Polish: A Comprehensive Grammar

Iwona Sadowska

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2012
• ISBN:
  9781136619373
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Languages
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Polish: A Comprehensive Grammar is a complete reference guide to the grammar system for intermediate to advanced learners of Polish. It presents an accessible and systematic description of the language, focusing on real patterns of use in contemporary Polish.

The Grammar is a comprehensive work and an invaluable resource for students and anyone interested in linguistics and the way modern Polish works.

Features include:

• coverage of all parts of speech
• full cross referencing
• well selected and illuminating examples.

The book is organised in such a way to promote a thorough understanding of Polish at all levels of structure; the sound system, formation of word and phrases and sentence construction. It offers a stimulating analysis of the complexities of the language, providing clear explanations and examples of each point.

Polish: A Comprehensive Grammar is the essential reference work on Polish grammar for all learners and users of the language.

Chapter 1

Pronunciation and Spelling

1.1 Alphabet

The Polish alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet.

Aa Ąą Bb Cc Ćć Dd Ee Ęę Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj Kk Ll Łł Mm Nn Ńń Oo Óó Pp Qq Rr Ss Śś Tt Uu Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz Źź Żż

The letters q, v, and x appear in words of foreign origin and are sometimes not listed as part of the Polish alphabet. For alphabetization, each letter is ordered separately; troska precedes trójca in the dictionary (unlike French where élixir precedes elle).

In Polish, the letter x is called “iks,” y is called “igrek,” and z is called “zet.”

There are 12 letter combinations that can be pronounced as a single sound:

ch, ci, cz, dz, dź, dż, ni, rz, si, sz, zi, and dzi.

Table 1.1 Polish alphabet

Table 1.2 Letter combinations

1.2 Vowels

1.2.1 Oral

Polish has seven letters that represent oral vowels: a, e, i, o, ó, u, and y. Two of these letters represent the exact same sound and are pronounced identically: ó and u.

The primary pronunciations of the oral vowels are as follows (based on a comparison with general American English pronunciation and Received Pronunciation in England). In general, Polish vowels are shorter in duration than English vowels.

a

as in father

fala ‘wave’ [fala]

A is pronounced in Polish with the tongue in the front of the mouth, rather than in the back as in English.

e	as in met	tekst ‘text’ [tzkst]
i	as in beet	lis ‘fox’ [lis]

I in Polish is pronounced like the vowel sound in the English word “beet,” but the Polish i is shorter in duration.

o

as in no

noga ‘leg’ [nwga]

An approximation of the Polish o in general American English pronunciation is the first part of the “o” sound in the word “no.” However, the American English “o” is a diphthong, consisting of two sounds together. To approximate the Polish o, start to say “no” but stop short before completing the word. Additionally, the Polish o is pronounced with the tongue further toward the bottom of the mouth than in American English.

The Polish o is pronoun...