Practical handbook of the Polish language : containing the alphabet, pronunciation, fluency exercises, rules of grammar, various conversations, comprehensive vocabulary of words in daily use

1915·14.7 MB·English

by  Baluta, Jos. F. (Joseph Francis John), b. 1886

JOS. F. BALUTA, B. A.
.
PRACTICAL HANDBOOK
OF THE
LANGUAGE
POLISH
CONTAINING: THE ALPHABET-PRONUNCIATION
FLUENCY EXERCISES-RULES OP GRAMMAR
VARIOUS CONVERSATIONS COMPREHENSIVE
VOCABULARY OF WORDS IN DAILY USE
NEW YORK
POLISH BOOK IMPORTING CO., INC.
Copyright, 1915
By The Polish Book Importing: Co., Inc.
PREFACE.
The fact that there is quite a demand fofr a prac-
tical book of the Polish language, has induced the
author to prepare the present volume. There are
some three million Poles in the United States. They
may be found in all walks of life. Many of them
speak English, but a great number do not. Per-
sons dealing with the latter experience difficulty in
making themselves understood. The design of the
present volume is to furnish for the use of English-
speaking people a handy means for putting them-
selves in communication with their Polish fellow-
citizens* With the help of this manual the author
hope? it will be possible to issue necessary instruc-
tions to workmen, servants, etc., to carry on buy-
ing and selling transactions, and also to carry on
simple conversations on such matters as health,
time, weather, war, etc.
The bo'ok is divided into five parts. The first
part deals with the alphabet and the rules for ac-
cent. The attempt has been made to represent each
sound as truly and phonetically as possible in En-
glish. All use of diacritical marks has been avoided
for the sake of simplicity. The greatest difficulty
will be experienced in establishing the correct pro-
nunciation of the nasal vowels a, , the consonants
ii, 1, r, z, and the compound consonants cz, dz, dz, sz,
rz;, and szcz. This difficulty may be somewhat over-
come by asking a native Pole to produce the sounds
slowly and then carefully imitating him.
328358
iv
The secodid part deals with the so-called Fluency
Exercises. The scheme is explained in detail in the
introduction to the series The author believes that
.
a complete and thorough mastery of this section will
help the learner to establish a correct pronuncia-
tion and accent of Polish words, and at the same
time acquaint him with some of the grammar in a
practical way.
Grammar is the subject of the next division.
Here no attempt has been made to give an exhaust-
ive treatise on Polish grammar, but rather some
condensed information about the principal points of
it. This part may be well used in conjunction with
the Fluency Exercises.
Perhaps the most useful section of the manual
A
may be found in the fourth part. glance at the
table of contents will shcftv the number of practical
phrases and conversations which have been em-
bodied here. Care has been exercised to include
nothing but practical subjects. The language used
is the language of everyday life. It is true that all
the possible subjects were not included, the limits
of the book did not permit of that, yet there will
be found here entfugh material to meet all ordinary
occasions
.
The vocabulary at the end of the book contains
a comprehensive list of words in daily use.
J. F. B.
Brooklyn, N. Y., January, 1915.