Warsaw dialect
Encyclopedia
The Warsaw dialect is a regional dialect of the Polish language
spoken in Warsaw
. The dialect evolved as late as 18th century, mainly from the Masovian dialect
of the Polish language, under notable influence of several languages spoken in the city of Warsaw. After the destruction of Warsaw in the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising
of 1944 the Warsaw dialect has been in decline. It is estimated that in modern times it is almost extinct as the native language and is preserved mostly in literary works.
substratum
, with notable (mostly lexical) influences from the Masovian dialect of Polish, as well as Russian
, German
, Yiddish
and other languages.
The dialect was composed of a variety of different class dialects: the language of the suburbs differed from the language of the city centre and each professional group used its own version of the dialect, slightly different from the others. It is therefore difficult to state the exact classification.
, Poland
. After 1944 it became dispersed as most of the inhabitants of Warsaw were either killed in the Warsaw Uprising
or resettled in other parts of Poland. Currently it is almost completely extinct as a primary language and is mostly used by authors and artists for stylisation in literature, poetry and songwriting.
was enriched with many borrowed words from the Masovian dialect. The mixture was then heavily influenced by the languages spoken by the burghers of Warsaw and the royal court of Poland. These included the Italian
, Yiddish
, French
, Latin
and English
. In 19th century during the Partitions of Poland
the dialect incorporated a great number of borrowed words from German
and then Russian
.
Until World War II
the language spoken by different classes and professions of Warsaw evolved independently, although were eventually mixed and interlinked. After the Warsaw Uprising
, when the majority of its speakers were either killed or expelled and resettled in other parts of the world, the dialect became separated from its geographical roots and its users dispersed. After the war only a small number of pre-war Varsavians returned there while the vast majority of the inhabitants of the city came from other parts of Poland. Because of that, the language spoken in Warsaw became heavily influenced by other dialects of the Polish language. The only boroughs of Warsaw where the dialect was preserved to some extent were Praga
and Wola
.
Since the 1960s the uniformisation of the language spoken throughout Poland under the influence of the mass media (such as the television
and radio
) lead to a rapid decline in speakers of all the dialects of Polish, the Warsaw dialect included.
Among the notable artists who used the Warsaw dialect in their books, songs and poems are Hanka Bielicka
, Wiktor Gomulicki, Stanisław Grzesiuk
, Alina Janowska, Irena Kwiatkowska
, Zygmunt Staszczyk
, Stanisław Staszewski
, Jarema Stępowski, Stefan Wiechecki
and Stasiek Wielanek. The most extensive studies of the Warsaw dialect were carried out by Bronisław Wieczorkiewicz in his book Gwara warszawska wczoraj i dziś (The Warsaw Dialect Yesterday and Today).
All of the above sub-dialects were constantly mixing with each other and the lexical basis of most of them was similar.
was immense and to some extent the shape of the latter language is a distant relative of the former.
for comparison.
The most important differences between the literary Polish language and the Warsaw dialect are the following:
The Warsaw dialect includes a large set of borrowed words from a variety of languages.
and written with a standard set of Polish letters
with different sounds denoted by approximation.
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
spoken in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
. The dialect evolved as late as 18th century, mainly from the Masovian dialect
Masovian dialect
Mazovian dialects of the Polish language are characteristic of Mazovia and historically related regions, in northeastern Poland. They are the most distinct of Polish dialects and the most expansive....
of the Polish language, under notable influence of several languages spoken in the city of Warsaw. After the destruction of Warsaw in the aftermath of the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
of 1944 the Warsaw dialect has been in decline. It is estimated that in modern times it is almost extinct as the native language and is preserved mostly in literary works.
Classification
The Warsaw dialect is composed mostly of the Polish languagePolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
substratum
Substratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum...
, with notable (mostly lexical) influences from the Masovian dialect of Polish, as well as Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
and other languages.
