Bilingual signs and notices all over Poland

Such signs and notices reflect the needs of the local minority which apart from standard Polish also feels like using another language. Sometimes it is a completely different like German or a dialect of Polish, e.g, Silesian dialect which was heavily influenced by German.

Let`s start with Silesian dialect which some people consider a separate language - Kaufland chain has introduced bilingual boards in two facilities in Silesia region:

katowice.wyborcza.pl/katowice/51,35063,29301358.html#S.galeria-K.C-B.1-L.1.duzy

Funny. Mustard is no longer musztarda but zymft.

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Although only a visitor in Poland, I always found English bilingual signage annoying to say the least.
However in the above matter of the current topic thread, it sounds perfectly reasonable.

In the latter instance, presumably the signs and notices are written by native or truly bilingual Polish dialect speakers!

After many years experience both travelling as well as living abroad in Europe, I can safely say that bilingual signage in English is often a recipe for disaster, or at least, comical misunderstanding.

Think I must have shared my story regarding a sign ONLY in English at a pub in Copenhagen which read: "DON'T HAVE CHILDRED AT THE BAR!" Apparently, the barkeep was not amused when I off handedly quipped that normally people have them in a hospital LOL

When once in Amsterdam, this time a bilingual sign above a coffee shop restroom stated: "JOHN FOR MEN AND WOMEN OR OF DIFFERENT SEX!"

If anybody can explain that one, they're good:-)

Northern Poland with Lithuanian minority has such signs:

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Perfectly reasonable. How about Gorlice/Goerlitz, Jasna Gora/Hellberg etc.?

Görlitz/Zgorzelec

Not to forget that Silesian has quite a number of Old-Polish words that haven't survived in standard Polish.

Also, the Silesian of towns is considerably different than the Silesian of villages. The great diversity of dialects within the Silesian language is one of the reasons for not considering it a separate "language" by some.

In one of your pictures I can understand the signboard in Silesian (Akcesoryje na fajery), whereas I don't understand the version in Polish (Akcesoria party) which is incorrect Polish in my view.

Wonder whether or not in Zakopane signage reflects similar bilingualism among the goral (mountaineers) vs. standard Polish.

Interesting question.
Although most Gorals identify as Polish, some are Czech and some Slowak.
Both of those languages are a considerable influence, especially Slowak.
But these people all understand Polish perfectly, even though some Poles may struggle to understand them.

Their dialect though is kinda cute!

Standard Polish goral gwara
zegar godzinnek
etc.

South-west of Poland hosts such signs for German minority in Opole region.

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.....Torun/Thorn, Chorzow/Koenigshuette, Zielona Gora/Gruenberg........

@Lyzko
No, there is no German minority in those cities.

Any longer, you mean!
Of course not. I'm only referring here to historical place names:-)

South east of Poland hosts such signs for Lemko Ukrainian minority:
They are unusual coz written in Cyrillic script:

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Super! I had had no idea about it.

Nearly every town, certainly larger city, in Poland had historically both a German right alongside a Polish name. Perhaps these days, your Westermann Atlas gives both names, but when I was first in Germany during the mid-'80's, "SZCZECIN" was always listed as "STETTIN" and nothing else:-)

I'm sure that's changed.

Yes, indeed, that must be a subdialect within the Silesian dialect.


That was the time of the Cold War when some Germans still believed in retrieving the territory they lost after WW2. The few descendants of German DPs who once lived on those lands still dream of returning there.

Or a much easier reason? Stettin is for Germans just that much easier to pronounce as such a tonguebreaker without vowels as the polish version....;)

The same with Warschau or Danzig...i's more a language thing...but Szcscheczin takes the crown!

Oh, yes, quite right, I forgot about it.

Today, I'd imagine that both versions appear in German atlases.