POLES FIND CZECH FUNNY!

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Jun 5, 08, 11:50 #1

It is sometimes said that the Czech language sounds as ridiculous to a Pole as Dutch does to English speakers. Almost the same but contorted beyond recogniton.
There is a whole slew of jokes taking the p*ss out of Czech. For instance:
How do you say 'pigeon' in Czech? - DAchowyh Osranec (in Polish roof-crapper).
What is the Czech word for a student hostel for women: HOdowla DIwek (in Polish: ***** breeder).
Czechs fully reciprocate: How do you say 'All's quiet on the Western Front' in Polish? - Na ZA-pade, ne Nowiny (which in Czech means in the privy there are no newspapers (fopr wiping).
Heard any others?

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,389 Joined: Aug 15, 07 ♀	Jun 5, 08, 11:57 #2
"Zapad" is actually the correct Czech word for "West" - so you ruined your little joke. You should have used "na zachode", which is toilet in Czech and West in Polish. But seriously, I hate these so-called jokes. They're really, really stupid and do not even reflect the character of the respective languages. I am half-and-half, so I should know.

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Edited by: osiol Jun 5, 08, 12:06 #3

Polonius3:

It is sometimes said that the Czech language sounds as ridiculous to a Pole as Dutch does to English speakers

I don't find Dutch funny at all. It just sounds... foreign.
Norwegian sounds a bit funny though.

Only different varieties of English are as close to um... English as Polish is to Czech. Dutch, Danish, German and even Frisian are just too different, whereas Poles and Czechs can understand eachother's languages reasonably well.

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Edited by: Puzzy Jun 5, 08, 12:48 #4

Polonius3:

the Czech language sounds as ridiculous to a Pole as

- Are you sure that 'ridiculous,' rather than '(amicably) amusing' is the right expression? 'Ridiculous' entails some contempt, whereas Poles view the Czech language very friendly, almost lovingly, and are fond of certain expressions, such as 'laska' for 'love.' We also like their literature, especially Hasek and Hrabal. By the way, the Poles are way friendlier towards the Czechs than the Czechs towards Poles. I've heard horror stories about the treatment of Polish tourists, including women.

Magdalena:

"na zachode", which is toilet in Czech and West in Polish.

- Do you mean 'na zachode' means 'West' in Polish? If yes, then I must object. 'Na zachode' means nothing in Polish, or it may mean the incorrectly spelled expression 'na zachodzie' (in English: in the west).

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Jun 5, 08, 12:56 #5

Puzzy:

the Poles are way friendlier towards the Czechs than the Czechs towards Poles. I've heard horror stories about the treatment of Polish tourists, including women.

This is true. I went on a ski holiday to CZ and they do have a snobbish attitude towards the PL. I was receiving the same treatment until they found out I was American. Their attitude took a 180 deg. turn. I've noticed that the German tourists were also treated much better. Regardless of who's visiting you, these people are still spending money, why treeat them any different?

PuzzyThreads: 1 Posts: 180 Joined: May 1, 08 ♂	Edited by: Puzzy Jun 5, 08, 13:02 #6
Zgubiony: why treeat them any different? - Exactly so. Not many Poles know about the Czech attitude. When they learn about it, however, they will be less well-disposed towards Czechia. I've never been to Czechia and am not planning to visit it in the foreseeable future. Also, I consider Praha to be overly advertised. And I hate Kafka. :)

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Edited by: osiol Jun 5, 08, 13:04 #7

There is a Czech bloke at work. He thinks he's funny, and he sometimes is, but not always for the same reason. Sometimes even the Poles think he's funny. Here are some of his aliases:

Tuczniak
Poirrot
Paul
Pablo
Zboczeniec

Something he said did make me wonder. Is bagr really the Czech word for forklift/loader/dumper truck, or did he just know that it sounds a bit like the English word bugger?

