Thank you all for the answers. The sentence now makes sense to me. Bill

According to my translator, it means "we impress". Mary-Ann Bill wrote: > I can not make out the meaning of pozostajemy. > > Thanks, > Bill > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >

Stajemy means we stand up. not sure about the pozo. Could be a miss peling. Why are we standing up. Jim On Dec 10, 2008, at 5:56 PM, Bill wrote: > I can not make out the meaning of pozostajemy. > > Thanks, > Bill > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the > list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this > list: researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message jimpres1@mac.com

I think it means "we are" ?? On Wed, Dec 10, 2008 at 5:56 PM, Bill <Billmellsworth@comcast.net> wrote: > I can not make out the meaning of pozostajemy. > > Thanks, > Bill > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at > Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as > long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: > researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

I can not make out the meaning of pozostajemy. Thanks, Bill

I want to thank everyone for their help with the name Stepniak--I am so happy I asked the question. I never thought of checking various spellings on this name, although I have on other names.. I have another name I was just plain wondering about Soltyszak that is just one of the variations I have of this name. Donna

Debbie, As usual, there is a rule - actually plenty of them covering the situation in which a consonant such as "N" is followed by "I" and then a vowel. Then you treat "NI" as the single soft "N" (Ń) sound and we get "STĘPŃAK" or "STĘPNJAK", "Stempnyak". You can read more than you ever would want to know about these rules in http://polish.slavic.pitt.edu/grammar.pdf See, in particular, pages 9 and 15 (end of paragraph g). Roman Debbie Greenlee wrote: > Fred, > > Question from a non-Polish speaking Pole. > I thought the letter "I" in Polish was pronounced in English as ee. > Therefore I thought Ste;pniak (Ste~pniak) was pronounced "STEMP neeyak" > or did I miss a Polish pronunciation rule? > > Thanks > Debbie > > Fred Hoffman wrote: >> Hi, >> >> Donna wrote: >> >>> I have been wondering how the name STEPNIAK >>> would sound in Poland. >>> It might help my research more if I knew the >>> sound. Any help is appreciated >> It never hurts to know how a name sounds, and >> sometimes it helps a great deal. >> >> STEPNIAK in Polish is usually written, not with >> plain E, but with the nasal vowel written as an E >> with a little hook or tail under it. That nasal >> vowel usually sounds sort of like "en," with the N >> not quite finished. But before a B or P, it sounds >> more like "em." So STEPNIAK sounds like >> "STEMP-n'yock." >> >> When a Pole by this name came to live in a country >> where Polish wasn't spoken, the nasal E would >> often be simplified to plain old E. But you never >> know -- it might also be spelled phonetically, >> retaining the nasal sound. So it might show up >> sometimes as STEMPNIAK or even STAMPNIAK. Those >> forms aren't really "correct," at least from the >> point of view of someone who speaks Polish; but >> they may turn up. >> >> The name does sometimes show up in Poland with >> plain E, and that sounds more like "STEP-n'yock." >> But that's much less common. . . >> >> >> Fred Hoffman >> Author, _Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings >> www.fredhoff.com >> > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Hi, Debbie Greenlee wrote: > Question from a non-Polish speaking Pole. > I thought the letter "I" in Polish was > pronounced in English as ee. > Therefore I thought Ste;pniak (Ste~pniak) was > pronounced "STEMP neeyak" > or did I miss a Polish pronunciation rule? Good question! I wish I could give you a simple answer, but it's a little complicated -- unless you grow up speaking Polish. Then it's the most obvious thing in the world. In Polish, the vowel I serves a double purpose. When it's a true vowel, it is pronounced roughly "ee." But it also serves to indicate palatalization of a preceding consonant. Palatalization is a kind of softening of a consonant, when more of the tongue arches up close to the hard palate. It's not a linguistic feature that's terribly prominent in English, but it's very important in the Slavic languages, including Polish. (We have it in English, too, however. It explains, for instance, why most people turn "Got you!" into "Gotcha!" The influence of the following Y sound modifies the T into its palatalized counterpart, which we spell CH.) In the name STEPNIAK, the I is not really pronounced as a distinct E sound, because there's already a vowel in that second syllable, the A. In that position, the I is palatalizing the preceding N. So instead of "STEMP-nee-yock," three syllables with a distinct "ee" sound, it's more like "STEMP-n'yock," just two syllables, with a slight Y sound after the N. The I is not pronounced as "ee," it only serves to soften the N -- which, in practical terms, comes down to producing a kind of Y sound after the N, like what we hear in "onion." With some consonants, the distinction is pretty subtle. There's not a huge difference between palatalized B and plain B. If you say the verbs _bic~_ (to beat) and _byc~_ (to be), the vowel is different, but the B itself doesn't seem to change a whole lot. With some other consonants, the change is more obvious. Thus a palatalized T turns into CI, a D becomes DZI, and so on. Palatalization is why the name of the city Poznan~ doesn't sound like "POZE-nahn," but "POZE-nine." The palatalization of the final N not only softens it, but also affects the pronunciation of the A. In that case, the palatalization is indicated with an accent over the N. But notice, as soon as you add an ending with a vowel, the -I- creeps in there: Poznania, Poznaniu. With the letters C~, N~, S~, and Z~, the accent is there only if the palatalized letter is not followed by a vowel. As soon as vowel enters the mix, the accent disappears and is replaced by I. Sometimes the I serves both purposes at once. Thus in the place name Limanowa, the I not only indicates a palatalized L, it also gives that syllable its vowel: "lee-mah-NO-vah." Incidentally, here is where the distinction between slash-L and plain L comes in. Slash-L can never be followed by I in native Polish words because Poles don't combine the "w" sound of slash-L with the "ee" sound of the vowel I. You can have L~Y together and you can have LI together, but you can never have L~I or LY. It's just one of the characteristics of the language. (Whereas in English, we have no trouble at all following the "w" sound with an "ee," as in our word "we," or following L with a short I, as in "lid." But we're not Poles!) I'm kind of hesitant to go into this in much detail, because it can get confusing very fast. I may already have left you asking "What on earth is he talking about?" But as a basic rule of thumb, when you see the vowel I followed by a consonant, pronounce it as "ee." When you see it followed by a vowel, ditch the "ee" and make it a slight "y" sound. So if you see a name such as STE~PNIK, it's "STEMP-neek." But STE~PNIAK is "STEMP-n'yock." And that little Y sound is pretty faint -- you may not even hear it unless you're listening for it. It's there, however, and it has to be there to pronounce the words correctly. You might find the Pitt Polish language course's explanations useful: http://polish.slavic.pitt.edu/firstyear/sounds.pdf Then again, maybe not. It's awfully hard to truly "get" this unless you listen to native Poles speak the language. After a while you start to catch on to the rhythms and sound combinations. At that point, you'll say "Of course that's how it is." if you don't have a chance to hear a whole lot of Polish spoken (as, for instance, in northcentral Texas), it's going to have to be one of those things you accept on faith. If anybody can explain this more clearly, by all means, speak up! Fred

