History UsefulNotes / Poland

* Iga Świątek, tennis star, who (as of October 2023) has been the women's world No. 1 for more than 70 weeks, and winner of four Grand Slam events so far. The first Pole to be either world No. 1 or the winner of a Grand Slam singles event.[[note]]Not counting Caroline Wozniacki, a now-unretired No. 1 who won the 2018 Australian Open, who's 100% ethnically Polish but represented Denmark, where she was born and raised.[[/note]]

*** Keeping it donut-centric, if you are to visit Poland in January or early February, always check when Fat Thursday happens to be that specific year. It's both traditionally and unofficially a national pączek day, and pączek is amost-but-not-quite the same as donut.

* In RealLife, people named [[Literature/SienkiewiczTrilogy Sienkiewicz]] or [[Literature/PanTadeusz Mickiewicz]] tend to meet with some [[MrSmith disbelief]] when introducing themselves, since these are both household names, but both are still used, because RealityIsUnrealistic.

By the way, ż and rz are pronounced the same way, except when "rz" is just "arr"-"zedd"[[labelnote:Specifically]]Most cases of "rz" being two phonemes and not a digraph are names of villages (and also Tarzan). A common word that falls into this trap is the verb ''marznąć'' (to [be affected by] freeze), as well as words related to it, such as ''zmarzlina'' (permafrost).[[/labelnote]]. And ó the same as u, and h same as ch. They, however, make a difference in how the word is inflected. Historically, h and ch were pronounced slightly different, and ł sounded like "dark-l" - the English "belt" and Polish "bełt", meaning "crossbow bolt" were pronounced all but identically. Nowadays this kind of pronunciation can be heard only in old pre-WWII made movies and some Eastern dialects.

By the way, ż and rz are pronounced the same way, except when "rz" is just "arr"-"zedd". And ó the same as u, and h same as ch. They, however, make a difference in how the word is inflected. Historically, h and ch were pronounced slightly different, and ł sounded like "dark-l" - the English "belt" and Polish "bełt", meaning "crossbow bolt" were pronounced all but identically. Nowadays this kind of pronunciation can be heard only in old pre-WWII made movies and some Eastern dialects.

In short, Polish language runs on ForTheEvulz. On the other hand however, Polish spelling is quite simple (almost phonetic) as compared to English (or traditional Chinese). Notably, the stress in Polish is consistent - always on the penultimate (second to last) syllable, or antepenultimate (third to last) for: first and second-person plural verb conjugations, and any words ending in -tyka. You can always tell exactly how a Polish word is pronounced based on how it's written, though, due to some redundancies among the characters, not necessarily the other way around.

It is worth to note Polish native speakers have considerably easier time learning ''pronunciation'' of other languages, as long as they aren't tonal. This comes from all the vowels and consonant that exists in Polish (thus leaving very few sounds that are tough to make for Poles), along with the fact Polish alphabet allows to create home-made transcription and transliteration with ease, further helping with learning. On the flip-side, foreign grammar tends to be a nightmare for Polish users and the more structurised the sentence patterns are, the harder it gets. Polish itself allows to re-shuffle order of words in sentence in almost any configuration (and without [[StrangeSyntaxSpeaker sounding like Master Yoda]]) thanks to conjugation of all parts of speech [[note]]The only cases when you really need to keep general order of things are compound complex sentences[[/note]]. When facing a language that lacks that feature and relying on strict sentence patterns instead, Poles draw a blank and[=/=]or make distinctive mistakes.

** ''Chodzi jak wilk w klatce'' ("[He] paces like a caged wolf") - to be very anxious; to behave in a clearly irritated way, barely controlling your own temper; to literally pace around in nervous manner. It comes from the behaviour of a wild predator, caught and now nervously trying to find a way out of a cage and gnarling at anything at the slightest provocation.

