Posts written by Katarzyna

What’s in a Name?

Posted by Katarzyna 10 Comments
Sep 23 2010

There are many things we are born with that we don’t have a choice in. We can’t select if we’re going to be a male or female, short or tall, blond or brunette (well, this one many do change in every color in the spectrum, but whatever). Another thing we are given at birth is our name. Now, as a parent, I know I struggled with finding names for my children. You want something that won’t embarrass them, something that sounds good with the surname and, often times, it has to have some sort of meaning. My Polish name is Katarzyna, but my given name here, being born in the US, is Catherine. I am named after my paternal grandmother, and my middle name is Anna, after my mother. Now, given that Catherine can be spelled with a K as well, I asked my mother, why spell it with a C? I thought it would be something profound, something with so much meaning I might be overwhelmed. Her answer – I just wanted something different than the Polish. All right then.

There may not be significance in picking a C, but there is the family value of my name being passed down to me. Now Katarzyna is taken from the Greek as well, and its meaning is Pure. So this got me thinking. There are SEVERAL truly Polish names and it got me wondering, what’s behind the name?

I began my name research with my family. Since my parents names were of German and Hebrew origin, I decided to go into my uncles, aunts and cousins names to start finding some Slavic-origin names and break them down for their meanings. So, a name common to both sides of my family, and I would argue most Polish people know or have an uncle named so, is Stanisław. Or the short form is Staś. Well, this name translates into one that stands or achieves fame or glory. Translated into English, Stanisław is Stanley.

There are a lot of Polish names that end with -sław. Add an -a ending on some of them, and they are the feminine form. Here are some examples and their meanings:

  • Władysława – possessor of the fame (or glory)
  • Czesław – honor and fame (or glory)
  • Bronisław – protect of the fame (or glory) (name of current Polish President, Bronisław Komorowski)
  • Borzysław – fighter for the fame (or glory)
  • Mirosław – one who achieves fame (or glory) through peace
  • Radosław – one who is happy to have fame (or glory)

There are several more I am certain, and if you know them and their meaning, please add to the post via the comments below. You may help someone decide on a Polish name for their future son or daughter.

There are Polish names that derive from the root word that refers to God. These include Bożena (female name), Bogusław (male name that means God’s glory) as well as Bogdan (male name meaning God given). And then there are the Polish names that derive from the root for love mił-. The most popular of these names are Miłosz, a male name meaning love, and Milena, the female form.

In light of these good roots, there are also names that are rooted around destruction. For example, take the name Kazimierz. This name literally translates to one that “destroys prestige”.  Then there is also Mścisław, which roots its meaning in vengeance and fame (or glory).

And them there are a few that make me smile. For example, take the name Jarosław. We know the -sław ending means fame or glory. The Jar root means fire or blaze. So the name Jarosław literally means “blaze of glory”. How can you not smile at that? Or the name Zbygniew. It means to get rid of anger. But saying the name, you would think that it would command something angry instead of dispelling it.

Needless to say, there are many Polish names to choose from. It all depends on what you want out of your name.  And those these are Slavic-rooted names, there are many Polish derivatives for names rooted in other languages. All you need to do is your name research.

Hope this has been helpful. Again, if you have more names I have mentioned and their meaning, please list them in the comments. You never know who might be using them.

Do następnego czytania…

Kalendarz – From Days to a Year

Posted by Katarzyna No Comments
Sep 20 2010

Well I had a great post for you all on Friday. Minor hitch – my special characters are not coming through. So after a few times of copying and pasting with the same issue coming up, I scrapped it and decided to finish another one I had (I’ll post the other one when I get it fixed). And I have to thank a reader for inspiring me, because this one is written as an answer to their question. So to the one who requested, thank you for the request and hopefully I answer you well.

Poniedziałki. Mondays. It doesn’t matter where you live or what language you speak, the days can just be awful. You enjoy a weekend, rest and relax and then the dreaded day comes to start the work week over again. Well, I thought I might ease us into the week, this week, with a post on days, times of day and everything related. I am also going to swing you to a previous post, Adverbs of Time. It too will be very helpful in helping you speak to the topic.

