Important Facts of Polish Language
Polish is a language that is written in Latin script and belongs to the West Slavic language branch of the Indo-European language family. This is the primary language of Poland. The Polish diaspora around the globe speaks this language. There are up to 50 million speakers of this language. This language is 6th among the most spoken languages of the European Union.
Polish is an ancient language traced back to proto-Slovak with Czech, skoval, and other languages that share similar roots. They used to speak this language around 500 AD. The ancient language, when merged with modern Polish, had a vibrant and happening history. A lot of students and scholars opt for the language as a subject of study and fondly explore the historical background of the language with the help of Polish translation services.
The language has evolved through these phases:
- Contemporary Polish
This was the time during the 1700s.
- Old polish
The 10th to 16th century was the time of old Polish.
- Middle Polish
The 16th to 18th century were the times when middle Polish got developed
- Modern Polish
From the 20th century onwards, the Polish language has achieved new heights of popularity and fusion.
Here are a few interesting facts about the Polish language.
Latin Script
It is interesting to note that this language was not written in the Latin alphabet since the very start. The Polish had ties with the Cyrillic language before Latin. This was adopted by the Byzantine missionaries during the 10th century. These linguistic features helped with the letter “ł” with a unique and distinct sound.
Reshaping of Language Identity
The Polish language has enjoyed a reputation as a distinct language since the very start. It was during the Piast dynasty during the 10th-13th century that it started to get influenced by the neighboring languages, such as German and Latin which helped the Polish language to reshape its identity.
Renaissance Times
It was during the Jagiellonian Renaissance that the Polish language entered the golden age. This was around 14th to 16th centuries. These times saw Polish literature flourish and Jan Kochanowski ‘s poetry contributed to the Polish literature immensely. The lyrical poetry enriched the language and also reshaped the cultural importance of the language.
Influence of Fellow Languages
It is imperative to note that the Polish language is a lot similar to the Slovak and Czech languages. However, there are many differences too, in terms of pronunciation and general grammar. The Polish language has influence of Latin and other Romance languages, including French and Italian. It also includes Germanic languages.
Partition Influence on Language
Like other countries, Poland also had to go through partitions and upheavals. It has endured three partitions during the 18th century. These partitions made them divide its territory and also threatened the language’s survival. The resilience that Polish people and Poland showed and proved during these testing times helped them earn a symbol of resistance and bravery. The external influence and captivation also led the Polish language to evolve, and words from Russia and Prussian got incorporated.
Development of Polish During World Wars
The twentieth century brought further challenges for the language and land of Poland. Nazis tried suppressing the nation, and not to mention the strongest influence that happened post-war. However, the language and people adapted to the changes and thrived, further reflecting the bravery of the Polish nation.
Impact of Modern Languages
The Polish language continues to evolve even today. It has embraced slang and being flexible in adopting English loanwords too. There are regional variations and changes in dialects. However, the grammar and vocabulary of the Polish language remain strong. It had 32 alphabets initially. However, later changes and evolution made nine more additions. These were from the 26 traditional letters of the Latin alphabet. There are 23 consonants with 9 general vowels and two nasal vowels.
It is also worth mentioning that Polish is a fusional language and it comprises seven grammatical cases. Keeping track of all these details can help with Polish translation services.
Language With Penultimate Stress
Polish is among the few languages that possess a continuous penultimate stress. According to this, a particular considerable amount of emphasis is given to a certain syllable in terms of phonology and pronunciation. This is an important piece of information and demands special attention. Therefore, only a professional language translation company is the right choice for accurate translation.
Dialects of Polish
When it comes to the dialects of the Polish language, they consider 5 main dialects.
- Greater Polish is the one that they speak in the West.
- Lesser Polish indicates the dialects that Polish people speak in the southeast and south.
- Masovian dialect is a dialect that they speak throughout the country, particularly in central and eastern parts.
- Silesian is a dialect of the southwest parts.
- As for Kashubian, they speak in Pomerania, which is in the west of the Baltic Sea. Many people consider it as fifth Polish dialect, and several others consider it a distinct language. However, this may vary with the criteria. All these varieties and distinct features of the dialects demand accurate translation services from a competent language translation company that should have relative native speakers of respective areas to avoid inaccuracies and errors in the language translation.
Longest Word
The longest word in the Polish language is Konstantynopolitanczykowie.
Conclusion
The Polish language comes with an extensive historical background. The language has survived through thick and thin and has come a long way. A few interesting facts include its Latin script, five dialects, Renaissance times, and influence of other fellow languages.
