Spelling "aunt" in Polish

is it pronounced smoething like chochie (english)

Yes. Chyochya.

is it pronounced smoething like chochie (english)

Is this aunt in Polish? Ciocia???

See above.

I'm a few years behind this thread, but you're the first person I've seen who spelled grandfather in Polish like I do...and it is spelled Dziadzi. For grandmother it is Babci (bab-chi). I grew up in Naugatuck, CT, but my Babci and Dziadzi were both born and raised in Scranton, PA. We think my Dziadzi's mother came to America from Galacia at the age of 16...around 1900. My Babci's family, at least her father, came from Mlawa between 1900-1910. I'm thinking that it may not be a question of where in Poland they came from, but a question of where they settled. The terms used for grandma and grandpa in Chicago I've heard of before, but in Scranton, it's Babci and Dziadzi. At least I know that Babci and Dziadzi are correct for grandma and grandpa since the Catholic nuns that run the nursing home where my Babci is currently living were ALL born and raised in Poland and they go back to Poland every couple of years to visit family. In terms of "Aunt" in Polish, I grew up calling my aunts "Cioci". But that is only because, they were brothers and sisters to my grandparents, my mother called them Cioci.

I look at the whole issue, especially here in the USA, is a matter of where you grew up or where your ancestors settled. Sort of like Coke or Pepsi---do you call it "soda" or do you call it "pop"...but be careful calling it soda in Boston or you'll get a glass of club soda. ;-) As Americans, we're a big melting pot and we make different languages our own. Take English...it's American English, not the Queen's English or Canadian English. Just like the "Spanish" speaking in Mexico, Puerto Rico, Texas, etc...is all different. In TX, it's "Tex-Mex"...a lot of slang.

And I'm just babbling on...sorry... Hope I was sort of helpful here...

Just a tidbit of Polish history: I live in San Antonio, Texas now and just Southeast of San Antonio is the oldest permanent Polish settlement in the US. Panna Maria, Texas. They arrived in Galveston, TX (100 families) in 1854 and WALKED to Panna Maria. Anyway, here's the article link: associatedcontent.com/article/2524213/homecoming_at_the_oldest_polish_ settlement.html


Are you thinking of Cioci (that's how I grew up spelling it)...and I pronounce it like: Chu (like the "u" in hut) - chee.

aunt-ciocia
uncle-wujek
grandfather- dziadek
grandmother- babcia

never heard of "busia" till I read it on these forums.

Only to the uneducated Polonia.


It most certainly isn't in correct Polish.


Given that Galicia was also home to a lot of Ukrainians and Jewish people, what makes you think they were Polish?


Shame they're getting it wrong, too. Must be some sort of curious American sickness.

BJMikush - is it your surname? After your father?
If yes, was your grandpa or great grandpa Pole? What was his oryginally family surname?

Mikush - I hate to tell you this but "babci" and "dziadzi" is something a toddler would say, and then only if he/she was born with a speech impediment. (ok, just keedin' here, sort of...)

It's babcia (yes, there's an a at the end), dziadek (although a toddler might say dziadzia), and ciocia (yes, there's an a at the end)

If those nuns truly say dziadzi then they're simplifying the Polish language so people like you (no offense) feel "at home."

Busia, busha, etc are fictional terms created Americans of Polish or Ukrainian heritage.

Now, the term babci exist but you're using it in the wrong context.

To jest moja babcia - this is my grandmother
To jest mojej babci dom - this is my grandmother's house

We always said boosha and jaja

In Poland?

Sure they say that in Poland. You constantly hear 'ale jaja!'

To all of you that use terms like busia, dziadzi, babci and jaja (this is Greek BTW) and your great great great great grandparents came from Lwów in the 1800s. You may in fact use these terms and think that you are speaking proper Polish, but you are not. They are no more Polish than words like bejsment, garbicz, korner and insiura, that I constantly hear Polonia using.

So please stop advising people, who want to learn Polish, on how to speak Polish. Because the way Polonia speaks in New Jersey is hardly the authoritative way on the Polish language.

i always spell it "ant" what makes peple smile.
Seriously?
I don't use the word.
if I have to: I call the person by her name.
"Ciocia" is the word I hate.

