............

Ah well, PF can be your therapy tool........:)
OP Frank 23 | 1,183
26 Aug 2007 #35
LiR, don't pander to those who would generalize in a negative, stereotypical fashion the people of Poland.
Michal - | 1,865
30 Aug 2007 #36
No, I agree, you can not generalize about any one race at all-that would not be fair. In fact, I have just come back from the Welsh border and I found the people very nice indeed yet the English always have a certain 'thing' about the Welsh and I do not know why.
plk123 8 | 4,142
30 Aug 2007 #37
If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?

beacause they are actually netherlanders.

“Pollock”

that also = pollack and there are a few other veriosn too. btw. pollock is also kind of a fish.

Show me an english dictionary that states that then !!

try google.
Michal - | 1,865
30 Aug 2007 #38
beacause they are actually netherlanders.

Ecactlly, I have already ponted out somewhere that Holland technically only describes two provinces in the centre of the Netherlands. Wij zein nederlanders omdat we in de Nederlands woonen!
ella - | 46
31 Aug 2007 #39
Most people know them as 'the Poles'.

Normally/officially :

A person from Poland : I am from Poland = jestem z Polski
Nationality (narodowosc).... Polish/ rarely Pole = Polak or: jestem Polakiem
Language (jezyk)....Polish = Polski

I wonder what are you doing here Michal anyway, are you trying to translate "their" (our Polish) language while having fun to play with the words or ...?

Why don't you try to help your nationality/the Russians?
Greetings
m.pollock
16 Dec 2007 #40
I'm an American that's 25% Polish, so maybe i'm not much help in saying whether saying Poles or Polish People is more correct, personally it doesn't bother me with either one, but when I hear "Pollock" thrown around, it offends me when it's used offensively or as a "joke" mainly because of how they mean it and also because it's my last name.
Puzzler 9 | 1,088
16 Dec 2007 #41
One minute they hate the Germans and then want to profit from such sales.

- The pig calling itself 'Muckal' hates the Polish people, but sticks to this forum like pig crap, and even plays an expert on things Polish such as Polish language. Needless to say, the pig is totally ignorant about those things. What a mentally confused pig. Why doesn't the great heaven bless the pig with a cancer and finish it off quickly?

:)
z_darius 14 | 3,965
16 Dec 2007 #42
I heard that in the USA the word “Pollock” is considered to be a derogatory word

It may be but I'm not sure to whom. Pollock (and pollack) is a fish. Damn fools are too stupid to even offend properly :)
Polson 5 | 1,768
16 Dec 2007 #43
pollack

Polak means Polish man in Polish...so it's half "bad"... ;)

Poles or Polish people...Poles is shorter but can be misunderstand ('pole'...)...

:)
omniba
16 Dec 2007 #44
I was educated at Polish school that using the word "Poles' was offensive

“I’m a Pole”, “I’m an Italian”, “I’m an Englishman” etc. etc. or “I’m Polish”, “I’m Italian”, “I’m English” - these are just definitions of nationality.

Even thinking that people could take offence for something similar is a bit worrying while looking for offence everywhere is paranoid and denotes an inferiority complex. Whoever taught Polish children that being called Poles was offensive had a very limited knowledge of the English language and was “a f o o l” or "f o o l i s h"
Seanus 15 | 19,674
26 Dec 2007 #45
When u call Poles 'Polaks', it can be offensive or have a negative connotation. Much like being Caucasian and saying 'niggas'. African-Americans can say 'niggas' amongst themselves, much in the same way as a Pole could say 'jestem polakiem' and it would be acceptable. It's like saying dickhead or fuck. What one is worse? Well, it depends on the intonation and intention of the speaker. Most would say fuck but it could be used to express frustration whereas dickhead could be used as an insult towards another or others. It just depends on ur audience!!
Lady in red
26 Dec 2007 #46
Omniba ! You highlight text from a post I made in August, which was in response to previous ongoing discussion. However, as you have seen fit to quote me and make comments I shall reply to your post accordingly.

Whoever taught Polish children that being called Poles was offensive had a very limited knowledge of the English language and was ?a f o o l? or "f o o l i s h"

RUBBISH to your comments. I disagree.

Even thinking that people could take offence for something similar is a bit worrying while looking for offence everywhere is paranoid and denotes an inferiority complex.

RUBBISH !
Seanus 15 | 19,674
26 Dec 2007 #47
What's the best way to find the answer, test it out!!
omniba
28 Dec 2007 #48
'jestem polakiem'

There is no other way of saying "I am Polish" in Polish (unless of course one is a female) - it's not quite like saying "niggas" or "niggers" if one is Afro-American.

RUBBISH to your comments. I disagree.

Well, you're quite free to say and think anything you like - nonetheless being called "a Pole" is simply not an insult.

it depends on the intonation

Exactly! But in this case - if the intonation is aggressive (for example, as when words are written in capital letters, where the aggression is implied) even "Polish" couldbecome an insult.
Seanus 15 | 19,674
28 Dec 2007 #49
So could Scottish or any other country you choose to nominate.
omniba
28 Dec 2007 #50
Precisely!
Express12 - | 5
30 Dec 2007 #51
why aren't people from Holland called "Holes

Because Holland is not a name of a country, but just a name of two of our twelve provinces; i.e. the province of Noord Holland = Norht Holland, and Zuid Holland = South Holland; the entire nation is The Netherlands.

So, we call ourselves ( Nederlander ) and we call our language ( Nederlands ). English people call us ( Dutch ) and they also call our language ( Dutch ). :-)
uncuncunc
31 May 2008 #52
I'll take Pole, Polish person, and Polak, the real word for one of our kind.

But if Polak is used, it MUST be spelled correctly. If I ever see "Polack" (actually pronounced Po-latsk) or "Pollock" (A type of fish) again, I will kick something!
z_darius 14 | 3,965
31 May 2008 #53
If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes"?

That one's easy.

PoLand
HoLLand
southern 74 | 7,074
1 Jun 2008 #54
Polaci is good.And polky for women.
Puzzy 1 | 150
1 Jun 2008 #56
which is frowned on by Polish people?

- What specific word is 'frowned on' by Poles?

Shakespeare refers (in a positive manner) to the Poles as 'Polacks,' but in America the word has been used bizarrely as a derogatory term. We should repossess the name, because its pronunciation is practically identical as the Polish pronunciation of the word 'Polak' - our term for a Polish man. (The term for a Polish woman is 'Polka.')

Both 'Pole' and 'Polish' can evoke both negative and positive associations in English (six-foot pole, earth poles; shoe polish, polish = refinement).
takeitasitcomes
4 Aug 2008 #58
I'm Polish. I didn't realize anyone cared what to call us. I'm cool with Pole, Polak, Polish person... The white girl over there from some slavic country in europe... People are too damned up tight. Get over it. Us Polish have taken it from just about oh...everyone including Prussia which doesn't even exist anymore. I didn't realize I should care that people make dumb Polish jokes, call Polaks weird things, and I really don't care that Im blond too due to being Polish and that there are jokes about that.
osiol 55 | 3,921
4 Aug 2008 #59
I've never heard anyone say Polonian.

Any Polanders here?

I'm cool with Pole, Polak, Polish person

I would have thought you might not like to be a Polak (masculine) and might prefer to be a Polka (feminine).
You did say you're a girl, right?
Eurola 4 | 1,902
4 Aug 2008 #60
Good for you. I never paid attention to any of that either. If I detected anything with an undertone to it, I reacted. I can be snippy too.

Usually, the person would become embarrassed and apologetic. Good enough for me and a lesson for the offender.
Some get way toooooo sensitive for no reason! :)


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