The dialect was composed of a variety of different class dialects: the language of the suburbs differed from the language of the city centre and each professional group used its own version of the dialect, slightly different from the others. It is therefore difficult to state the exact classification.
Geographic distribution
The dialect was originally spoken in and around WarsawWarsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. After 1944 it became dispersed as most of the inhabitants of Warsaw were either killed in the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
or resettled in other parts of Poland. Currently it is almost completely extinct as a primary language and is mostly used by authors and artists for stylisation in literature, poetry and songwriting.
History
The Warsaw dialect became a separate dialect of the Polish language some time in 18th century, when the Polish substratumSubstratum
In linguistics, a stratum or strate is a language that influences, or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum is a language which has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum is the language that has higher power or prestige. Both substratum and superstratum...
was enriched with many borrowed words from the Masovian dialect. The mixture was then heavily influenced by the languages spoken by the burghers of Warsaw and the royal court of Poland. These included the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. In 19th century during the Partitions of Poland
Partitions of Poland
The Partitions of Poland or Partitions of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth took place in the second half of the 18th century and ended the existence of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, resulting in the elimination of sovereign Poland for 123 years...
the dialect incorporated a great number of borrowed words from German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and then Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
Until World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the language spoken by different classes and professions of Warsaw evolved independently, although were eventually mixed and interlinked. After the Warsaw Uprising
Warsaw Uprising
The Warsaw Uprising was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army , to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces...
, when the majority of its speakers were either killed or expelled and resettled in other parts of the world, the dialect became separated from its geographical roots and its users dispersed. After the war only a small number of pre-war Varsavians returned there while the vast majority of the inhabitants of the city came from other parts of Poland. Because of that, the language spoken in Warsaw became heavily influenced by other dialects of the Polish language. The only boroughs of Warsaw where the dialect was preserved to some extent were Praga
Praga
Praga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
and Wola
Wola
Wola is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it is slowly changing into an office and residential district...
.
Since the 1960s the uniformisation of the language spoken throughout Poland under the influence of the mass media (such as the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
) lead to a rapid decline in speakers of all the dialects of Polish, the Warsaw dialect included.
Among the notable artists who used the Warsaw dialect in their books, songs and poems are Hanka Bielicka
Hanka Bielicka
Anna Weronika Bielicka was a Polish singer and actress known by the name Hanna and its affectionate diminutive Hanka.-Career:...
, Wiktor Gomulicki, Stanisław Grzesiuk
Stanislaw Grzesiuk
Stanisław Grzesiuk was a Polish writer, poet, singer, and comedian. He is notable as one of the few public figures to use and promote the singing style and dialect of pre-war Warsaw after their near extinction in the aftermath of the 1944 Warsaw Uprising....
, Alina Janowska, Irena Kwiatkowska
Irena Kwiatkowska
Irena Kwiatkowska was a popular Polish actress, known in Poland for her many cabaret roles and monologues, as well as appearances in movies and television shows....
, Zygmunt Staszczyk
Zygmunt Staszczyk
Zygmunt "Muniek" Staszczyk is a Polish vocalist, founder, leader and initially also bassist of T.Love. He was also one of two producers of I Hate Rock'n'Roll, the 2006 T.Love album...
, Stanisław Staszewski
Stanislaw Staszewski
Stanisław Staszewski was a Polish architect and poet. He is notable as a father to Kazimierz Staszewski and author of many songs and ballads, sung both by his son and by Jacek Kaczmarski.-Biography:...
, Jarema Stępowski, Stefan Wiechecki
Stefan Wiechecki
Stefan Wiechecki was a Polish writer and journalist. He is most fondly remembered for his humorous feuilletons, which chronicled the everyday life of Warsaw and cultivated the Warsaw dialect....
and Stasiek Wielanek. The most extensive studies of the Warsaw dialect were carried out by Bronisław Wieczorkiewicz in his book Gwara warszawska wczoraj i dziś (The Warsaw Dialect Yesterday and Today).
