Babcia or Busha - any social class difference?

Really? What about the very first line of your post, the title? "Babuś and buś as male derivative words from babusia and busia"?

Face up to the facts: you gave it a good try but you couldn't manage to prove that Busia is a Polish word. And why could you not do that? Because 'Busia' is no more a Polish word than 'golumpkies' is, in fact it is even less of a Polish word than 'golumpkies'!

I just did, and it's clear he (and you) are being disingenuous and hoping nobody will notice.

The word Busia as a form of Babcia is not unique to US or Canadian Polonia, it can be found in Polish dialect used around Stare and Nowe Kromsko, for years heavily influenced by German language where archaic forms of Polish survived. Those who argue that it’s some kind of eastern dialect are idiots, educated idiots perhaps but idiots none the less. This region of Poland was under Prussian partition and well isolated from the influence of eastern Slavic languages. Perhaps one can make an argument that this word came to Americas with the working class immigrants from that region but Ukraine? Who are they kidding? The peasant under Czar was tied to the land and the Emancipation Reform did not take place till late 1800’s. One does not have to be a linguist to see that this theory is wrong.

Round a couple of villages. Not exactly widespread or for that matter mainstream Polish.

One thing that doesn't make sense here -

The word somehow entered Polish-American speech via the Kashubian language or a tiny local dialect - how? It's just not plausible -

Interesting that it's an acceptable word in Kashubian - boletus has excellently proven that the word is either not Polish, or it's "as spoken by children". The latter is actually plausible - the uneducated peasants that emigrated to America wouldn't have spoken the language of the educated classes - and thus might not have featured in Polish dictionaries - because - who the hell was going to go to Kresy to talk to some peasants?


No, not quite. The existence of babusia is undeniable (heard it here myself) - but "busia" certainly doesn't seem to exist. Is there actually one book in existence that uses the word in Poland?

Very interesting stuff though - it actually goes a long way to prove that the word cannot be educated Polish origin.

Not even close to Ukrainian either but it does give credence to the OP’s argument it's some kind of a short form of babusia. That’s the beauty of isolation while the mainstream language evolves an archaic form can be preserved in isolated pocket. Burden of proof is clearly on you to disprove OP theory. If you can somehow tie it to the German language more power to you but Ukrainian peasant dialect is as outrages as making a connection with Kenya, after all there’s a village in Kenya by that very same name.

Did I say it was?


No, Boleta. Any burden is on the OP to prove it is a word in standard (or indeed any variant of) Polish.


Really. You surprise me.

A line of reasoning which is backed up by how many Polish sources? Oh yes, precisely the same number as the number of results from this link: sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/busia


Nope, the OP has got the theory, he needs to prove it.

Oh please, neither can you find wąborek there, none the less it exist in the dialect I have sited:
//sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/w%C4%85borek


His theory makes a lot more sense than your cockamamie story of Ukrainian peasantry.

How lucky we are that two entirely unrelated experts on Polish dialects have both decided to grace us with their views on how the word "Busia" is not restricted to only 'Polish'-Americans!

Thank you for telling us about the word "wąborek". I wonder why it exists in the standard Polish dictionary even though it is only from a dialect of Polish. Could the answer be that the dictionary lists words which are from regional dialects of Polish? That would certainly explain why it does not list a word which is only used by people who talk about golumpkies.

I have never heard of Busia or Busha, and I was born and raised in Poland with two grandmothers - one in Warsaw (with some Ukrainian ties) and one in southern Poland. I also spent some time among Polish people in Chicago and Connecticut, never heard it there either, so I'm perplexed as to where does it come from as well.

I did not say that this was an actual route, just a possibility. But once you find one possible way, many others can be easily found. Just google "busia", in some intelligent way, and you will find many good examples.

Here are just few:

"cyga" mentioned Kramsko. I followed the tip:
Babimojszczyzna/ Ziemia Lubuska

babimojszczyzna.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=articl e&id=63&Itemid=88

The dialect appears in Nowe Kramsko, Stare Kramsko, Wielkie Podmokla and Małe Podmokla.
Geographical and historical conditions have contributed to the isolation of the villages from other Polish lands and to the preservation of many archaisms. As a result of continuous contact with the people of Germany new words were also created, not found in other Polish regions.

busia - babcia

Nowe Kramsko, Stare Kramsko - Ziemia Lubuska
kramsko.pl.tl/Kramska-gwara.htm

busia - babcia

muzeumkrajny.pl/content.php?cms_id=1193&sid=79c98d72baf1939 db5f57f618bdae9dc&kat=6&dzial=

(Krajna is situated in Northern Great Poland, north of Noteć River, between Gwda River on the West and Brda River on the East)
(All three rivers are good for kayaking. Gwda used to be a very clean river)
Muzeum Krajny - Mały słownik gwary Krajeńskiej

busia - babcia

drawsko.freehost.pl/ok/30maja/Sandra/slownik.html

Wieleń Masurians - an ethnographic group of Polish people living in Noteć Forest, settled on the left bank of Noteć near Wieleń and Krzyż, as well as on the right bank of the Warta River near Wronki.

Tradition has it that their ancestors were brought from Masovia by Prince Piotr Sapieha in 1750s, to settle on the forest areas that had been ravaged by the cholera plague.

Included in this dictionary, are the words, expressions, phrases still in use by the older people from around Drawsko, Pęckowa and Piłki.
(Drawa and Stara Drawa Rivers are excellent kayaking areas)
Słownik gwary Mazurów Wieleńskich
busia - babcia

And I am almost sure we could find many more examples, from some other areas of and near Great Poland. This covers quite a big area.

Now think about immigration patterns. Poor Galicia was one big source. But all the western and northern Poland was another. It was the Prussian policy to clean up many of those areas of indigenous Polish Population.

