Poland Languages: Difference between revisions

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POLAND - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES  
POLAND - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES  


=== Key Words  ===


To find and use specific types of Polish records, you will need to know some key words in Polish. This section gives key genealogical terms in English and the Polish words with the same or similar meanings.


For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Polish words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used to indicate marriage.


For a full genealogical word list, visit [[Polish Genealogical Word List|Polish Genealogical Word List]].


{| width="65%" class="plain FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| '''English'''
| '''Polish'''
|-
| birth
| urodzin, urodzony, urodził się, zrodzony
|-
| burial
| pogrzeb, pochówek
|-
| Catholic
| katolicki, rzymsko-katolicki
|-
| child
| dziecię, dziecko
|-
| christening
| chrzest, chrzciny, ochrzczone
|-
| death(s)
| zgon(ów), zejść, umarł , zmarł , śmierć (śmierci)
|-
| father
| ojciec
|-
| husband
| mąż, małżonek
|-
| index
| indeks, skorowidz, register, spis
|-
| Jewish
| żydowski, starozakonny, izraelici, mojżeszowy
|-
| marriage
| małżenstw(o), ślub(ów), zaślubionych
|-
| marriage banns
| zapowiedzi
|-
| mother
| matka
|-
| name, given
| imię, imion
|-
| name, surname
| nazwisko
|-
| parents
| rodzice
|-
| parish
| parafia
|-
| Protestant
| ewangelicki, reformowany, protestancki, luterański
|-
| wife
| żona, małżonka, zamęża, kobieta
|-
| year
| rok, lat
|}


