3 ms·

There's a less widespread but similar phenomenon with the older generation of Polish immigrants in Chicago, who use Polish grammar but an almost entirely Englis

There's a less widespread but similar phenomenon with the older generation of Polish immigrants in Chicago, who use Polish grammar but an almost entirely English lexicon. I've met a few people who I straight up couldn't understand, and I'm bilingual in the two languages they fused together.

kevinmchugh 3y ago
Is that at all influenced by regional differences in the Poles that came to Chicago? I grew up with a lot of first-gen highlander Polish-Americans (in the Chicago suburbs). They apparently have some differences with earlier important groups, eg, my family friends who pronounce grandmother "Busia".
- andrewshadura 3y ago
  I'm a Belarusian, and Busia totally makes sense to me (as a simplification of babusia/babula), even though I probably wouldn't use it myself.
- kevinmchugh 3y ago
  "important" should be "immigrant" here
- idlewords 3y ago
  Highlanders have their own dialect, but it's intelligible the same way Londoners can understand Scots. What happens after long exposure to Chicago is that half the lexicon gets swapped out with English words pronounced with Polish phonetics. Those people in their youth spoke very easily understandable Polish, but what they speak today makes sense only to them.
- Pet_Ant 3y ago
  Highlanders = górale ?
  - kevinmchugh 3y ago
    I think so? Google suggests that's what I mean? In English - the only language I know - they always said Highlanders. The only other distinguishing piece of information I have is that this was a common car window sticker: https://i.etsystatic.com/16056651/r/il/a2f7e1/2469515581/il_794xN.2469515581_7apx.jpg https://i.etsystatic.com/16056651/r/il/a2f7e1/2469515581/il_...
imbnwa 3y ago
Interesting, have never noticed my second-gen Polish friends mention this but they're also from the city not the suburbs
- idlewords 3y ago
  I grew up in Chicago in the late 80's and observed it in the older generation then; it might not hold for the next generation of immigrants like me.
Simon_O_Rourke 3y ago
I have some distant family in the Chicago metro area like this, even my own parents professed to not having a clue what great uncle Tomasz was saying most of the time.
visarga 3y ago
> who use Polish grammar but an almost entirely English lexicon. I've met a few people who I straight up couldn't understand I caused a similar confusion with my phone. When I switch my phone from English to my native language I don't understand the menus anymore, and the translations sound ridiculous.

kevinmchugh 3y ago

Is that at all influenced by regional differences in the Poles that came to Chicago? I grew up with a lot of first-gen highlander Polish-Americans (in the Chicago suburbs). They apparently have some differences with earlier important groups, eg, my family friends who pronounce grandmother "Busia".

andrewshadura 3y ago
I'm a Belarusian, and Busia totally makes sense to me (as a simplification of babusia/babula), even though I probably wouldn't use it myself.
kevinmchugh 3y ago
"important" should be "immigrant" here
idlewords 3y ago
Highlanders have their own dialect, but it's intelligible the same way Londoners can understand Scots. What happens after long exposure to Chicago is that half the lexicon gets swapped out with English words pronounced with Polish phonetics. Those people in their youth spoke very easily understandable Polish, but what they speak today makes sense only to them.
Pet_Ant 3y ago
Highlanders = górale ?
- kevinmchugh 3y ago
  I think so? Google suggests that's what I mean? In English - the only language I know - they always said Highlanders. The only other distinguishing piece of information I have is that this was a common car window sticker: https://i.etsystatic.com/16056651/r/il/a2f7e1/2469515581/il_794xN.2469515581_7apx.jpg https://i.etsystatic.com/16056651/r/il/a2f7e1/2469515581/il_...

imbnwa 3y ago

Interesting, have never noticed my second-gen Polish friends mention this but they're also from the city not the suburbs

idlewords 3y ago
I grew up in Chicago in the late 80's and observed it in the older generation then; it might not hold for the next generation of immigrants like me.

Simon_O_Rourke 3y ago

I have some distant family in the Chicago metro area like this, even my own parents professed to not having a clue what great uncle Tomasz was saying most of the time.

visarga 3y ago

> who use Polish grammar but an almost entirely English lexicon. I've met a few people who I straight up couldn't understand I caused a similar confusion with my phone. When I switch my phone from English to my native language I don't understand the menus anymore, and the translations sound ridiculous.