"In 1858, 76 Poles, (16 families) landed here by the Heinrich from Bremen. They had been told by a passage agent for the Bremen shipping interest, that they would receive 100 acres of land on going to Canada, free of any expense or pay. They sold their little cottages and few acres, and landed here paupers. They had not as much as the value of a loaf of bread in money amongst them. They said the agent at home had deceived them, in telling them the cost of removal from Prussian Poland to Quebec was a great deal less than they afterwards found out."

ottawa.polemb.net/index.php?document=152

And to make things clear: I never claimed anything about "busia" being a literary world. All my recent posts were about dialects. Otherwise, delph, thanks for your quite sensible and reasonable comment. I wish your buddies learned how to be civil.

And how lucky we are that two leading experts on the Polish language in all its varieties, who together could not produce a correct Polish sentence, deem it proper to enlighten us on the subject of the Polish morphology and expose a lie when they see it.

Seriously, people, don't you think it's a bit over the top?

What makes you think that neither Harry nor I can ''produce a correct sentence in Polish''?

In my case I speak it every day and write in Polish at least as often as in English. At least as often and as much as Boletus and his alter ego.

And on all that time I've only ever come across the word 'busia' on this website.

Well, for one thing, Harry professes to not speak the Polish language.

As to whether or not Busia is inherently Polish per se, I cannot be certain. My dad however has never heard of it and still has fluent command of the Polish language. Who cares anyway? Is there anything serious at stake here for you and your friends to argue so forcefully against a concept that a nebulous word that appears to be a contraction of something else cannot be Polish?

@Dessie

When have I ever commented on the Ukrainian language? I speak Polish, not Ukrainian, which I understand only partially. I have heard this spurious 'busia' word in neither language. You don't speak any Polish at all, so stop trolling and flaming in this thread.

It certainly is. We have some poor sod in Canada trawling through website after website after website trying desperately to find something, anything which gives some vague support for his claim that Busia is a Polish word. The rest of us just look in the dictionary, see it isn't there, maybe ask other people in Poland "You ever heard the word 'Busia' being used?" (the only positive replies I've had were both variations on the theme of 'Yeah, those morons in the US who think they're somehow Polish are idiotic enough to think that's what Polish grandmothers are called', their words, not mine) and then go about our day.


Your humble opinion is wrong: Boletus is already the nom de plume of the poster in question. Given that Jon's view is that Bolenta etc appear to exist to give Bolentus distinct alternative identities (for example where cyga agrees with Bolentus), the term 'non de plume' would be entirely incorrect. However, if the poster in question was using a different username so as to protect him from harm which may result from his posts, then 'non de plume' would be correct. Surely you do not wish to imply that Bolentus would deliberately do anything which he knows to be contrary to forum rules and thus which might expose to harm as a result of his posts, do you?


Which is why he has been able to produce so many sources which confirm his theory. Oh, sorry, he hasn't been able to produce even a single such source.


Not only is it not used widely, it isn't used at all.


It doesn't appear in today's Polish dictionaries or in past Polish dictionaries: because it is not a Polish word.


Yet again you make the claim and yet again you can't support it. Oh well, perhaps you will be able to one day.


So have words like 'pierogies' and 'golupmkies' and other words guaranteed to give Poles a damn good laugh.


Why is it that I'm not surprised that you have so little in your life to be proud of that you have to resort to taking pride in your great-grandmother's supposed ethnic group: she wasn't even from Poland!


Some of them are, some of them aren't. Just like all peoples really. Although with that said, I have never ever met even a single Polish-American who has been noble enough to come to Poland and work for the good of Poland. Perhaps you would like to be the first? The offer to pay for your plane ticket and train ticket and arrange both job and accommodation for you still stands. Are you noble enough to accept it?

easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/ah/g/busia.htm

click the link- it explains everything. It is not a Polish word. It is an Americanized Polish word. End of story.

well done PIP!!!!
Now can we close this thread/subject? *yawns*

Interesting that you selectively believe this source. You believe it when it says that Busia is used in the region but you don't believe the part which says "Na skutek ciągłych kontaktów z ludnością niemiecką powstały też słowa nowe,

niespotykane w innych rejonach Polski." (i.e. these words are not found in other Polish regions).

polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/12/polish-grandmother-babcia-busia-buzia.html

here is another one that explains it quite well. Can we bury this now

As a Brit I wholeheartedly agree with you

what is the big deal?

what is next? a lengthly and meaningless debate about the spelling of color/colour
or perhaps a discussion on the correct pronunciation of the word tomato?

Pip! That page will make certain people choke on their golumpkies!


From the same author is even worse: polishmamaontheprairie.blogspot.com/2010/11/thanksgiving-and-remembering-our-past.html

what is the phonetic sound of babcia?

harry calls out someones grandmother and then ask for mods to help him in the same post

unpleasant indeed

Nothing like that of Busia.


Do feel free to quote me 'calling out' another poster's grandmother. Either that or withdraw your lie and apologise for it.

Harry you do realize the name of this website? Its the Polishforums not the Polandforum.

Although Poland naturally is a large part of the conversation here for obvious reasons, the scope of this forum is about ALL things Polish including events and people outside the borders of Poland. At least that's the impression I get when I look at all the topics on this forum. The topics aren't about just things inside the borders of Poland. No?

Also, you do know where this website originates from.....right??

:D

OK, so what do you know about the Polish? Other, of course, from the fact that they eat golumpkies.
And what have you ever done to help the Polish?


And back to the topic of this thread: 'Busia', it is not used by Polish people and is not found in Polish dictionaries. End of story.

and there you have it. time to move on.

Wrong it is used by some Polish-American people.


Then get off of the thread.

10 pages on Busia- really? there must be something more interesting then that.