Puzzy:

I hate Kafka

Man wakes up to find he's turned into a giant insect? Didn't like that one all that much. The one about some sort of instrument of torture I really didn't like. One about some rural doctor - I gave up on that one when it was clear that all he did to try to cure people was to climb into bed with them. On the other hand, I quite like reading Milan Kundera.

1970s Czech jazz sucks, whereas the Polish stuff is much better.

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Jun 5, 08, 13:16 #8

osiol:

I quite like reading Milan Kundera.

- Me too, but I prefer his early stuff, such as short stories about love, as well as the brilliant novel 'The Joke.' I'm not too fond of later Kundera, especially since he started writing in French. He's really no master in Voltaire's tongue, I should think.
As to Kafka, I think that he is as overadvertised as Praha (Prague) is.
:)
Have you read 'Good Soldier Schweik' by Hasek? It's the funniest book I've ever read.

Polonius3Threads: 1,005 Posts: 4,835 Joined: Apr 11, 08 ♂	Jun 5, 08, 14:22 #9
Mea maxima culpa. That's what happens when you know a smattering of different Slavonic tongues. I wanted to start with perepraszuju, but that must be Ukrainian.

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Edited by: Magdalena Jun 5, 08, 14:29 #10

Puzzy:

- Do you mean 'na zachode' means 'West' in Polish? If yes, then I must object. 'Na zachode' means nothing in Polish, or it may mean the incorrectly spelled expression 'na zachodzie' (in English: in the west).

\
Of course it's incorrectly spelled! There's a different spelling system in place for Czech. You cannot get both right at the same time. Is "dachovy obsranec" spelled correctly? (Apart from the tiny fact that no such words even exist in Czech?)

Puzzy:

As to Kafka, I think that he is as overadvertised as Praha (Prague) is.

Kafka was not even Czech. Nevertheless, he is a great writer. Not a bit overadvertised. Praha is a breath-takingly beautiful place, but London is overadvertised for sure ;-)

Puzzy:

Have you read 'Good Soldier Schweik' by Hasek? It's the funniest book I've ever read.

And the bitterest and saddest as well. Have you read it in Czech, Polish, English or some other language? The Polish translations of Czech literature are mostly pathetic.

To Osiol - yes, "bagr" is an informal expression for similar vehicles. By the sound of it, it's a borrowing from German.

As to how Czechs treat Poles - Poles have also worked long and hard to earn this treatment, esp. in the eighties. Of course all this is now water under the bridge, but negative stereotypes tend to stick, and calling the Czechs "Pepiczki" almost within their earshot does not help.
As half Czech, I would be routinely treated with contempt by my Polish peers, put down for using the ridiculous Czech language, and made fun of - and one of my "friends" was gracious enough to comment, when visiting my home, that "It's really strange that such a funny people even ever published any serious literature at all" while inspecting my late Czech mother's extensive book collection in my Polish father's presence! Is that rude or what? I have been hearing similar comments since childhood. No wonder Czechs tend to be miffed. Nobody likes to be patronised and treated like a mentally retarded child.

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Edited by: Puzzy Jun 5, 08, 14:49 #11

Magdalena:

Of course it's incorrectly spelled!

- Pardon? Did you actually get what I meant when I wrote: 'incorrectly spelled,' etc.?

Magdalena:

Kafka was not even Czech

- So why do they refer to him as a 'Czech writer'?

Magdalena:

Have you read it in Czech, Polish, English or some other language?

- In Polish and English.

Magdalena:

The Polish translations of Czech literature are mostly pathetic.

- Are they, really? How come? Hulka-Laskowski, Waczkow, the guy who translated Drda's fairy tales are 'pathetic' translators? Wow.

Magdalena:

Praha is a breath-takingly beautiful place

- I don't like it. In general, I am not very fond of German cities, German architecture, etc. Not out of Germanophobia; I just like different things.

Magdalena:

but London is overadvertised for sure ;-)

- You don't seem to know much about London. As for me, I love it.