<br>
=== Numbers  ===
In many genealogical records, numbers— especially dates—are spelled out. The following list gives the cardinal (1, 2, 3) and ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd) numbers. Dates are written in ordinal form. In dates, ordinal numbers usually end with '''''-ego''''', for example:
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="40%" border="0" align="center" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| pierwszy
| the first
|-
| pierwszego
| on the first (of the month)
|}
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="10" width="432" border="0" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
|
| '''Cardinal'''
|
| '''Ordinal'''
|-
| align="right" | 1 <br>2 <br>3 <br>4 <br>5 <br>6 <br>7 <br>8 <br>9 <br>10 <br>11 <br>12 <br>13 <br>14 <br>15 <br>16 <br>17 <br>18 <br>19 <br>20 <br>21 <br>22 <br>23 <br>24 <br>25 <br>26 <br>27 <br>28 <br>29 <br>30 <br>40 <br>50 <br>60 <br>70 <br>80 <br>90 <br>100 <br>200 <br>300 <br>400 <br>500 <br>600 <br>700 <br>800 <br>900 <br>1000
| jeden, jedna <br>dwa <br>trzy <br>cztery <br>pięć <br>sześć <br>siedem <br>osiem <br>dziewięć <br>dziesięć <br>jedenaście <br>dwanaście <br>trzynaście <br>czternaście <br>piętnaście <br>szesnaście <br>siedemnaście <br>osiemnaście <br>dziewiętnaście <br>dwadzieścia <br>dwadzieścia jeden <br>dwadzieścia dwa <br>dwadzieścia trzy <br>dwadzieścia cztery <br>dwadzieścia pięć <br>dwadzieścia sześć<br>dwadzieścia siedem <br>dwadzieścia osiem <br>dwadzieścia dziewięć<br>trzydzieści <br>czterdzieści <br>pięćdziesiąt <br>sześć dziesiąt <br>siedemdziesiąt <br>osiemdziesiąt <br>dziewiecdziesiąt <br>sto <br>dwieście <br>trzysta <br>czterysta <br>pięćset <br>sześćset <br>siedemset <br>osiemset <br>dziewięćset <br>tysiąc
| 1st <br>2nd <br>3rd <br>4th <br>5th <br>6th <br>7th <br>8th <br>9th <br>10th <br>11th <br>12th <br>13th <br>14th <br>15th <br>16th <br>17th <br>18th <br>19th <br>20th <br>21st <br>22nd <br>23rd <br>24th <br>25th <br>16th <br>27th <br>28th <br>29th <br>30th <br>40th <br>50th <br>60th <br>70th <br>80th <br>90th <br>100th <br>200th <br>300th <br>400th <br>500th <br>600th <br>700th <br>800th <br>900th <br>1000th
| pierwszy <br>drugi <br>trzeci <br>czwarty <br>piąty <br>szósty <br>siódmy <br>ósmy <br>dziewiąty <br>dziesiąty <br>jedenasty <br>dwunasty <br>trzynasty <br>czternasty <br>piętnasty <br>szesnasty <br>siedemnasty <br>osiemnasty <br>dziewiętnasty <br>dwudziesty, dwódziesty <br>dwudziesty pierwszy <br>dwudziesty drugi <br>dwudziesty trzeci <br>dwudziesty czwarty <br>dwudziesty piąty <br>dwudziesty szósty <br>dwudziesty siódmy <br>dwudziesty ósmy <br>dwudziesty dziewiąty <br>trzydziesty <br>czterdziesty <br>pięćdziesiąty <br>sześćdziesiąty <br>siedemdziesiąty <br>osiemdziesiąty <br>dziewięćdziesiąty <br>setny <br>dwóchsetny <br>trzysetny, trzechsetny <br>czterysetny, czterechsetny <br>pięćsetny <br>sześćsetny <br>siedemsetny <br>osiemsetny <br>dziewięćsetny <br>tysięczny
|}
=== Dates and Time&nbsp;  ===
In Polish records, dates are usually written out, for example:
:''roku tysiąc osemset trzydziestego szóstego dnia dwódziestego trzeciego marca'' [in the year one thousand eight hundredth thirtieth and sixth on the day twentieth third of March (23 March 1836] In some records, two dates are recorded:
:''dnia piątego/siedemnastego Maja'' [on the day 5th/17th of May] The two dates are usually 12 days apart. The first date is based on the Julian calendar (used by the Russian Empire). The second date is based on the present-day Gregorian calendar.
To understand Polish dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding "Numbers" section.
'''Months'''
Polish often abbreviates dates by using a Roman numeral for the month. For example, 13 June 1864 could be written as ''13.VI.1864 ''instead of ''13.czerwca.1864''.
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="40%" border="0" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
|
| '''English'''
| '''Polish'''
|-
| I. <br>II. <br>III. <br>IV. <br>V. <br>VI. <br>VII <br>VIII. <br>IX <br>X. <br>XI. <br>XII.
| January <br>February <br>March <br>April <br>May <br>June <br>July <br>August <br>September <br>October <br>November <br>December
| stycznia <br>lutego <br>marca <br>kwietnia <br>maja <br>czerwca <br>lipca <br>sierpnia <br>września <br>pażdziernika <br>listopada <br>grudnia
|}
<br>'''Days of the Week'''
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="30%" border="0" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| '''English '''<br>Sunday <br>Monday <br>Tuesday <br>Wednesday <br>Thursday <br>Friday <br>Saturday
| '''Polish <br>'''niedziela <br>poniedzialek <br>wtorek <br>środa <br>czwartek <br>piątek <br>sobota
|}
<br>'''Times of the Day'''
Polish birth and death records often indicate the exact time of day when the birth or death occurred. This is usually written out.
{| cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="40%" border="0" class="FCK__ShowTableBorders"
|-
| '''Polish '''<br>o godzinie drugiej <br>o godzinie siódmej <br>w nocy <br>południe/w południe <br>popołudniu/z południa <br>przed południem<br>północna godzina <br>rano/z rana <br>wieczorem/w wieczór
| '''English <br>'''at the 2nd hour <br>at the 7th hour <br>at night <br>noon <br>afternoon <br>forenoon <br>midnight <br>in the morning <br>in the evening&nbsp;
|}
<br>




Revision as of 10:23, 5 June 2023

Poland Wiki Topics
Koszecin
Beginning Research
Record Types
Poland Background
Local Research Resources
Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for Poland is Pysnaks

Word Lists[edit | edit source]

Most materials used in Polish research are written in Polish. You do not need to speak or read Polish to do research in Polish records, but you should know some key words and phrases to understand the records. Because the Roman Catholic Church was the predominant religion in Poland, many records  are in Latin. Other languages in Polish records include German, Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian, and Old Church Slavonic.