So, very quickly, let’s roll through the dni tygodnia (days of the week):

  • Niedziela – Sunday
  • Poniedziałek – Monday
  • Wtorek – Tuesday
  • Środa - Wednesday
  • Czwartek – Thursday
  • Piątek – Friday
  • Sobota – Saturday

One thing my six year old picked up quickly was Wednesday. He recently learned the word for middle in Polish, which is środek. When we were going through the days of the week and he heard środa, he asked me if Wednesday and middle were the same word in Polish. I said not quite, but Wednesday is the middle day of the week, this it’s called Środa in Polish. If you ask him what day wtorek or czwartek are, he sometimes gets it right. Środa, however, is one he always knows. I am hoping that helps one of our novice learners out there.

Moving on, there are different parts of the dzień (day) too. Most of us wake and the day begins with rano (morning). Then the zegar (clock) chimes 12 and we have południe (noon). Minutes after that, we have popołudnie (afternoon). We busy ourselves and get food together to enjoy our dinner in the wieczór (evening). And now that the days are getting shorter, noc (night) is creeping in sooner and sooner codzienny (everyday). Finally, if you’re a nocny marek (night owl) like me, you probably catch the clock striking 12 a second time, marking północ (midnight).

Dzisiaj (today), we have covered dni (days) and how seven together form a tydzień (week). Weeks turn into miesiące (months), and after twelve months, we rack a a rok (year). One more list I want to give you is each miesiąc (month) in Polish. I am hoping it is helpful, and really helps in reviewing the kalendarz (calendar) overall.

  • Styczeń – January
  • Luty – February
  • Marzec – March
  • Kwiecień – April
  • Maj – May
  • Czerwiec – June
  • Lipiec – July
  • Sierpień – Aigust
  • Wrzesień – September
  • Październik – October
  • Listopad – November
  • Grudzień – December

Okay, I think I have covered everything that I promised. This topic is an easier one and it really isn’t too much vocabulary overload. And it is definitely useful info you can use in your day to day. I shared a quick learning lesson that I shared with my son. If there are ways that you remember days or months that are helpful to you, please share in our comments. It might be helpful to someone else too!

And it has been so long since I have shared some of my beloved disco polo favorites with you. So wait no more, dear readers, wait no more. The song is a learning tool – the refrain talks about several words we covered – dzien, noc, jutro (uses declined version jutra in the song). The band, a favorite of mine, is zespól Top One and the song is Bliska Moim Myślom. Listen and love it.

YouTube Preview Image

Do następnego czytania…

Poles in Space – Polacy w kosmosie

Posted by Katarzyna 5 Comments
Sep 14 2010

Space: It’s been called the final frontier. I am not going to tell you stories of the voyages of the Starship, Enterprise. No, I am going to tell you of a seven day mission, one that was set aboard the Soyuz 30 ship commanded by Russian cosmonaut, Colonel Pyotr Klimuk, and carried out experiments at the Salyut 6 research station. The voyage boldly went where no Pole had gone before.

Yes, believe it or not, one of our countrymen has been in space. He’s the only one, and that makes him all the more noteworthy. And tomorrow’s his birthday. So, today we’re going to celebrate the first and only Pole in space: Mirosław Hermaszewski.

Hermaszewski Credit: www.spacefacts.de

Hermaszewski Credit: www.spacefacts.de

Here are some quick early biographical facts on Mirosław Hermaszewski:

  • Born on September 15, 1941 in the village of Lipniki to a peasant family
  • Father died in 1944 during the Second World War
  • In 1961, he graduated from middle school and entered Aviation High School in Demblin
  • Graduated in 1965 and then served with the Polish Air Force
  • In 1971, graduated from the Karol Sverchevski Military Academy

Mirek, short form or nickname for Mirosław, obviously did not have the easiest of childhoods. He was pre-school age when he lost his father during the war. And this is not atypical. My own grandfather passed during the war, leaving my father (only seven at the time), my uncle and my five aunts. I know of several families in the same situation. Post-war Poland in a peasant family most likely meant that Mirek probably did a lot of chores to help his family out, on top of going to school. Despite these tragic circumstances, he applied himself well at school and graduated from a military academy.

It was in 1976 that his space carreer began, being accepted into the Soviet cosmonaut unit. Another Pole, Zenon Jankowski and Mirek were part of the 1976 Intercosmos Group # 1. There, they prepared for space under the Intercosmos program for co-operation with socialist countries.