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Jun 5, 08, 14:54 #12

Puzzy:

- So why do they refer to him as a 'Czech writer'?

Beats me. He was a German Jew living in Prague and wrote all his works in German.

Puzzy:

Hulka-Laskowski, Waczkow

Pathetic, yeah.

Puzzy:

- I don't like it.

To each their own.

Puzzy:

- You don't seem to know much about London. As for me, I love it.

I live in London, and have for a considerable time. It is a singularly unattractive city, though I do like the Docklands and the Chancery Lane area.
On the other hand, I love Prague. As I said, to each their own.

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Edited by: Puzzy Jun 5, 08, 14:59 #13

Magdalena:

As to how Czechs treat Poles

, etc.

- I think you're making it up. I've never noticed such an attitude towards Czechs among the Poles as you're alleging. Czechs are prejudiced towards the Poles not because it's the Poles' fault, but because Czechs have been talked into by foreign, mostly American, media that they are superior to the Poles. Also, Czechs pick Polonophobia from the Germans.

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Edited by: Magdalena Jun 5, 08, 15:05 #14

Puzzy:

- I think you're making it up.

Well then there's no space for discussion here, is there? I know what I know and I have had my experiences, but there is no way I could project that into your head and make you understand.
Just one thing - please tell me the Poles don't even call Czechs "Pepiczki" (an extremely unpleasant moniker, BTW); just please tell me I've made that up as well.

I would say your attitude over this is - sorry to say - typically "Polish"; I can say that because I'm 50% Polish myself, you see, and have lived most of my adult life in Poland.

I give up. Think what you want.

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,959 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Edited by: southern Jun 5, 08, 15:09 #15
Poles are neutral towards Czechs,Czechs dislike mostly Poland,many of them have never bothered to visit Poland at all.Basically both Czechs and Poles are anti-german and less against each other,so they do not care. Maybe Moravians like Poles more,they have similarities in mentality and there is polish minority in Moravia.

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,389 Joined: Aug 15, 07 ♀	Jun 5, 08, 15:25 #16
southern: they have similarities in mentality Ludvik Vaculik - "Sekyra" (The Axe): a must read for anyone who wants to understand Morava.

southernThreads: 116 Posts: 10,959 Joined: May 17, 07 ♂	Jun 5, 08, 15:42 #17
Basically the Czechs are very liberal.For example Prague is full of gay bars.They are 90% atheists.So they find Poland a bit right wing and conservative and this causes any kind of negative opinion that exists though as far as I have seen Czechs mostly ignore Poland,they seldom visit except from Moravians who live close.

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,389 Joined: Aug 15, 07 ♀	Jun 5, 08, 15:52 #18
So do they dislike Poles or are they indifferent? You present two opinions in two posts, and I am getting confused. I would say they (we?) are indifferent with an undertone of resentment for being treated like intellectually inferior beings whose main asset is that they are "funny". But that's just me. And, as we already know, I make things up as I go along.

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Edited by: southern Jun 5, 08, 16:22 #19

Magdalena:

So do they dislike Poles or are they indifferent?

They do not feel great sympathy to Poles(except from Moravians who go often in and out of Poland) but they are indefferent to them because they care more about german danger.I mean nationalistic parties are anti-german and not anti-pole.
I have found great similarities in both cultures and the differences which exist are more due to history under different occupators.
I noticed that in vaccations Poles and Czechs get quite well along except that Poles drink Zywiec and vodka and Czechs prefer czech beer.Czechs also bring with them czech food to eat on vaccations in many cases while Poles tend to try some local drinks.

MagdalenaThreads: 5 Posts: 1,389 Joined: Aug 15, 07 ♀	Jun 5, 08, 16:26 #20
southern: I have found great similarities in both cultures and the differences which exist are more due to history under different occupators. The voice of reason.

