#slavic-studies

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Classic Poland

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You know, potatoes do deserve more billboards. (Cieszyn, Poland/Český Těšín, Czechia)

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Growing up

Growing up is not having the time to be bored.

Growing up is realizing that your parents can't fix everything.

Growing up is noticing how fucked up everyone is.

Growing up is being excited to stay at home.

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I feel so blessed to live in Europe, so many historically important and beautiful places are around, not to mention the cultures and languages, and I don't have to cross an ocean to visit or hear them. I love you Europe.

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Polish alphabet with pronunciation - Polskie abecadło z wymową:

32 letters: A Ą B C Ć D E Ę F G H I J K Ł M N Ń O Ó P R S Ś T U W Y Z Ź Ż

Vowels: A, E, I, Y, O, Ó, U + 2 nasal tones:  Ą, Ę     note: Ó = U

Digraphs: CZ, SZ, RZ, DZ, DŹ, DŻ, CH

Trigraph: DZI

Unique letters found only in polish: Ł, Ś, Ź

PRONUNCIATION, polish  -  english examples (!not translations!):

A   praca - smart Ą   mąż - as in french word bon (the letter ‘‘O’‘ said through the nose) B   niebo - bike C   co - wits       CZ   czas - watch       CH   chudy - heart, or as in scottish Loch        CI    ciemno - choice (very soft) = ĆI Ć   być - choice (very soft) D   dom- danger      DZ   widz, dzwon 1. at the beginning/end                  = C - wits              nadzwyczaj  2. in the middle = D + Z      DZI  dziwak = DŹI - Jeep (soft)       DŻ   dżem, podżegać 1. at the beginning/middle - jungle                  brydż   2. at the end - chocolate, choke (harsher)      DŹ   dźwig 1. at the beginning/middle - Jeep (soft)               miedź 1. at the end = Ć - choice (soft) E   też - red Ę   imię  1. at the end = E - echo       ręka  2. in the middle - Ben (EN is nasal, said through the nose) F   film - film G   gruby - goal H   hiena - hit I    piwo - cheat J   jajko - yes K   kawa - scar, pocket L   lampa - lamp Ł   miłość - water, when M   mama - move N   rano - never Ń   koń - canyon O   oko - port, on Ó   córka - took, root   = U P   papryka - place R   ryba - as in Italian Roma (no tongue-rolling)      RZ   rzeka      1. at the beginning  = Ż                marznąć 2. in the middle  = R + Z              lekarz     3. at the end  - shock   S   syn - sing       SI   sierpień - short (very soft) = ŚI         Ś   świat - short (very soft) T   tata - stop U   lubić - root, tour, lure W  woda - vowel, victory Y   tygrys - >look below Z  zebra - zoo       mróz - at the end - same  = S    ZI   zima - J’adore (soft) = ŹI Ź   późno 1. in the middle - J’adore      weź    2. at the end - ship (very soft)   Ż   żaba  1. at the beginning, in the middle -vision (hard)       jeż      2. at the end - shock    

Letters I and Y: 

I - softens the previous consonant, except in the foreign words

Y - hardens the previous consonant Pronunciation is a bit difficult to explain because it is a special sound marked with > ‘ < apostrophe in phonetics, heard as: ‘’ugh’’ sound; r’oses - say it slowly, it’s the pause after R); myriad  

Of course there are exceptions, but this should cover the basics :)

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False Friends: czech & croatian

czech / croatian:

úžasno - great / užasno - terrible

hračka - toy / hračka - spit

hrad - castle, fortress / grad - city

palác - palace / palac - thumb

láska - love / laska - to flatter (3rd person sg.)

sad - orchard, garden / sad - now

brzo - soon, early / brzo - fast

srpen, říjen, listopad - August, October, November / srpanj, rujan, listopad - July, September, October

kněz - priest / knez - duke

kruh - circle / kruh - bread

mrak - cloud / mrak - darkness

zrak - eyesight /  zrak - air

napravo - to the right / pravo - straight ahead, law

slovo - word / slovo - letter (in alphabet)

závod - match, game, factory / zavod - institute

rok - year / rok, Rok - deadline, male name

slovenský - Slovak / slovenski - Slovene

rodina - family / rodbina - relatives

pověst - fame, reputation, rumour / povijest - history

pokoj - room / pokoj - rest, quietness (used in a phrase Pokoj mu duši when a person has passed away - may he rest in peace)

prah - threshold / prah - powder

školka - kindergarten / školjka - toilet bowl

konec - end / konac - thread, string

zabit - to kill / zabiti - to hammer down

~TINY UPDATE:~ Bradavice - Hogwarts / bradavice - nipples nápad - idea / napad - attack

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Bizarre translations

In czech version of Harry Potter, Hogwarts is translated as Bradavice, which in my native language(croatian) literally means nipples. I can't take czech HP books seriously now...