Why? I mean, to each their own, but to me, it's a sign of respect. Anyone 10 years or older is automatically to be addressed with title. Be it Mr., Mrs., Pani, Ciocia, etc. I would be extremely upset with my children if they called their Ciocia by her first name only. And I would never do that to my own Ciocia, either. She is my Ciocia.

May I ask what generation Polish you are and if you live in the States? I'm just curious. Perhaps it's a cultural difference thing.

A sign of respect is not abusing the Polish language by using random words in the English language.


When speaking in a certain language, yes. Using "Ciocia Alice" is just ridiculous and completely wrong.

Delph, you are meaning someone using a Polish family relation title when they don't speak Polish to be abuse of the Polish language, I assume. My issue w what noreenb said is that she doesn't call an "Aunt" a "Ciocia", "Aunt" or anything, just their name. If that works in her family, who am I to say it's wrong, but I wonder what her ancestry is and how long they have been in, I assume, the US. Since, in Poland and most other countries, delph, you would agree, the family relation title is important. I'm not discussing non-Polish speakers using Polish words for said titles. I'm taking about just using the title, irregardless of language or heritage.

And, personally, if they pass down the heritage titles, that to me could help to inspire someone in the family to eventually give a d*** about their heritage instead of getting washed into the vanilla mainstream and not caring about what happens in the world outside of their family's newer country. You know what I mean.

I love it! I was looking up a spelling for Aunt in Polish and found this thread. This is for Wyandotteguy.....I guess we are in the minority! My Polish husband grew up in Wyandotte and he always called his grandma/grandpa Busia and Dziadzia. Now our little girl calls his mother Busia. Funny story, his mother told my little non-Polish nephew that I was Ciocia. He only could pronounce it: chacha. So for the last 20 years I have been ChaCha Sherry to my non-Polish family!!! Love it! FYI, Mt. Carmel just closed it school doors after the 2010/2011 school year. Now the church is scheduled to combine with St. Stans....another long-standing Polish Church in Wyandotte :-)

Polishmama
Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't notice your post earlier.
I live in Poland. Why "ant"?
Because, although I teach English, my pronounciation is not good enough.

So, the "ant" I get, you probably are in the Northern area? Since in the South, it's more likely to be pronounced "Aunt". But I was actually asking why you hate the word "Ciocia" or the title of Aunt/Ant/Ciocia. I'm actually confused by your sentence structure which word it is that you hate.

I grew up in Chicago. My mothers side - maternal - were secular German Jews. My father was a Russian Jew.
My mother later married a Pole. So I had Russian - Polish - and German relatives. I almost always lived in Italian neighborhoods. Could only happen in Chicago.

My grandmother - paternal - had me call her Booshie. At least the way I pronounced it.
I can't remember the polish side - the slang - but was called Babushka. Or Baboosh something.
But I once by mistake called my maternal grandmother - Booshie. The German Jew. Huge mistake. She recognized it as Polish. As I learned that at least after WW II - many Jews distrust of Poles.

And the world does seem almost void of Polish Jews.
But the Polish grandparents - despite being Catholic - always brought Challah when visiting.
So it seems many of these differences are related to when and where. I think all three sides emigrated to U.S. around turn of century - give or take several years. So that the Russian Jews earliest - and probably were actually Ukrainian. But I recall historically that at time part of Ukraine was Polish. And at times part of Poland Russian - Ukraine. When I was a kid Ukrainians were Russians. It was like being an American from Georgia.

One grandmother - Gramma - which is maybe a union of American English and German. Grandmother + Oma = Gramma .
Polish or Russian Babushka + Yiddish (Bobe or Bobeshi) = Booshie.
As with some other people here. Exactly how the words some of us used are hard to trace. And especially in Chicago the words were often pronounced according to neighborhoods where we grew up.

But no matter who or what - the word for Grandmother is very special. Because the word we used was their name.

I beg to differ. Most Polish Jews don't call themselves Polish Jews. It's not that they all have disappeared. It's that they call themselves Jewish instead of Polish Jewish. I say this based on meeting many Jewish people who would later quietly tell me that they were Polish Jewish, when people would not be around and we would start talking in Polish together or talking about common dishes we love or the "Ch" sound in our tongues ;) With me, it's always been a little secret that they know and eventually share with me once they get to know me and see I'm not some crazy person.

