{"id":522,"date":"2009-04-07T23:59:04","date_gmt":"2009-04-08T03:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/?p=522"},"modified":"2009-04-07T23:59:04","modified_gmt":"2009-04-08T03:59:04","slug":"polish-diminutives-one-more-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/polish-diminutives-one-more-time\/","title":{"rendered":"Polish Diminutives &#8211; one more time"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I think I should add a brief explanation regarding my previous post on diminutive proper names.<\/p>\n<p>I am fully aware that if you really want to you can create <strong>zdrobnienia<\/strong> of just about any name out there, including <strong>Agnieszka<\/strong>, for example. The difference between some names and others is this: while very few perfect strangers would think to address a grown woman they don\u2019t know as \u201c<strong>Pani Agusia<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Agnieszka<\/strong>), they consider it perfectly normal and natural to say \u201c<strong>Pani Krysia<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Krystyna<\/strong>) or \u201c<strong>Pani Asia<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Joanna<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago when I was calling the pharmacy to find out if my prescriptions were ready for pick up, the pharmacist said this: \u201c<strong>Pani Aneczko, lekarstewka s\u0105 gotowe<\/strong>\u201d (polite Pani, then my name in one of its diminutive forms, medicines are ready). For a sec I had to think who this \u201c<strong>Pani Aneczka<\/strong>\u201d was. And no, I\u2019m not friends with the lady who works at the pharmacy, I don\u2019t even know her name. But just because she knows my name, where I live and what kind of yeast infection treatment I use, she thinks it gives her the right to call me \u201c<strong>Pani Aneczka<\/strong>\u201d???<\/p>\n<p>And \u201c<strong>lekarstewka<\/strong>\u201d??? Isn\u2019t it a bit of an overkill? But unfortunately, this is what happens in Polish.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>lekarstwo<\/strong> (<em>neuter, plural:<\/em> <strong>lekarstwa<\/strong>) \u2013 medicine<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The pharmacist used \u201c<strong>lekarstewka<\/strong>\u201d \u2013 plural of \u201c<strong>lekarstewko<\/strong>\u201d, which would be what exactly, huh? Itsy bitsy medicine?<\/p>\n<p>This use of diminutives in every day conversations is so widespread, that I don\u2019t even remember the last time I was offered something other than \u201c<strong>herbatka<\/strong>\u201d (tea, diminutive) or \u201c<strong>kawka<\/strong>\u201d (\u201c<strong>kawunia<\/strong>\u201d or &#8220;<strong>kawusia<\/strong>&#8221; in some cases, either way, it\u2019s coffee, diminutive) to accompany a \u201c<strong>ciasteczko<\/strong>\u201d (cake, diminutive) or a \u201c<strong>kawa\u0142eczek placuszka z jab\u0142uszkami<\/strong>\u201d (piece of apple pie\/cake, diminutive).<\/p>\n<p>You know you are fully fluent in Polish when you stop getting confused if I asked at the store whether you prefer \u201c<strong>szyneczka<\/strong>\u201d (ham, diminutive) or \u201c<strong>pol\u0119dwiczka<\/strong>\u201d (different kind of ham, diminutive). And then make your own \u201c<strong>kanapeczki z pomidorkiem i og\u00f3reczkiem<\/strong>\u201d (sandwiches with tomato and cucumber, diminutive) with &#8220;<strong>plastereczki<\/strong>&#8221; (slices, diminutive) of either your \u201c<strong>szyneczka<\/strong>\u201d or \u201c<strong>pol\u0119dwiczka<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n<p>Though wait a sec here.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>Kanapka<\/strong>\u201d is one of those goofy nouns. It\u2019s a diminutive already \u2013 of \u201c<strong>kanapa<\/strong>\u201d which means \u201csofa.\u201d But \u201c<strong>kanapka<\/strong>\u201d is a sandwich. And \u201c<strong>kanapeczka<\/strong>\u201d (sandwich, diminutive) is what you may offer your unexpected guests for a quick lunch. And oh yeah, \u201c<strong>kanapeczka<\/strong>\u201d doesn\u2019t have to be small. One of my friends makes \u201c<strong>kanapeczki<\/strong>\u201d (plural of diminutive sandwiches) the size of wagon wheels.<\/p>\n<p>And now, if you excuse me, because this is <strong>tydzie\u0144 wielkanocny<\/strong> (Easter week), I have been tasked with preparing a traditional Polish Easter in this far-away exotic land that I am currently visiting. So, I need to go out and buy \u201c<strong>jajeczka<\/strong>\u201d (eggs, diminutive) to make \u201c<strong>pisaneczki<\/strong>\u201d (painted eggs, diminutive) and sort out a nice \u201c<strong>koszyczek<\/strong>\u201d (basket, diminutive) for \u201c<strong>\u015bwi\u0119coneczka<\/strong>\u201d (diminutive of \u201c<strong>\u015bwi\u0119conka<\/strong>\u201c which is an assortment of food put in a basket and taken to church to be blessed on Great\/Holy Saturday.)<\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s no church here to take my \u201c<strong>\u015bwi\u0119conka<\/strong>\u201c to, but I guess it&#8217;s the thought that counts, right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Weso\u0142ych \u015awi\u0105t Wielkiej Nocy<\/strong>!!! &#8211; Happy Easter!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I think I should add a brief explanation regarding my previous post on diminutive proper names. I am fully aware that if you really want to you can create zdrobnienia of just about any name out there, including Agnieszka, for example. The difference between some names and others is this: while very few perfect strangers&hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"post-item__readmore\"><a class=\"btn btn--md\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/polish-diminutives-one-more-time\/\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,13],"tags":[7375,3167,110,7546,7617],"class_list":["post-522","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-culture","category-vocabulary","tag-diminutives","tag-easter","tag-nouns","tag-proper-names","tag-wielkanoc"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/522\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/polish\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}