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Jun 5, 08, 16:33 #21

Also the Czechs do not resist to powers stronger than them for example they did not resist against Austrians,against Germans or against Russians while Poles tend to fight even if there is no chance to win.So the Czechs may appear spineless and retreating while the Poles obnoxious stubborn.
Anyway the Czechs tend to adjust better(for example even buildings from communist era are better in CR than in Poland) and take everything they see positive from a system(they kept some equality socialist system and atheism from communist period).
The Poles are constant fighters.

LukaszThreads: 73 Posts: 2,396 Joined: Sep 1, 07 ♂	Jun 5, 08, 16:34 #22
because Poland is not czech rep ... southern ... and simple can't stay somewhere ... when Germans and Russians always wanted to have Russian -German borrder .

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Jun 5, 08, 16:41 #23

In termas of culture I think czech culture is more famous and influencial especially czech cinema,czech literature.Of course it was due to Austrohungary as well but till now the cultural production is interesting.After all Czechs had two famous composers,the most famous writer and one of the most famous films.
I also like czech music,they have jazz,country,rock,every style.Czechs are a bit more mysterious and eccentric.

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Jun 5, 08, 17:54 #24

southern:

one of the most famous films

Which is?

southern:

they have jazz

I just don't rate their jazz as highly amongst European jazzes as Polish or Yugoslavian. What I've heard tends to sound a little more modern, but not as rough or natural as the Polish stuff. I could dust off some vinyl and do a comparison.

southern:

eccentric

I've not met many Czechs, but all three of the ones I have got to know could easily be described as at least a bit eccentric... and that's me saying that!

southern:

the most famous writer

Are we talking about Kafka? (Didn't he write in German?) Or Milan Kundera (now writes in French)?

What else about Czech... It's smaller!

Wahldo	Jun 15, 08, 02:13 #25
Czechs loaned America Milos Forman and America is grateful. Prague is seen as a darker, harder to get to Paris maybe. A friend of mine described it as one of the best vacations he ever had. I'll be taking his recommendation. Retards love retards I guess. Are Poles tougher? More likely to fight, a little more organized.. Probably , yes.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07 ♂	Jun 15, 08, 03:04 #26
What means "eccentric"? How do I recognize an eccentric Czech???

SeanusThreads: 22 Posts: 30,158 Joined: Dec 25, 07 ♂	Jun 15, 08, 04:59 #27
U gotta 'check' first. Hmm...I've been up for a couple of hours now and I can't do better than that. Lame

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Jun 15, 08, 05:11 #28

Bratwurst Boy:

an eccentric Czech???

For example when you get down on a small moravian city train station and you see a 40 years old man with deep voice,upright posture and 10 cm heels,you know he is eccentric.Also when you get into the taxi and the taxi driver has a long hair,listens czech rock and country and sings like cowboy on the ride with the window open,he is probably eccentric.When you get to the taxi in Prague and the driver reads porn magazines and he talks to you without hiding the porn magazines,he is eccentric.
When they get the fattest and rudest women all over Prague to serve tourists in restaurants in order to **** them,you can view it as eccentric.

Bratwurst BoyThreads: 11 Posts: 14,563 Joined: Apr 2, 07 ♂	Jun 15, 08, 05:19 #29
He....thanks! :)

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Jan 24, 09, 09:23 #30

Thread attached on merging:
DOES CZECH SOUND SILLY TO POLES?

The fact that there is a whole joke series devoted to this matter shows that I am not alone in subjectively perceiving Czech as amusing or silly sounding. Eg:
How do you say pigeon in Czech? -- DAchowy Osranec.
What is an all-girls' school called? - HOdowla DIvek.
Some English speakers say to them Dutch sounds ridiculous.
Czechs say Polish sounds funny to them. Oner Czech riddle: "How do you say 'All Quiet on the Western Front' in Polish?" Answer: "Na ZAchode, ne NOviny" (which sounds like it should mean nothing new in the west but actually means there's no newspaper /for wiping/ in the outhouse.
I wonder if English sounds funny to the Dutch, although they rank amongst Europe's best non-native English speakers.

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