Polish slang!
September 8, 2001 8:50 AM   Subscribe

Polish slang! Having just moved to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the heart of Polish New York City, I've been digging for Polish links. English-Polish computing dictionary. Useful Polish phrases, with audio. Simple Polish lessons and email list. Polish spelling dictionary. Warsaw Voice English-language newspaper. Warsaw Business Journal, in English. Warsaw Insider, a city guide. Portal for Wroclaw, capital of Lower Silesia. Kracow Academic Radio. Radio KRAJ from Brisbane. Polish Reader's Digest. Finally, The Official Site of His Serene Highness Dennis Fürst Blücher von Wahlstatt.
posted by Mo Nickels (14 comments total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
nice stuff nickels. im gonna try the detriot area for polish sites(there should be alot) good day for stuff to search. Step father is polish-american (3rd generation) and has tonne of cool slang but he is in London now.
posted by clavdivs at 9:05 AM on September 8, 2001


I have very nice memories of visiting friends who live in Greenpoint. It was an eye opener for someone from the midwest to walk down the street on a nice spring night and hear nothing but polish being spoken by every one on the street.
posted by chrismc at 9:29 AM on September 8, 2001


I thought Spanish was the language Polish people speak. Don't they? If not, what do they speak?
posted by Postroad at 9:46 AM on September 8, 2001


Hey Mo,

I just moved out of greenpoint! don't tell me you moved into an old one bedroom on Eagle street?!?!?
Greenpoint is fun, but its starting to get alot of spill over from williamsburg. The slang should come in handy, there are several shops which speak NO english. good luck.

dp
posted by darkpony at 10:27 AM on September 8, 2001


postroad: they speak Polish :-)
posted by jzed at 10:53 AM on September 8, 2001


my favorite-"who many polish free-flyers does it take to shoot down a Messerschmidt?. Just One."
posted by clavdivs at 11:00 AM on September 8, 2001


If you want to date Polish women, it's a good idea to learn a little of the language. The line "You have a nice dupa" works wonderfully, btw.
posted by xowie at 11:57 AM on September 8, 2001


No, a two-bedroom share on Eckford Street. I *am* part of the spillover from Williamsburg. Or, actually, if you want to be pedantic, and I do, I am part of the spillover from the neighborhoods properly called Northside and Southside (not Northside and Southside of anything in particular, mind, certainly not the north or south side of Williamsburg). Williamsburg begins *below* the Williamsburg Bridge and Broadway, no matter what people say. Check your Hagstrom's. East Williamsburg (its own neighborhood, not a part of Williamsburg) is partly above Broadway, but centered around the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. All those dipshits looking for borrowed cool claiming to live in Williamsburg but who actually live in Greenpoint, Northside or Southside are no better than those who tell you they're from New York City though they live in New Jersey. We're all still Bridge and Tunnel people, people, so deal with it.

Hey, Xowie, it's the hole, not the person.

What's interesting is that I'm actually a little more threatened by the packs of Polish boys than I am threatened by, say, packs of Puerto Rican boys in my old neighborhood. At least with the Puerto Rican kids, I can tell if they're making sideways comments about me because I understand the gist of what they're saying, and I can respond in kind. But the Polish language is impenetrable, so far, and the Polish boys tend to [flag as generalization] appear more sullen. Lots of cloudy faces that say, Don't come near me, bydlak.

But, oh, those Polish girls...
posted by Mo Nickels at 12:44 PM on September 8, 2001


Pictures from Brooklyn.


posted by Mo Nickels at 12:51 PM on September 8, 2001




Polish weblogs - Prawda

Eh, those Polish boys aren't that intimidating. Split a bottle of vodka with them, and you'll be instant friends.

I immigrated to Canada from Poland at a young age(5), and I think that one of the key things that has helped my maintain some grasp of the language and culture to this day is the fact that the Polish population is so large here. Polish is the fifth most common language in Toronto (96 Census - though I'm sure the number is considerably larger now.) Hell, about a third of my high school was in someway Polish. The other third was Italian. I guess maybe that's why, for me, mobs of Italian boys intimidate me more than mobs of Polish guys.
posted by mkn at 3:43 PM on September 8, 2001


I immigrated to the States in '91, at the age of 12. Lived in Sunset Park for a while, but visited Greenpoint on regular basis. I never knew there would be so many Polish people in NYC, or the US in general.

Mo Nickels: Nice set of links. Allow me to add mine:

RFE/RL Newsline-Insightful articles on the reagion
Polish News- in both Polish and English
Foundation For Free Speech- The web page is rather skimpy, but their mailing list, SIEC, is very active and informative. The list is also a good source of information about Polish-themed events: everything from happy hours to black tie embassy events.
Polish happy hour- For Washington, DC, NYC, and Chicago. Never been to one of these.
posted by Witold at 5:18 PM on September 8, 2001


Aktivist - where to go tonight.

Multikino - what's at the movies. (Ratunku, jestem rybk¹!)

Gazeta Wyborcza i Rzeczpospolita - the news.

Polityka i Wprost - smart reading.
posted by pracowity at 5:32 AM on September 9, 2001


Let's see...

Po Godzinach - Literally 'After Hours' - what to do after hours (that was revealing...)

Filmweb - the best movie guide in Poland.

Mocny Web - the best polish websites, sort of a 'cool site of the day' for Poland.

I dunno, I'm not really a big fan of the Polish internet (although mkn did link me up there, i run prawda but if you have any 'polish questions', (that sounds queer) or want to learn something about poland or anything, lemme know.

I gotta say, I'm not too fond of Poles abroad (Polonia), especially those who live in cultural conclaves like Jackowo (in Chicago) or Greenpoint. But that's a whole other subject.
posted by jedrek at 3:38 AM on September 10, 2001


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