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posts: 17

The letter W in Polish

Dave_CracowThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: Mar 24, 08	Mar 24, 08, 13:31 / #
I have just started learning Polish and was just curious. Is it a rule of thumb that in every word the W is pronounced phonetically as V (vee)? Eg Wisla (veesla) or piwo (peevo)? Thanks in advance for your help :)

lowfunk99Threads: 18 Posts: 435 Joined: Jan 7, 08	Mar 24, 08, 13:40 / #
It can also take on the "F" sound.

MaliThreads: - Posts: 333 Joined: Mar 3, 08	Mar 24, 08, 13:53 / #
lowfunk99 wrote: Is it a rule of thumb that in every word the W is pronounced phonetically as V (vee)? Eg Wisla (veesla) or piwo (peevo)? Thanks in advance for your help :) Thats the general rule. As lowfunk said, it can take on the 'f' sound, however it is the 'V' most of the time.

GoonieThreads: 10 Posts: 297 Joined: Mar 6, 07	Mar 24, 08, 14:00 / #
My name is Wojtek but it's pronounced Voytek :)

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Mar 24, 08, 14:08 / #
yes v unless it's in a cluster of other constinants then it may sound like an "f" although it still ought to be pronounced like a 'v' but isn't always done in everyday speak.

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Edited by: osiol Mar 24, 08, 14:14 / #
It's unvoiced (like an F) if it is followed by another unvoiced consonant, ie. C, Ć, CZ, K, P, S, Ś, SZ, T. That is why names ending in -owski are pronounced as if it is -ofski. Or so says the donkey who risks trying to teach his grandmother to suck eggs.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Mar 24, 08, 15:07 / #
osiol wrote: That is why names ending in -owski are pronounced as if it is -ofski. that's correct, osiol but in reality it should still be pronounced -ovski

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Mar 24, 08, 15:22 / #
plk123 wrote: but in reality You're the only person I've ever seen saying that. Shall we go back to speaking some sort of proto Indo-European?

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Mar 24, 08, 15:30 / #
nah, just ingnore what i say.. everyone else does. :)

Dave_CracowThreads: 1 Posts: 1 Joined: Mar 24, 08	Mar 24, 08, 22:47 / #
Thanks for all your answers. Ordering 3 different learning materials on payday at the end of the month so just trying to get a basic(ish) grasp of the language.

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07	Mar 25, 08, 03:23 / #
W is always like the hard English V as in vinegar except before a sort consonant so ja jestem w Warszawie will be hard like an English 'v' sound but ja jestem w Częstochowie the 'v' will become an 'f' sound to make the joining process easier. Try saying v Częstochowie. This linguistic process happens and takes place in all Slovanic languages, even the Russians accept this practice.

portaThreads: 24 Posts: 354 Joined: Jul 16, 07	Mar 25, 08, 05:34 / #
I think you made a very confusing explanation Michal, and it could be misunderstood. Now, w Warszawie ,the single "w" always sound like "f" ,it also sounds like "f" in endings like -ów (like in Kraków). All W in "Warszawie" and "Częstochowie" sound like "v".

MichalThreads: - Posts: 2,408 Joined: Feb 27, 07	Mar 25, 08, 06:28 / #
I was not talking about the 'w' in Częstochowa but the in-the w word, which procedes it i.e. w Częstochowie sounds like fczęstochowie.

plk123Threads: 30 Posts: 6,412 Joined: Aug 29, 07	Mar 25, 08, 11:57 / #
porta wrote: All W in "Warszawie" and "Częstochowie" sound like "v". yup porta wrote: t also sounds like "f" in endings like -ów (like in Kraków) not really but yes, for the most part Michal wrote: w Częstochowie sounds like fczęstochowie. that's not really right. w preceeeding a word is hard v.

LoriThreads: 5 Posts: 122 Joined: Mar 17, 08	Mar 25, 08, 20:51 / #
If you are looking at Wisla in an English alphabet, then you are not seeing the Ł letter is WisŁa. It is really prounounced Viswa. And now I can't see the word without memories too. Walking along the river is Kazimierz Dolny, the view from the top of library at Warsaw University, or going over it on one of the beautiful new bridges in Warsaw!

SouthOfDaThamesThreads: - Posts: 96 Joined: Mar 9, 08	Mar 25, 08, 21:01 / #
plk123 wrote: that's not really right. w preceeeding a word is hard v. Agreed, I've never really thought of it like this, but I can see how some people might think it sounds like an "f". Like some people say ni ma instead of nie ma, or others who say Gůrny Ślůnsk instead of Górny Śląsk... though actually I'm going a little off-topic now aren't I, haha. bedtime I think :)

z_dariusThreads: 22 Posts: 5,091 Joined: Oct 18, 07	Mar 31, 08, 23:29 / #
Lori wrote: that's not really right. w preceeeding a word is hard v SouthOfDaThames wrote: I can see how some people might think it sounds like an "f". Because it does sound like an "f" sometimes, and this time Michal is right. "w Czestochowie" will be pronounced as "fczestochowie". This is a classical case of desonorization in the Polish language (ubezdzwiecznienie wsteczne)

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