Take the Challenge: Study Polish Abroad
Of all the languages you and your friends may have taken in school over the years, Polish probably isn't on the list. Sure, it's great to learn Spanish, French, Latin and even German. But if you really want to challenge yourself and your language skills, why not learn a less-common language like Polish? And why not learn Polish in Poland?
So, you're thinking "Polish?! Isn't that hard?!" Well, yeah, it is a difficult language to learn. But it's a well-known fact that once you learn one foreign language, it becomes easier to learn more and more. So why not tackle a Polish language study abroad program? You'll discover a new culture, get time away from the monotony of campus life and learn a language that'll make learning others a cake walk! And in this increasingly more globalized world, the more languages you know, the better. The much, much better.
Polish is International
The first Polish words came in the form of names for people, places and tribes in Medieval Latin documents in the ninth century. Today, there are 44 million Polish speakers worldwide, about 36.5 million of them in Poland. However, there are 2.5 million Polish-speakers in the United States, and if you've been to major cities like New York City, you've probably noticed Polish sections. Or, perhaps you:
- Picked up a kielbasa in a Polish neighborhood;
- Listened to a performance featuring the classical pianist Chopin;
- Watched the late Pope John Paul II tour the world in the Popemobile-they're all from Poland.
The reach of the Polish language doesn't stop with just two countries-it's also spoken in the Ukraine, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Belarus, Kazakhstan (yes, the home of Borat!), Lithuania, Germany, Latvia, Russia, Hungary, the UK and France. And some reasons why you'd want to join all of these speakers are:
- Poland is an international player-it's a member of NATO and the European Union
- After Russian, Polish is the most commonly spoken Slavic language
- Poland is an international force in industries like agriculture, tourism and environmental science
If you learn Polish in Poland, you'll realize the country's commercial and economical importance. Studying in another country like Poland will open your eyes to the ways foreign countries perceive your field of study, whether it's business, tourism, environmental science, music or just about anything else. In Poland, and with Polish, you've got options!
Polish in "Da House"
Learning Polish in Poland will help you catch on to one of the most difficult parts of the language-the pronunciation. There are two nasal sounds that occur with the Polish vowels "a" and "e" in order to show contrast. All of the 12 vowels in Polish are pronounced short. Other keys to learning Polish pronunciation include:
- When spoken, the stress of a word is usually placed on the second-to-last syllable
- The most common sounds in Polish are "e," "a," "o,"t," "j," "n," "m, "I" and "u"
- Unlike in English, there are no "ur," "ere," "th" or "ou" sounds in Polish, as well as no aspiration (puff of air) on "p," "t," "k" or "f."
The fact is that you can't rely on the same sounds for letters in Polish as you do when you speak English. When you study Polish and hear Poles speak English, you may be surprised when you realize they sometimes sound like they could be rappers! For example, Poles pronounce "the house" like "da house."
Apples and Oranges: Comparing Polish and English
Okay, for the purposes of this article, the Polish language is an apple and English is-you guessed it-a sweet, juicy, succulent...huh? What? Oh, sorry: an orange, English is an orange. While apples and oranges are similar because they're fruits, they're sweet and they can be made into delicious juice (and they're both round), they're pretty different other than that, offering very different tastes, methods to eat, nutrients, etc. That's kind of like the relationship between Polish and English-they have some similarities, but more differences.
Polish and English are similar in that:
- Both languages have at least three levels of word stress
- They both use the Latin alphabet, except that Polish has added "ą," "ć," "ę," "t," "ń," "ó," "ś," "ź" and "ż"
- They have both borrowed several words from each other
Before you get excited about having a few less vocabulary words to learn, you need to know that the Polish language changes the spelling of the words it borrows from other languages. For example, when you study Polish in Poland, you'll see a "hod dog" stand instead of a "hot dog" stand. You'll also order a "chessburger" instead of a "cheeseburger" at a Polish restaurant. But to be fair, the English language has changed the spelling of some of the word it's borrowed from Polish. For instance, when we took "cenzura" from Polish, we turned it into "censorship"-just like we turned "dialekt" into "dialect."
However, don't completely fall for words that look alike:
- We call Polish people "Poles," but "pole" means "field" in Poland
- The verb "do" in English is a preposition in Polish
- If you order ale in a rural Polish pub, don't expect a beer-"ale" is a conjunction in Polish
Luckily, when you study Polish abroad, you'll find many classes taught in English and many young Poles who understand you. Young Poles today tend to begin learning English as early as four-years-old! Makes you feel a little lazy, doesn't it?
But don't, because you're about to stretch yourself and attempt to learn Polish. And if you do so abroad, you'll learn the language and have opportunities to chase adventure while you're at it. So don't "schowaćgtowęw piasek," or "hide your head in the sand" - Polish isn't so hard!
Take the Challenge: Study Polish Abroad