How to Learn Polish

Or Any Other Language For That Matter

Have you ever dreamed of learning a foreign language? Have you ever imagined how much fun it would be to travel abroad and speak the local language? Do you look at foreign books and newspapers with a longing curiosity? Would you like to have the insight into a foreign culture that is only accessible through the language? Do you imagine these things are out of reach?

I've always wanted to learn Polish. My childhood memories are filled with the sound of Polish. I recall playing on the floor in my grandmother's kitchen, smelling the wonderful smells and listening to the mysterious language that only the grown-ups could speak. How I wished I could join in the conversation!

My grandparents are gone, and the soft background of Polish conversation has long been absent from my life. Yet, I never surrendered my wish to learn the language. Unfortunately, adulthood brought many competing demands on my time and I found that I could not make space in my life for Polish lessons or a tutor. Several years ago, I found a solution.

A co-worker of mine successfully taught himself several languages, including Polish. I told him of my wish to learn Polish and he replied "Well, why don't you teach yourself?" The thought had never occurred to me. He advised me on what books to read and which tapes to listen to. I followed his advice and I am happy to report that I have been well rewarded for my efforts.

I hope to share my experience in learning the Polish language. Except for listing the materials specific to Polish, the information given here should apply to self study of any language. I am working on German now and I hope to attain the same results that I did in Polish.

What are the results? Well, no one would mistake me for a Pole, but I have traveled to Poland several times and have successfully conversed with the natives on a variety of topics. I can easily read Polish newspapers and magazines. I can even read Polish books. I am convinced that anyone with a little patience can do as well or better than I did.

This is one of the more recent books I read in Polish. "Ten Okrutny Wiek" It is a compilation of 24 historical events that the author says "changed our century". These include the Kennedy assassination, Pearl Harbor, Kirov's assassination, and others. While the accounts are sensational, the simple language and report-style format make this an ideal book for intermediate level Polish readers. I reccomend it..

How much do you want to learn?

Your first step in acquiring your new language is to set a goal for yourself. Do you wish to learn a few phrases to help you during an upcoming trip? Do you need a working knowledge of the language for business? Are you interested in speaking? Reading? Writing? Do you want to learn as much as possible? Deciding on a goal will help you direct the course of your studies.

Need a few phrases?

If you only need a few phrases for an upcoming trip, I would recommend getting a dictionary and a phrase book. Your dictionary should be small enough to be comfortable to carry, yet comprehensive enough to be useful. I recommend Langenscheidt's Pocket Polish Dictionary. I've had mine for several years and it is like an old friend. Any Berlitz phrase book is more than adequate. If you are going to Poland, Orbis, the Polish tourist service, distributes a fine phrase, book free of charge, through travel agencies. Ask your travel agent.

If you are interested learning a little more, I highly recommend Educational Service's Language/30 cassette and study guides. These sets include two cassettes with essential phrases and a small study guide. I've used the Romanian set on business trips and my hosts were surprised and pleased that I took the time to learn some of their language. In fact, it took very little time at all. All I needed to acquire a basic vocabulary was to listen to the tapes while commuting to and from work.

Learning More...

If your goal involves learning more than a few phrases, than read on. I suggest beginning your study with the following materials. Remember, if you are interested in learning a language other than Polish, you may some of the following material helpful. Simply substitute working aids in your target language for the Polish aids listed below. If you have a recommendation for materials in Polish or any other language, e-mail me.

Getting Started

I suggest starting with the following materials:

1. A small dictionary. For Polish, I suggest the Langenscheidt Pocket Polish Dictionary.
2. A grammar book. I used A Concise Grammar of Polish, by Oscar E. Swan. University Press of America
3. A language Course. I used First Year Polish, By Oscar E. Swan. Slavica Publishers, Inc. I highly recommend the accompanying cassette tapes.

Note: I recently did some checking and discovered that all of the above materials are available at Amazon.com.

4. As a language course, I can also recommend Czeœæ, Jak Siê Masz? - A Polish Language Textbook for
Beginners from Universitas Ksiêgarnia Internetowa in Krakow. I like this book because it does an excellent job explaining basic Polish grammar. The section on Polish verbs (a very difficult topic if you're not already familiar with Slavic languages) is the probably the best I've seen. The book comes with a companion CD.

Working Your Way Through...

To learn Polish, I worked my way through the language course. My basic approach, (which has been very effective for me) has been to keep things fun and not work too hard. I did not take a brute force approach. I did not attempt to commit every obscure grammatical rule or vocabulary word to memory. Instead, I worked my leisurely way through the book, trusting that by throwing myself into the path of as much Polish as possible, I would eventually learn the language through repetition. This seems simple, and it is. However, I have some suggestions that might maximize the return on the time you invest in your studies.

1. Do a little every day. I normally set aside about half hour every day to work on my Polish. However, like everyone else, I'm busy. Nevertheless, I try to work on Polish every day, even if only for five minutes. In my view, daily exposure to your target language is crucial. As your familiarity with the language grows, so will your knowledge of vocabulary and grammar.

2. Write! Working my way through the Swan book, I not only wrote out the exercises, I copied out the sample conversations. Writing out the sample text drew my attention to spelling and word usage. It also helped me commit the vocabulary to memory. Actively copying out the text focused my attention on the conversations and exercises more efficiently. You may be different, but I suggest you start by writing everything out.

3. Expose Yourself! Are there local radio broadcasts in your target language? Local newspapers? Internet web pages and broadcasts? Chat rooms? All of these provide opportunities to practice your language. Don't worry about understanding right away. I like having Polish as a background noise while I work on my computer, so I tune my Real Audio player to RMF FM. I didn't understand anything at first, but as time progressed, things got better. Hearing Polish will reinforce the things you read in your studies. Don't forget the possibilities of language cassettes and CD's. I found listening to be extremely useful, either actively or as backround noise. If you have a CD, the media player on your computer will allow you to easily "rock" back and forth on difficult words.

4. Treat Yourself. Don't stint on buying yourself phrase books or dictionaries if you think they will help you. I couldn't resist buying Barron Educational Service's 201 Polish Verbs. I still find it useful when chatting on the internet with Polish friends. Over the years, I've accumulated an impressive array of dictionaries and grammar books that help me with my reading. What I once thought of as frivolous purchases have turned into useful reference aids as my Polish improved.

What to do next?

You've finished the Swan book. You are ready to do something with your Polish. But what? My philosophy is to integrate your new language into your life as much as you can. In my case, I did that by reading.

Choose your reading materials carefully!

Do not plunge directly into the great literary classics, unless your thing is reading literary classics. I studied Russian in college, and frustrated myself by trying to tackle Pushkin and Tolstoy, when I should have been reading something else.

I know someone who taught himself excellent Polish by reading dirty novels. Read what you like. That way, you will have a double incentive to work your way through the material. Not only will you be practicing Polish, but you will be interested in what you are reading. The "Harry Potter" series is now available in Polish, and I highly recommend it for light reading.

**STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!** MORE TO COME!!!!

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