For word lists and help researching in Polish records, see:

Lessons on Handwriting[edit | edit source]

Handwriting Lessons on FamilySearch Learning Center:

Polish grammar may affect the way names appear in genealogical records. For example, names of your ancestors will vary from record to record in Polish.

For help in understanding name variations, see Personal Names.

Alphabet[edit | edit source]

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

The letters q, v and x are also used, but only for foreign names or words.

Pronunciation Guide[edit | edit source]

c = ts
ch,h = kh
ć,cz,ci = ch
ś,sz,si = sh
ż,zi,rz = zh
ą = om, on
ę = em, en
j = y
dz = j
ł = w
w = v

Language Aids[edit | edit source]

The FamilySearch Library has genealogical word lists for Polish (34098), German (34067), and Latin (34077). The following books and English-Polish dictionaries can also aid you in your research. You can find these and similar material at many research libraries:

Kierst, W. English-Polish/Polish-English Dictionary. New York, New York: Saphograph Co., 1956. (FS Library book 491.85321 K847e.)

Pogonowski, Iwo Cyprian. Practical Polish-English, English-Polish Dictionary. New York, New York: Hippocrene Books, 1985. (FS Library book 491.85321P751p.)

Another valuable research tool for reading records of the former Russian territories of Poland is:

Frazin, Judith R. A Translation Guide to the 19-century Polish-language Civil-registration Documents: (Birth, Marriage and Death Records). 2nd ed. Northbrook, Illinois: The Jewish Genealogical Society of Illinois, 1989. (FS Library book 943.8 V27.) This book is now online at Google Books: http://books.google.de/books?id=qSEBjYeyUpAC&pg=PA154&lpg=PA# .

To read the Russian language records of this same area after 1868 use:

Shea, Jonathan D. Russian Language Documents from Russian Poland: a Translation Manual for Genealogists. 2nd ed. Buffalo Grove, Illinois: Genun, 1989. (FS Library book 943.8 D27.)

The Polish genealogical Word List published by the FamilySearch Library is available at this link: https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Poland_Genealogical_Word_List

Learning: Polish Language, Common Word Translations is available online.

Word List[edit | edit source]

This list contains Polish words with their English translations. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources. If the word you are looking for is not on this list, please consult a Polish-English dictionary. 

Polish is a Slavic language related to Russian and Slovak. It is used in genealogical sources throughout Poland. Before 1918, Polish-speaking territories were divided between Russia, Germany, and Austria. Records written before 1918 may be in German, Russian, Latin, or Polish.

  • In Russian Poland, Polish was the official language for vital records from 1808 to 1868. From 1868 to 1917, Russian was the official language.
  • In German Poland, most records were kept in German or Latin, though some were kept in Polish.
  • In Austrian Poland, most records were kept in Latin. Some records were kept in German and some in Polish.

Polish is also used in the records kept in some Polish communities in the United States.

Polish records often contain Latin and German words. See the German Genealogical Word List, and the Latin Genealogical Word List. Or at the following link:http://204.9.225.220/eng/Search/rg/frameset_rhelps.asp?Page=./research/type/Word_List.asp

Language Characteristics[edit | edit source]

Polish words for persons, places, and things (nouns) are classified as masculine, feminine, or neuter. Adjectives used to describe them must have the proper masculine, feminine, or neuter endings, for example:

stary mąż-- old man

stara kobieta-- old woman

stare miasto-- old city

The endings of past tense verbs also change depending on the gender of the person or thing being described or performing the action. For example:

umarł -- he died

umarła-- she died

umarło-- it [the child] died

Variant Forms of Words[edit | edit source]

In Polish, as in English, the forms of some words will vary according to how they are used in a sentence. Who-whose-whom or marry-marries- married are examples of words in English with variant forms. In Polish any word may change, depending on usage. This word list gives the standard form of each Polish word. As you read Polish records, you will need to be aware that most words vary with usage.

