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DIALECTS IN POLAND?


Polonius3 994 | 12,367  
23 Oct 2008 /  #1
To what extent are you native speakers of Polish aware of dialects or dialectic pronunciation and/or vocabulary in today's Poland? For instance:
-- pyrki, grule, ziemniaki and kartofle for potato
-- the jezdem, widzieliźmy and czy (instead of trzy) in the Kraków area
-- the śledziowanie of Podlasie (very soft almost Russian-like pronunciation of ś, ć and ź
-- the Silesian dialect
-- the Góral dialect
-- Others...
Not to mention Kashubian which some regard as a separate language in its own right.
Do you hear people speaking this way? Is it considered socially acceptable? How do speakers of standard Polish react to it: with interest, amusement, disgust or indifference?
Marek 4 | 867  
23 Oct 2008 /  #2
Am still searching for a good on-line comparative vocabulary list Góral-Standard Polish, side by side-:)

Any help would be appreciated!
Bartolome 2 | 1,085  
23 Oct 2008 /  #3
the Silesian dialect

I'm a Silesian with Polish roots :) I can speak with Silesian dialect (from Opole area) and accent as well. Of course is acceptable, although some people may react in different way - some with curiosity, some with some reserve (in some parts Silesians are considered 'Germans', thus they may be not liked).
polishgirltx  
23 Oct 2008 /  #4
Do you hear people speaking this way? Is it considered socially acceptable? How do speakers of standard Polish react to it: with interest, amusement, disgust or indifference?

it's acceptable and respected, but we still like to make fun of each other.... like i probably would of Bartolome if i heared him ;)

;)
Polson 5 | 1,768  
23 Oct 2008 /  #5
Hehe, Polonius, i wanted to create a 'Dialects/languages of Poland' thread today ^^ I may write sth soon here ;)
Matyjasz 2 | 1,544  
23 Oct 2008 /  #6
Do you hear people speaking this way? Is it considered socially acceptable? How do speakers of standard Polish react to it: with interest, amusement, disgust or indifference?

Most of polish dialects are rural dialects, and are a little bit stigmatized. I know that it is a little different in the UK, where the rural dialects are perceived as picturesque, worm and homely. In Poland people that use those dialects are usually perceived as uneducated peasants. Things are a little different with Silesian, Kashub and Gooral dialects and with accents on the whole though.

I would also like to add that I do see a slight change in those attitudes. My uncle started to ask for “pyry” when buying potatoes recently even though he used to consider it a peasant talk.

-edit- Ok, when I wrote accent in this sentence: " Things are a little different with Silesian, Kashub and Gooral dialects and with accents on the whole though. I actually meant intonation.
osiol 55 | 3,921  
23 Oct 2008 /  #7
Most of polish dialects are rural dialects,

So cities don't have distinct dialects? In Britain, the strongest dialects (in terms of numbers and people's pride in their accents) are urban ones.. Quite often, you can tell which city someone in Britain comes from. Is this possible in Poland or are you all boring and heterogeneous?
Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,149  
23 Oct 2008 /  #8
Not to mention Kashubian which some regard as a separate language in its own right.

According to my knowledge Kashubian officially don't have a status of a seperated language but practically It definately is a different language. In practice I haven't had much contact with this language but when I heard It spoken several times, I hardly could understand anything. I think that Slovakian or Lusatian are more similar to Polish. Silesian or Podhalan are in my opinion regional dialects and others aren't even dialects, just single different words and sometimes some accent.

Is this possible in Poland or are you all boring and heterogeneous?

Not all but vast majority...
alinka - | 13  
23 Oct 2008 /  #9
Quite often, you can tell which city someone in Britain comes from. Is this possible in Poland or are you all boring and heterogeneous?

Not boring at all! In most cases I can tell which area of Poland a person comes from - listening to the melody, pronunciation, specific words. And many people would recognize where I come from (Wielkopolska), though I am educated and not using dialect. It is the melody that gives me (and other people) away.
polishgirltx  
23 Oct 2008 /  #10
And many people can recognize where I come from (Wielkopolska), though I am educated and not using dialect. It is the melody that gives me (and other people) away.

educated more or less, every region in Poland has its dialect...and yes, it is interesting and brings smiles... every Pole should recognize where the other Pole is from by a simple conversation... it's the same like in the uk...
southern 74 | 7,074  
23 Oct 2008 /  #11
It is the melody that gives me

Although a foreigner I could grasp some different melodies in polish dialekts.There is a difference between city and urban dialekts or not?
McCoy 27 | 1,269  
23 Oct 2008 /  #12
Kashubian language is really intersting. i wonder if it's understandable for non-native polish speakers:


osiol 55 | 3,921  
23 Oct 2008 /  #13
Not boring at all

Not all but vast majority...

