Polish Language Blog

Every so often I am being accused that my grammar explanations are too simplistic, too crude and too “for dummies.” That I don’t use proper linguistic, or grammatical, (or whatever those long and useless terms in “serious” grammar books are called) terminology in my blog posts and that basically, it looks like I mock the subject whenever possible. Eeegadz. Really?

Oddly enough, whenever such complaints come (via email normally, not in the comments section on this blog) they come from native Polish speakers. And boy, are those speakers furious!

So, I thought it might be time to address this issue. And of course, as always, to ask your (meaning ALL my readers, not just the Polish natives who read this blog) opinion, because if there are problems with how I explain grammar, then I better rectify this issue, and I better do it fast.

So let’s begin.

• 1.    Do I mock grammar? Far from it, actually. Actually, I’m terrified of the thing. Really. If you’re terrified of something, you generally try to avoid any contact with it whenever possible. Just like you’d do with your neighbor’s rottweiler. If you try mocking it, you may lose an arm. That’s how I feel about grammar. Except that instead of an arm, I may lose the chance to write this blog. And I wouldn’t want that to happen.

• 2.    The lack of proper terminology. Hmmm… If that’s what you want, then read Prof. Swan’s “Polish Grammar” book. He has that terminology bit covered. Trust me! I do try to smuggle proper names for things whenever possible, but I try to do it in such a way that wouldn’t scare too much a casual learner of the language (and reader of this blog). You know, the person who just wants to study it for fun and pleasure and to communicate with the cute Polish girl next door. Also, and it’s been my experience when learning a couple of other foreign languages, many people simply don’t know any proper grammar-book terminology at all. Not even in their native lingo.

• 3.    And that brings us to my “too simplistic” approach and “for dummies” explanations. Oh yeah? It’s easy for you to say, native Poles, but do you realize that there is a difference in how grammar is taught to native and non-native speakers of the language? Also, another thing to consider are the levels of my readers. Some are advanced learners, or already speak Polish perfectly, and some are just starting out on their Polish language adventure. And of course, I want to keep everybody happy. And let’s be realistic – it’s Polish grammar we’re talking about here. Might as well try explaining quantum physics. Though incidentally, there are nice popular science books dealing with quantum physics, explaining it in a fun and easy to understand way. The fact that there aren’t any for Polish grammar should tell you something…

And now, of course, I want to know what I should do. Should I make my grammar posts more serious and sophisticated, use fancy terminology and treat them with the respect they deserve? Or should I keep them as they are, even if Polish natives will no doubt complain that they are “for dummies”? It’s entirely up to YOU!

PS. And just so we are perfectly clear how I feel about my neighbor’s rottweiler – I hate that beast.

So…. The Lexiophiles Best Language Blog contest is over, and this year it was an immense failure for us. Or rather, for me. Last year, Polish Blog came in 6th. This year, 71st.

Oh well, I guess the novelty of Polish Blog has worn off, and it’s my fault too, because I haven’t told you about this contest and didn’t beg you to vote for me.

But that brings me to this question – what other internet resources do you use in your Polish language adventure?

With the overload of information on the internet, I know you can find stuff on just about anything. And that includes język polski. But which ones of those many resources are worth reading and using?

I have to admit, I am rather clueless here. I know that a few of you frequent other blogs, I know that some of you write your own blogs (as Pinolona and Island1 do). And then if you add to that language forums, discussion forums, and what-not forums, you can end up with a sizeable list of Polish-themed goodies on the internet. But the question is, which ones of those are worth your time and aggravation – as it often happens with discussion forums?

So, let’s share our “język polski w internecie” experiences! But since I have little to share here, I have to, once again, depend on you.

Oh, and before I forget. It’s “w internecie” in Polish (in the internet), not “na internecie” (on the internet). But don’t worry if you’re like me, and prefer to say “na internecie”. And from what I’m seeing, this mistake is becoming more and more popular. But as one friend very patiently explained to me, these two expressions actually mean something different.
Different? Yes, there is a difference, I agree (I just like to annoy my friend) but it’s so slight that most people don’t even realize it. But hey, that’s Polish for you.

Hel (with one “L”) is a very pleasant place, I know because I went there yesterday. I would post some photos, however the file upload problem hasn’t been resolved yet (but the guys from Transparent are doing what they can to get it sorted out).

So, instead of looking at pretty pictures of Hel, you’ll have to read my descriptions of the place. In that case, let’s make them short: Hel is indeed lovely, but I wouldn’t want to be there during letnie wakacje (summer vacation) – the place turns into a madhouse.

If you can’t make it to Hel in person, you can always visit the town’s official webpage. It’s called GoHel.pl. “Go Hel” also seems to be the official city slogan. But oddly enough, there’s no English language version of the website. It’s in Polish only. (Why then “Go Hel”? To appear more “European” and what-not?)

What got me interested (and confused) was this sentence:
Witamy w Helu! (Welcome to Hel)

“Hmmm…. odd,” I thought. “Weren’t is used to be ‘Witamy na Helu’ once upon a time, or am I going totally senile?”

You see, Hel is an interesting place, not only because it’s at the very tip of Poland, but also because nobody’s really sure how to correctly say “I’m going to Hel”, or as it turned out yesterday – “Welcome to Hel.”

I’ve always thought that “Witamy na Helu” was correct. Apparently not, according to the Urząd Miejski in Hel. It’s “Witamy w Helu.”

Ok, fair enough, we say “Witamy w Gdańsku” and “Witamy w Warszawie” and Hel simply wanted to conform. I can live with that.

But how do we say “I’m going to Hel”?

I’ve always thought that “jadę na Hel” was correct. 99% of the population, if asked about it, would automatically answer “na Hel.” But apparently, it’s only correct if you’re talking about the entire Hel Peninsula. Then you “jedziesz na Hel.”

If however, you’re only talking about the town of Hel, then you “jedziesz do Helu.” At least that’s how a helpful Hel dweller explained it to me yesterday.

Whatever. People in Hel can say “Witamy w Helu” all they want. They’re not going to convince me.
So there!

I’m planning to return “na Hel” soon!