Babushka is Russian, btw. And the reason I assume the German Jewish grandmother reacted strongly to the Polish word was because she was German Jewish, not because she was Jewish.

Nice to see a few Chicagoan on here, btw.

I keep going over this thread.
I am so fascinated. My grandparents have been gone many years. I think the term Busia - is what I and some others called Booshie.

For many years I just thought it some form of Russian slang. But I never came across any Russians that were familiar with the term. I could not find the word - in any dictionary. I am sure it does not appear to be part of an official Polish language.

But for many years - I kept thinking - I know I didn't just imagine it. It was her name - the only name I knew.

I see so many others here have the same experience.
I would say if you are trying to learn the Polish language. The things we learned from our families in America - for what ever reason - will only be a bit helpful in understanding Americans of Polish descent.

My father's family claimed to be Russian - but maybe were just Ukrainians in Poland when emigrating. Despite each sides of the family claims - growing up the languages they used were - or seemed the same. OMG - I may actually be Polish. Maybe they lied about not being Polish. Which I am further confused by - of all places in the world - lye about it in Chicago. I would admit to being Polish long before being Jewish. Just me.

I am glad to see the use of Booshie is a word many of us used - despite it not really being a word.

Polishmama
Yes, I live in Northern part of Poland.
Why do I "hate" the word?
I am ciocia for sweet little girl. I prefer her to call me "Madzia". She always calls me with my name.
Ok, saying "ciocia" I see ugly, older woman around 30-40-50 years old who thinks "God, the best years of my life has gone away with wind".

Some time ago had a very fat, ugly "ciocia", dressed in grey, sad coat, wearing a strange beige (light yellow :)) cap, when I was a child.

It's the only reason. My memories from early childhood.

Every country uses some kind of slang and it usually has to do with what region of the country one comes from, or relatives come from. I've also noticed it has to do with what other country is at the border of Poland one lives close to. And I believe a lot gets lost in translation, such as pronunciation and spelling. My mothers father's family came from Poland. My mother called her grandma babcia, and grandfather

Dziadzia. I called my grandfather gha-gha which didn't sound like what my mother called her grandfather, and I don't know if I'm spelling it right. But this is what I mean by getting lost in translation.

I have 6 adult children and they call my 101 year old Mother Busia as that is what I called my grandmothers. 17 grand children and 15 Great grands later and all of them call us Busia Busia-Busia Great and Busia-Busia Busia GREAT GRANDS My Mother just loves it.

Still "busia" isn't Polish word.

I like this Ponglish used in USA, sounds very exotic sometimes.

I just came across this thread because I need to write a thank you note to my "Cioci" Carol and I couldn't remember how to spell it. My family is from the Nanticoke, PA area (very near Scranton where someone else wrote about Cioci and Babci.) These are the words my family uses too. My "Babci" always called herself Polish.

Her family immigrated in the early 19-teens. She always attended a Polish Roman Catholic church and told me that the women from town made fun of her because she didn't speak proper Polish. She said she spoke "White Russian". I think its an old dialect that was part Polish and part Russian or Ukrainian. I l looked up White Russian a number of years ago and learned that it was a dialect that is no longer exists in Europe. It only exists in certain communities in the US where people from that time and that region settled. It is dying with the population in the US who spoke it.

I think this is a very interesting conversation. I think that Americans of Polish decent are holding onto their family words because those words hold special meaning to their families and memories. Out of respect for the actual Polish language, I will still use "Cioci" on my thank you note but I will be clear that it is a "White Russian" dialect word,

not a Polish word. I still, however, consider myself of Polish decent -- I don't think my "Babci" was a poser -- she just spoke a nearly extinct dialect.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belarusian_language

@JeannineZ
I think your grandma spoke Belarusian - bialoruski, literally white Russian/Ruthenian. It still exists and you can look it up, check the words etc.

Babci and cioci are genitive forms of babcia and ciocia in Polish. Not sure about Belarusian but you can look them up.