Sub-dialects
As mentioned above, the Warsaw dialect was further divided onto several sub-dialects. Those included:- Sub-dialects of different boroughs - for instance the language of PragaPragaPraga is a historical borough of Warsaw, the capital of Poland. It is located on the east bank of the river Vistula. First mentioned in 1432, until 1791 it formed a separate town with its own city charter.- History :...
, WolaWolaWola is a district in western Warsaw, Poland, formerly the village of Wielka Wola, incorporated into Warsaw in 1916. An industrial area with traditions reaching back to the early 19th century, it is slowly changing into an office and residential district...
, PowiślePowislePowiśle is a neighbourhood in Warsaw's borough of Śródmieście . It is located between the Vistula river and its escarpment... - Professional sub-dialects - for instance the language of cabmenCarriageA carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
, shopkeepers, printers or policePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
men - Sub-dialects of criminals - a regional version of grypseraGrypseraGrypsera is a distinct non-standard dialect of the Polish language, used traditionally by recidivist prison inmates...
- Jewish sub-dialect - a regional version of the Yiddish languageYiddish languageYiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
, largely influenced by the Polish languagePolish languagePolish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
All of the above sub-dialects were constantly mixing with each other and the lexical basis of most of them was similar.
Derived dialects
Due to the large number of prisons in Warsaw, the influence of the Warsaw dialect on the evolution of grypseraGrypsera
Grypsera is a distinct non-standard dialect of the Polish language, used traditionally by recidivist prison inmates...
was immense and to some extent the shape of the latter language is a distant relative of the former.
Sounds
The basic sounds of the Warsaw dialect were those of the Polish language, with several notable differences. See Polish languagePolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
for comparison.
The most important differences between the literary Polish language and the Warsaw dialect are the following:
| Difference | Sound affected (IPA International Phonetic Alphabet The International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic... ) |
Polish example | Warsaw dialect | English translation | Remarks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vowels | |||||||||||||
| disappearance of the nasal vowel Nasal vowel A nasal vowel is a vowel that is produced with a lowering of the velum so that air escapes both through nose as well as the mouth. By contrast, oral vowels are ordinary vowels without this nasalisation... s, especially in word-final syllable Syllable A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building... s |
[ɔ̃], [ɛ̃] | ||||||||||||
| palatalisation of velar consonant Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... s before [ɛ] and [ɛ̃], especially in ending syllable |
[k], [ɡ] | ([ˈrɛŋkɛ̃] or [ˈrɛŋkɛ] | rękie ([ˈrɛŋkʲe]) | hand or palm (Accusative Accusative case The accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. The same case is used in many languages for the objects of prepositions... ) |
|||||||||
| replacement of the vowel cluster [ɔa] by [ua] or [uwa] | [ɔa], | zawoalowany ([ˌzavɔaloˈvanɨ]) | zawualowany ([ˌzavualoˈvani]) | veiled | |||||||||
| replacement of the vowel [ɨ] with [i] or [ɪ] | [ɨ] | kochany ([kɔˈxanɨ]) |
kochany ([kɔˈxani] or [kɔˈxanɪ]) |
beloved | |||||||||
Grammar and Vocabulary
The grammar of the Warsaw dialect is basically the same as the grammar of standard literary Polish language, with notable differences mainly consisting of simplification.The Warsaw dialect includes a large set of borrowed words from a variety of languages.
Writing system
The Warsaw dialect did not develop a literary form. It has been used by several authors in Polish literaturePolish literature
Polish literature is the literary tradition of Poland. Most Polish literature has been written in the Polish language, though other languages, used in Poland over the centuries, have also contributed to Polish literary traditions, including Yiddish, Lithuanian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, German and...
and written with a standard set of Polish letters
Polish alphabet
The Polish alphabet is the script of the Polish language, the basis for the Polish system of orthography . It is based on the Latin alphabet, but includes certain letters with diacritics: the line or kreska, which is graphically similar to an acute accent ; the overdot or kropka ; the tail or...
with different sounds denoted by approximation.