Soyuz 30 Klimuk and Hermaszewski before launch Credit: RKK Energia

Soyuz 30 Klimuk and Hermaszewski before launch Credit: RKK Energia

His big break came in 1978. He was selected to be a part of the Soyuz-30 mission, commanded by Russian cosmonaut Pyotr Illyich Klimuk. They embarked on their space flight on June 27, 1978. They were in space for 7 days 22 hours 2 minutes and 59 seconds, returning to earth on July 5, 1978. While in space, Mirek, whose call sign was Kavkas-2, performed research experiments onboard the orbital complex Salyut-6 – Soyuz -29 – Soyuz -30. They worked alongside cosmonauts Vladimir Vasyllyevich Kovalenok and Aleksandr Sergeyevich Ivanchenkov.

Some additional biographical facts on Cosmonaut Hermaszewski:

  • After his space mission, continued service in the Polish Air Force
  • 1981 – 1982, member of Poland’s Military Council for National Salvation
  • 1982 graduated from the Voroshilov Military Academy in Moscow
  • 1982 – 1985 served as the Chief of the Shkola Orlyat High Aviation School
  • 1985 – 1989 served in the Defence Office of Poland
  • Cosmonaut Hermaszewski is currently listed as inactive and is enjoying retirement
  • Was awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Order of Lenin and the Poland Order of Krest Grunvald

You can visit his official web page: http://www.hermaszewski.com/

And if you have always had aspiration to go to space or have a little one who dreams of being an astronauta, here are some Polish space terms to launch your vocabulary:

statek kosmiczny – spacecraft
prom kosmiczny – space shuttle
ładownia – cargo bay
pomost kontroli lotu – flight deck
pomieszczenia dla załogi – living quarters
załoga – crew
rakieta – rocket
wahadłowiec – space shuttle
wyrzutnia – launchpad
stacja kosmiczna – space station
sonda kosmiczna – space probe
astronauta – astronaut
skafander kosmiczny – space suit

You can also get more space vocabulary in my primer on spacial bodies, Starry-eyed Surprise.

Hope you enjoyed reading my short biographical tribute to the first and only Pole in space. Wishing Mirosław Hermaszewski congratulations on his space success and wishing him a very happy birthday – Sto Lat Mirek!

Do następnego czytania…

Citations:
Mirosław Hermaszewski. (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1497686/Miroslaw-Hermaszewski

Mirosław Hermaszewski. (2010). In Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved September 14, 2010, from Encyclopedia Astronautica: http://www.astronautix.com/astros/herewski.htm

Proverbially Polish: Przysłowie

Posted by Katarzyna 2 Comments
Sep 9 2010

When learning any language, it’s often common sayings that stick in your mind. I remember one of the first English sayings I learned in kindergarten was, “Don’t put the cart before the horse.” In Polish, this would translate to, “Nie kładź wóz przed koniem.” Yes, I was an impatient child. But this impatience prompted my teacher to use that phrase and it has stuck with me since. These sayings, proverbs,  truly helped me learn English.

Przysłowia also helped me learn the Polish language. Tyle wiedzą ile zjedzą.  Tatuś would always say this when watching the evening news weather forecast. Whether the weather forecast was good or bad, Tatuś would turn his head and shrug, saying “They know as much as they can eat.” It always struck me as a funny saying when I was a little kid, after all, how did he know how much the meteorologist could eat? Maybe it was a lot.

Another przysłowie I heard A LOT when I was a kid was “Gdyby kózka nie skakała, to by nózki nie złamała.” If the goat didn’t jump, then she wouldn’t have broken her leg. I think a lot of Polish kids hear this from their parents. But kids will be kids. And after all, “Kto ma pszczoły ten ma miód, kto ma dzieci ten ma smród.” Those who have bees have honey, those who have kids have stench. Unfortunately, as the Polish saying goes, “Dzieci i ryby głosu nie mają.” Kids and fish don’t have a voice.

With so many things complicating my life,  I found myself remembering these simple phrases, these words of wisdom from my Father. And it inspired me to write down those he taught me, a few Mom threw at us as well and some more that I have heard from other Polish friends and family members. Of course, several of these are general in nature, however, others do have some mature tones to them.