The endings of words in a document will often differ from what you find in this list. For example, the document may use the word starego (old), but you will find it in this word list as stary (old).

Certain endings, called genitive, give the meaning "of" to a word. The following endings are typical:

Nouns Endings Adjectives

-a (masculine) -ego

-y or -i (feminine) -ej

-ów (plural) -ich or -ych

Thus, ojciec zmarłego means "father of the deceased."

Plural forms of Polish words usually change the singular word as follows:

Words ending in -a change to -y

Words ending in -o change to -a

A -y or -i is added to form the plural

The plural form may change the basic word, for example:

Singular Plural
miasto =city miasta= cities
powiat =district powiaty =districts
brat= brother bracia =brothers
żona=wife żony=wives

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

This word list includes words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Polish-English dictionary. Several Polish-English dictionaries are available at the FamilySearch Library in the European collection. Their call numbers begin with 491.85321. See Poland Encyclopedias and Dictionaries.

The following dictionary is available on microfilm for use in FamilySearch Centers:

Stanisławski, Jan. English-Polish and Polish-English Dictionary.  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: David McKay, 1946. (FS Library film 1,045,473, item 1)

Additional dictionaries are listed in the Subject section of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

POLISH LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES

Other dictionaries and language helps, such as Polish grammar books, are listed in the Locality section under:

POLAND - LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGES






Description[edit | edit source]

The languages spoken in Poland are [1] [2] [3]

  • Polish - the official and predominant spoken language. 97% of the population declare Polish as their mother language. 37 million (2011).
    • one of the official languages of the European Union, also a second language in parts of neighboring Lithuania.
  • Silesian - spoken by 529,377 (2011).
  • Kashubian - a recognized regional language spoken by 100,000 people in the northern regions of Kashubia and Pomerania on a daily basis. 108,140 (2011).
  • English - about 32% of Polish citizens are knowledgeable with English. Spoken by 103,541 (2011).

The Minority Languages spoken in Poland are [4] [5]

Word List(s)[edit | edit source]

Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]

Alphabet

Pronunciation

Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]

Dictionaries

  • Phillips, Janet. Oxford essential Polish dictionary : Polish-English, English-Polish. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Gavira, Angeles and Angela Wilkes. Polish English visual bilingual dictionary. New York: DK Publishing, 2018. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Grzebieniowski, Tadeusz. Langenscheidt's pocket Polish dictionary : English-Polish, Polish-English. New York: Langenscheidt, 1985. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Roczniok, Andrzej. A Polish-Silesian dictionary. Zabrze: Narodowa Oficyna Śląska, 2012. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Frymark, Stanisław. English-Polish- Kashub dictionary. Wilno, Ontario: Wilno Heritage Society, 2008. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Jeliński, Marian and David Shulist. Kashubian-English-Polish dictionary. Żukowo: Fundacja Skansenu Pszczelarskiego, 2011. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

Language Aids

  • Fokker, A. A. and Emilia Smolikowska. Anatomy of a word-class : A chapter of Polish grammar. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton, 2018. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Bartonlini-Salimbeni, Beth. Italian grammar for dummies. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Makurat H. The Grammar of the Kashubian Language. n.p.: n.p., 2018. Available at: WorldCat.

Additional Resources[edit | edit source]

  • Polish for beginners : a comprehensive guide for learning the Polish language fast. n.p.: n.p., 2020. Available at: WorldCat.
  • Miłkowski, Marcin, Georg Rehm, and Hans Uszkoreit. The Polish language in the digital age. Berlin: Springer, 2012. Available at: WorldCat.

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Poland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland#:~:text=Polish%20is%20the%20official%20and%20predominant, accessed 24 May 2023.
  2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Poland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Poland, accessed 24 May 2023.
  3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Polish language," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_language, accessed 24 May 2023.
  4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages_of_Poland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Poland#National_minority's_languages, accessed 24 May 2023.
  5. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages_of_Poland," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Poland#Household_languages, accessed 24 May 2023.

Use the FamilySearch Learning Center to find online genealogy classes.

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