A culture of dissent started growing in Poland, helped along by youth movements fascinated by the West taking root, the emigre circles, and the Radio Free Europe. (Many Poles who lived at the time have memories of hunching over the radio in the secrecy of their homes, trying to make out the words [[CantStopTheSignal through the white noise of the ubiquitous signal jammers]].) Some of it ironically found expression in the National Film School in Łódź, which received Soviet support but gave rise to the Polish New Wave which included rebels, future Solidarity activists and defectors (the likes of Andrzej Wajda, Andrzej Munk, Jerzy Skolimowski and Creator/RomanPolanski). By TheSeventies, various labour protests reached an organizational stage and a trade union movement known as Solidarity took form. This originated in the Gdansk shipyards and was led by Lech Walesa, an electrician by training. Solidarity aimed to be an independent trade union unconnected to the Communist party, which was seen as a violation of communist doctrine, a challenge to its authority and, by the west, as a symbolic [[CondemnedByHistory discrediting of the ideals]] of Communism, since Solidarity can't be equated with fascist/trotskyist/fifth columnist traitors. This movement got the support of [[MisfitMobilizationMoment the middle-classes, the intelligentsia, dissident communists, right-wingers and the Catholic Church]] and it led to a series of non-violent protests, civil disobedience campaigns and most ironically and fittingly of all, a worker's strike over the firing of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Walentynowicz Anna Walentynowicz]] at the [[MeaningfulName Lenin Shipyard]]. In response, Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski, who was also General of the Army, declared Martial Law in 1981 and made Poland into a military dictatorship for the next two years. (Fun fact: the junta called itself one bad name after another, which just happened to sound like the word for crow or, ahem, the male organ. You can imagine the jokes.) Jaruzelski would later claim that he declared Martial Law to prevent intervention by the Soviet Union, a point disputed by many former dissidents, but also supported by some of Jaruzelski's former enemies such as Adam Michnik.\\

* ''Cicha woda brzegi rwie'' ("The quiet water [flow] tears at the [river] banks") - somebody looks unassuming, but is anything but, often with a big hint of SeeminglyWholesomeFiftiesGirl. Sometimes may be also used in a meaning similar to "slow and steady wins the race".

Where the Brits would make jokes about the stupid Irish, Americans used to make jokes about stupid Poles (Polacks, if you're being ''really'' offensive), but this seems to have died off sometime in TheSeventies, or transferred over to the Brits, since many migrants go to the UK nowadays.

** The reason for that reputation might be that unlike Britons and their [[UsefulNotes/BritishPubs casual pub culture]], Poles prefer to drink in binges. Sadly, while there's a growing tendency to drink casually, quantity still seems more important than quality, with most drinkers judging the beverage's value by the alcohol percentage. There is also a historical context - soon after introduction of potato, a way to make very cheap vodka out of it was developed. By mid-19th century Poles gained a reputation of notorious drunkards and alcoholism remained an extremely serious problem until late TheSeventies, while drinking at work was normal and socially accepted until the fall of communism. In fact, thanks to the ever-increasing shortages and rationing of pretty much everything under the communist government, high-proof alcohol was one of the few things that one could easily buy - until it also became rationed. Not out of shortages, mind you, but to fight off the ever-increasing alcoholism. So the fact current alcohol consumption is so unremarkable is a ''good'' thing, while the boastful nature about drinking habits is mostly tied to a not that distant past, [[RealityIsUnrealistic ignoring the more current consumption]].

Poland's entry into UsefulNotes/TheEuropeanUnion had led to a large movement of Poles to the UK and caused a Polish plumber scare in France. Poland, along with UsefulNotes/{{Ukraine}}, hosted Euro football championships in 2012. The games' overwhelmingly positive reception came off as a shock to many Poles, who by then were used to thinking of their country as one big international humiliation.

* '''Area:''' 312,696 km
(120,733 sq mi) (69th)

[[AC:Government]]
* Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic
** President: Andrzej Duda
** Prime Minister: Mateusz Morawiecki
----

Oh, and by the way. Some languages use the plural "you" as the formal pronoun, but Polish doesn't (anymore). Saying "wy" to a single person will make you sound like a FishOutOfTemporalWater (whether it's a [[Literature/SienkiewiczTrilogy Sienkiewicz character]] or a pre-'89 communist hardliner will depend largely on context). Conversely, to refer formally to a group, you say "panowie"/"panie" (for a same-sex group) or "państwo" (for mixed). Impersonal things like instructions just avoid pronouns altogether, using passive voice. You do need to mind masculine/feminine first person forms, though, or you'll sound funny (although if it's obvious you don't really speak the language, people will either repress their giggles or find it cute).

