Polish is an Indo-European language that is part of the West Slavic language family. It is the official language of Poland and one of 24 official languages of the European Union. Polish is also a recognized minority language in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Ukraine. Here are some interesting facts about the Polish language:
- Over 40 million people speak Polish.
- In Poland, nearly 98% of its citizens declare Polish as their first language.
- The Polish people are considered the sixth largest national group in the European Union.
- Modern Polish (1930 to present) is considered the closest thing to standard Polish today.
American-Polish Populations
- There were many waves of Polish emigration over the course of the 20th Century with significant amounts of Polish immigrants and their descendants in the United States, Germany, Brazil, Israel, France, the United Kingdom, and many more.
- According to US Census data, there are about 9.5 million Polish Americans (Americans with total or partial Polish ancestry). This means that they are the largest Slavic ethnic group living in the United States.
- Chicago is considered to be the biggest Polish city in the United States.
Polish-American Influence on American Culture
- One way is with Polish cuisine items such as golabki, kielbasa, and pierogi.
- Monuments to famous Polish Americans such as Tadeusz Kościuszko and Casimir Pulaski are present in many American cities.
- Polish American heritage festivals are held across the United States from New York City to Chicago to Milwaukee to Kansas City to Seattle.
Polish vs. English
- A big difference between Polish and English is the vowel system.
- While English has 24 consonants phonemes, Polish has 29.
- Polish retains Old Slavic’s system of cases for nouns, pronouns, and adjectives.
- Polish utilizes three main genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter.
- Polish has Two Number Classes: Singular and Plural
- English only uses a modest level of nasalization but, unlike Polish, it does not use nasality for contrastive purposes
Whether you are looking to have a document translated from Polish into English, or if you are looking for an English to Polish translation, it is important to work with a qualified translator who is a native speaker of the target language.