My tongue was in my cheek when I made that comment. But was that just my accent?
Polson 5 | 1,768  
23 Oct 2008 /  #14
Ąłły wann gyjn bocy Godstroon.

Połn hoot skarba fy hohym waat.

:)
polishgirltx  
23 Oct 2008 /  #15
ahem....
i beg your pardon?
;)
z_darius 14 | 3,965  
23 Oct 2008 /  #16
Am still searching for a good on-line comparative vocabulary list Góral-Standard Polish, side by side-:)

I don't have a dictionary, 'cept for perhaps 50 or 60 words. A lot of differences are fairly constant changes in pronunciation and stress (mostly first syllable) . I used to speak it pretty well since I was a kid, but time took some of that away.

I posted a tiny sample a few days ago.
Polson 5 | 1,768  
24 Oct 2008 /  #17
ahem....
i beg your pardon?

What? You don't understand Wymysörys?!... Oh...
;)
kioko - | 84  
24 Oct 2008 /  #18
the śledziowanie of Podlasie

You mean "śledzikowanie" :)
I am from Mazury and live now in Poznań.
There are words I just can't stand here and we often have "word fights" at work, where half is native Poznańska Pyra and half from "worse part of Poland" (as they say). For example: szneka z glancem, naramki for ramiączka, ramiączko for wieszak, skibka for kromka and many many more.

I also hate when people from some parts of Poland (mostly western) don't say "ą" at the end of words, so you hear "som" instead of "są". grrrr ;/
Grzegorz_ 51 | 6,149  
24 Oct 2008 /  #19
Kashubian language is really intersting. i wonder if it's understandable for non-native polish speakers:

Hmm... I heard some more "hardcore" version...
Switezianka - | 463  
24 Oct 2008 /  #20
According to my knowledge Kashubian officially don't have a status of a seperated language but practically It definately is a different language.

I think the only linguists who have any doubts whether Kashubian is a separate language, are the Polish ones. It's got different vocabulary, different spelling and even different alphabet.

One of the criteria used to decide if something is a dialect or a language is mutual intelligibilty: if two native speakers use two different dialects of their language, they understand each other. If the level of understanding Kashubian by an average Pole is enough to say that Kashubian is intelligible to him/her, then Slovakian is a dialect of Polish, too...
osiol 55 | 3,921  
24 Oct 2008 /  #21
Another definition of the distinction between language and dialect is that a language has its own army.
OP Polonius3 994 | 12,367  
25 Oct 2008 /  #22
Do Masurians masurianise (mazurzą) any more than speakers of other peasant dialects? How many (what percentage of) Masuriann are natives and how many are influx popualtion from the east?
Marek 4 | 867  
25 Oct 2008 /  #23
Thanks, Darius!- -:)
Switezianka - | 463  
25 Oct 2008 /  #24
Another definition of the distinction between language and dialect is that a language has its own army.

I think that is the criteria that poloniści use. What a pity...
kioko - | 84  
26 Oct 2008 /  #25
"Mazurzenie" is not actually specific for Mazury, but also for Mazowsze, Śląsk and Małopolska, but I don't hear it a lot. Mostly older people use it. There are very little native Mazurians in Mazury. I know berely few. They usually have German sounding name or last name. Warmińsko-mazurskie voivodeship hase the highest percentage of ethnic minorities in Poland. Mostly people who came from Lithuania and Ukraine after II ww, but also others.
z_darius 14 | 3,965  
26 Oct 2008 /  #26
So is Lithuanian a dialect of Sanskrit, or the other way around?

I think this criterion is easily discredited as subjective. I can easilly communicate with Polish Gorale when I am among a dozen of them. Most Poles wouldn't have a clue what is being discussed. Now, Gorale speaking to Poles is a quite different matter. Their language changes a lot then.

In general, the distinction between language and dialects is not, in many cases, science but a view.

Another definition of the distinction between language and dialect is that a language has its own army.

That is a plausible approach :)
Guest  
28 Oct 2008 /  #27
Another definition of the distinction between language and dialect is that a language has its own army.

Cornwall has it's own language, but they don't have an actual army (just a terrorist movement who threatened to blow up Jamie Oliver and Rick Stein).
Bartolome 2 | 1,085  
28 Oct 2008 /  #28
(just a terrorist movement who threatened to blow up Jamie Oliver

I think stuffing him forcibly with several deep-fried Mars bars should suffice.

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