I’m pretty certain many of you have heard “I need that like I need a hole in my head.” Well, the Polish take a twist on that proverb; same meaning but rather than a hole in the head it’s a whole in the bridge. “Potrzebny jak dziura w moście.” Literally, Needed like a hole in a bridge. And speaking of bridges, another Polish przyslowie we all know well is, “Nigdy nie należy palić za sobą wszystkich mostów.” It’s never necessary to burn bridges behind you, literally, or just don’t burn bridges.

Here are a few more that I can think of:

  • “Nie smakować tylko pakować.” Don’t taste, just devour. This one is all my Wujek Bogdan, and I can easily remember him saying this to me as I was enjoying a heaping bowl of my Ciocia Marysia’s bigos.
  • “Nie dla wszystkich skrzypce graja.” The violin does not play for everyone. So true.
  • “Co po trzeźwemu myśli, to po pijanemu powie.” What one thinks when sober is what one says when drunk. Enough said.
  • “Głowa pijana, dupa sprzedana.” When the head is drunk, the butt is sold. Yeah, I don’t think I need to elaborate here. And yes, my Mom seriously said this to me the day she dropped me off for my move-in to college. The woman sees boys living the floor below me and freaks out. Seriously. She should know that the strict Polish upbringing she delivered for eighteen years would keep me in line.

I think that’s all I can think of for now, BUT I know you, dear readers, have your own. So please share in the comments below! If I can think of any others, I’ll add to the comments as well.

Do następnego czytania…

Starry-eyed Surprise

Posted by Katarzyna 1 Comment
Aug 11 2010

I was listening to one of my favorite songs the other night with the boys. The song is “Starry-eyed Surprise” and it’s by Paul Oakenfold. Well, after a little dancing in their car seats, my boys wanted to lay out and look at some stars. So when we got home, we grabbed a blanket, my trusty Droid loaded with Google Sky Map and headed to the open field behind our house. Little did I know that I was about to get a Polish lesson of my own.

My oldest exclaimed right away, “Mom, I see a lot of gwiazdas.” Seeing my opportunity, I replied, “Mama, widzę dużo gwiazd.” “Yeah, right, that’s what I said.” LOL. So far, so good. I did finally get him to repeat it, and it was a lot easier breaking out vocabulary words to get him going. For example, star is gwiazda.

Unfortunately, we did not have much of a księżyc (moon) to go off of, as it was in półksiężyc (crescent) phase, and very thin at that. So I was left to find constellations. I have never been great at recognizing them, and to get the Polish name for them was really putting me to the challenge. It’s a good thing Mamusia is only a phone call away.

While I loaded Google Sky Map, I did go over the planets of the Układ Słoneczny (Solar System) with my boys. We started with the closest to the słońce (sun), the planeta (planet) Merkury (Mercury). The sky map showed us where Merkury was, however, it was too far too see with the naked eye. Next we practiced Wenus (Venus) and my oldest did well recognizing the pronunciation difference from English to Polish (Veh-noos vs Vee-nuhs). Ziemia (Earth) was a little strange for him because it is the same as ground. Mars and Saturn are spelled the same for both with just a slight pronunciation difference. Of course we know Saturn is famous for its many pierścienie (rings), and for my little Polish linguists, they made the easy relation to the same thing that Mom wears on her fingers. Jupiter is Jowisz, and Uran (Uranus), Neptun (Neptune) and Pluton (Pluto) follow after Saturn. Interestingly enough, Pluton sparked a conversation as to why it was considered a planeta when I was young but is coming into question in recent years. We never reached a conclusion.

Going over the planets seemed to get me off the hook for identifying konstelacje (constellations), or so I thought. So I went with what I knew and found Polaris or Tramontana (the North Star) and was able to identify and show them Mała Niedźwiedzica (Little Dipper or Ursa Minor). Surprisingly, I was able to identify Wielki Wóz (Big Dipper) as well. I tried to find Rak (Cancer), but would have faster found a needle in a haystack. That konstelacja does NOT look like a rak (crab)!

So, in light of our outdoor adventures, I decided to find something the boys and I could share that would continue to help them learn their Polish words. I came across a very cute animated movie, Gwiazda Kopernika (Copernicus’ Star). I ordered it from a Polish DVD site and hope to have it soon! I promise to follow-up with a nice review! Here’s the trailer to spark your interest:

YouTube Preview Image

Do następnego czytania…

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