By law, you are not allowed to name your kid a common noun or [[LocationThemeNaming locations of any kind]] (so it will break suspension of disbelief in fiction), although there are traditional exceptions: Róża (''Rose''), Kalina (''guelder rose'', even if the first and usually only person an average Pole will think of in association with this name is actress Kalina Jędrusik, the [[OxymoronicBeing sexbomb of PRL]]), Nadzieja (''Hope''). Jagoda (''blueberry'') and Malina (''raspberry'') sound like common nouns, but are actually forms of Jadwiga and Magdalena, respectively. In general, Polish law does its best to prevent UnfortunateNames, not that it stops some people. On the flip side, it requires the parents to strictly abide to rules of Polish language, even if they are first-generation immigrants, requiring often bizarre Polonised forms of established names, creating all sorts of problems both internally ''and'' abroad. Then there are [[UsefulNotes/{{Romani}} traditional Romani names]], which weren't even legally ''recognised as names'' until 1991 and are still stigmatised against[[note]]Modern ones meanwhile fall under standard regulations against foreign, unfortunate and ungrammatical names, as they are the Polish equivalent of a GhettoName[[/note]]. You can query the Rada Języka Polskiego about whether a name is acceptable and some of [[https://rjp.pan.pl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&id=76&Itemid=209 the propositions]]... wow.

* Robert Kubica, racing driver. Currently the first, and only, Pole to race in UsefulNotes/FormulaOne and win a Grand Prix race (Canada 2008). As of 2023, he has participated in multiple racing series, becoming champion in [=WRC-2=] (2013), and in the European and World Endurance Championships under the [=LMP2=] class (2021 and 2023, respectively.) Recognized as as modern-day HandicappedBadass for having continued his racing career after suffering serious injuries in his right arm from a rally car crash in 2011.

* '''Area:''' 312,696 km
(120,733 sq mi) (69th)

* Robert Kubica, racing driver. Currently the first, and only, Pole to race in UsefulNotes/FormulaOne and win a Grand Prix race (Canada 2008). As of 2021, current Test and Reserve Driver for Alfa Romeo Racing, while also participating in other sports car races. Also a HandicappedBadass for continuing his racing career after having suffered serious injuries in his right arm from a rally car crash in 2011.

* ''Koń by się uśmiał'' ("a horse would have a laugh") - so laughable, pathetic, stupid, or ridiculous that even a horse would break out into laughter when exposed to it. Usually uttered as a standalone comment or a sentence along the lines of "it's so [whatever], that [a horse...]". This can also be used as a jab toward lame humour and joke, where ''only'' the horse would "laugh" by the way of neighing.

* ''Koń by się uśmiał'' ("a horse would have a laugh") - so laughable, pathetic, stupid, or ridiculous that even a horse would break out into laughter when exposed to it. Usually uttered as a standalone comment or a sentence along the lines of "it's so [whatever], that [a horse...]".

* ''Końskie pieszczoty'' ("Equine caress") - a very rough form of showing affection, bordering on using violence. Can be both used to describe InterplayOfSexAndViolence ''and'', more commonly, when someone outright harms their partner in a misguided attempt to show their affection. If you ever saw [[ShapedLikeItself horses necking each other]], you should get the picture. In modern times, it often blurs with the popular misconception about UsefulNotes/{{BDSM}}.
** ''Końskie zaloty'' ("Equine advances") - replace caress with advances and you get the kind of very forward action that's somewhere between molestation in all but name, and just plain molestation. The kind of attention that the resident shy wallflower receives from a school bully and is told by the {{apathetic teacher}}s to "just not respond to".

* ''Koń by się uśmiał'' ("A horse would laugh") - something definitely not funny, but also absurd, nonsensical. This saying is ironic (and can even be rude in the right context) in nature, the sort of snide remark you make after someone says a really bad joke or pull an ill-fitted prank.

Be aware that many of them might overlap with those from different languages - due to either shared language roots, or cross-cultural influences. And keep in mind that whatever nonsense [[Creator/KathleenTurner detective V.I. Warshawski]] (or ''Series/{{Banacek}}'') was spouting, it wasn't Polish proverbs:

* ''Pokorne cielę dwie matki ssie'' ("A humble calf sucks two mothers") - another undidactic saying about keeping your head low: it's more profitable to stay quiet and profit from keeping a low profile, thus avoiding any suspicion, rather than speak up or stand for yourself or report something wrong. (Compare the Russian saying "the quieter you ride, the farther you will go".) Modern meaning seems to devolve more into "a smart guy seize multiple chances to profit", which is ''not'' the intended meaning.