Polish/Introduction

Flag of Poland

Polish (polszczyzna /pɔlˈʂt͡ʂɨzna/, język polski /ˈjɛ̃zɨk ˈpɔlskʲi/ or simply polski /ˈpɔlskʲi/) is a West Slavic language of the Lechitic group, which derived from the Indo-European family of languages. The most closely related are other Western Slavic languages: Czech, Slovak, Silesian, Kashubian and Sorbian. More distant are the Southern and Eastern Slavic languages like Bulgarian, Macedonian, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian and Russian, Ukrainian, Belorusian, respectively. Command of one of these languages makes learning Polish easier. However, someone who doesn't speak any Slavic language, but speaks some other Indo-European language, may still find many similarities between Polish grammar and the grammar of their language, as well as many similar words.

There are over 50 million Polish speakers around the world, including approximately 45 million native speakers and 5 million L2 speakers. Though most of them can be found in Poland, there is also an apparent Polish diaspora, most notably in the USA, French and Germany. The total number of speakers makes Polish the second most widely spoken Slavic language in the world, next to Russian.

This Wikibook is designed for anyone who wants to learn the basics of the Polish language. It is suitable for beginners and those who've been learning the language for a few years.

History

Polish began to emerge as a distinct language around the 10th century. Since Mieszko I, the historical first ruler of Poland, accepted baptism in 966, Polish language became possible to write after adopting the Latin alphabet. The 16th century is the beginning of the Middle Polish, which was establish by a prominent Polish poet, Jan Kochanowski. Since 18th century there's the Modern Polish that is spoken today. It is worth to mention that between 1500 and 1700 Polish was a lingua franca in Central and parts of Eastern Europe, because of the politicial, cultural, scientific and military influence of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Why is it worth to learn Polish?

Obviously learning a language in general is beneficial. Polish is pretty hard, but surely not the hardest out of the Slavic languages, so it may be a great gateway to learn more of them. As it is unlikely that you'll have a need to master Polish for perfection, just an interest in Polish culture and/or history may be enough to get into it. History of Poland captivates many people, while Polish culture isn't well-known outside Poland. Thus, it's often impossible to immerse in it without knowing the language.

Additionaly, your choice of Polish language may be a way to stand out. Because not many people learn this language, every learner is greatly appreciated by Poles. Polish is both familiar and exotic, because though it's a Slavic language, it was also profoundly influenced by Latin as well as Romance and Germanic languages. Curiously enough, you'll notice the impact of such languages as Yiddish, Turkish and Czech.

Advice on studying Polish

First, it is very important to focus on pronunciation. Overall, this is one of the hardest part of the Polish language, however, as you – nomen omen – polish it, reading will become very easy. In most cases the letters are pronounced in a determined way, so since you learn the alphabet, you'll be able to read almost all the words in Polish correctly. Secondly, it's important to have a reason. It doesn't neccessirely have to be a willing to transfer to Poland, but it just have to be something relevant to you. Learning a new language requires a long-term commitement and a certain amount of effort. If you cannot practice Polish everyday, try to make it regular. To make it regular, you need a reason.

Don't forget that you are learning a new skill. It's essential to understand the basics before moving on more complex structures. Also, this book cannot teach you two important skills of every language – speaking and listening. You need to use other resources to develop these abilities. Here you can find more possible references that may be helpful.

Powodzenia! (Good luck!)