Hi, Donna wrote: > I have been wondering how the name STEPNIAK > would sound in Poland. > It might help my research more if I knew the > sound. Any help is appreciated It never hurts to know how a name sounds, and sometimes it helps a great deal. STEPNIAK in Polish is usually written, not with plain E, but with the nasal vowel written as an E with a little hook or tail under it. That nasal vowel usually sounds sort of like "en," with the N not quite finished. But before a B or P, it sounds more like "em." So STEPNIAK sounds like "STEMP-n'yock." When a Pole by this name came to live in a country where Polish wasn't spoken, the nasal E would often be simplified to plain old E. But you never know -- it might also be spelled phonetically, retaining the nasal sound. So it might show up sometimes as STEMPNIAK or even STAMPNIAK. Those forms aren't really "correct," at least from the point of view of someone who speaks Polish; but they may turn up. The name does sometimes show up in Poland with plain E, and that sounds more like "STEP-n'yock." But that's much less common. If you'd like to see Web pages with 2002 data on the frequency and distribution of this name in Poland, including a map illustrating the data nicely, click here for the version with nasal E: http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/st%25C4%2599pniak.html Click here for the version with plain E: http://www.moikrewni.pl/mapa/kompletny/stepniak.html In this case, knowing the Polish version usually has nasal E could be important, because names with the nasal vowels were often written phonetically. So as I say, don't search only for STEPNIAK; it is possible you may find a match now and again under other spellings such as STEMPNIAK or STAMPNIAK. It can't hurt to know that, and might even help! Fred Hoffman Author, _Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings www.fredhoff.com

Fred, Question from a non-Polish speaking Pole. I thought the letter "I" in Polish was pronounced in English as ee. Therefore I thought Ste;pniak (Ste~pniak) was pronounced "STEMP neeyak" or did I miss a Polish pronunciation rule? Thanks Debbie Fred Hoffman wrote: > Hi, > > Donna wrote: > >> I have been wondering how the name STEPNIAK >> would sound in Poland. >> It might help my research more if I knew the >> sound. Any help is appreciated > > It never hurts to know how a name sounds, and > sometimes it helps a great deal. > > STEPNIAK in Polish is usually written, not with > plain E, but with the nasal vowel written as an E > with a little hook or tail under it. That nasal > vowel usually sounds sort of like "en," with the N > not quite finished. But before a B or P, it sounds > more like "em." So STEPNIAK sounds like > "STEMP-n'yock." > > When a Pole by this name came to live in a country > where Polish wasn't spoken, the nasal E would > often be simplified to plain old E. But you never > know -- it might also be spelled phonetically, > retaining the nasal sound. So it might show up > sometimes as STEMPNIAK or even STAMPNIAK. Those > forms aren't really "correct," at least from the > point of view of someone who speaks Polish; but > they may turn up. > > The name does sometimes show up in Poland with > plain E, and that sounds more like "STEP-n'yock." > But that's much less common. . . > > > Fred Hoffman > Author, _Polish Surnames: Origins & Meanings > www.fredhoff.com >

Hi, folks, Just a heads-up that there were a bunch of messages sent in November that have been posted to the list within the past 24 hours. Staff has not commented (yet) on why this has happened, but it looks to me like they got stuck somehow and finally have been shaken loose from the mail server. Sorry for any inconvenience or frustration this may cause list members. -Marie list admin

Thank you for the replies. Bill

Dear Listers, I requested this info from Debbie last year and thought it was time to post it again. Below is the following letter I wrote to her last year. Debbie, would you know how to write Merry Christmas in Polish or something appropriate? Thanks, Shirley Here is her response: YES, and a little more!! I keep a slip of paper in my Xmas card address book. Wesol~ych S~wia~t i szcze~s~liwego nowego roku Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Diacriticals in the order of appearance: Slash thought the L Line over the S Backwards comma under the a Backwards comma under the e Line over the s Wesol~ych S~wia~t! Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and Healthy New Year. Shirley Chaisson Thanks to Debbie for this **************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite sites in one place. Try it now. (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)

Hi Debbie, Thanks so much. This tells me all I wanted to know about this beautiful custom. I will be making my second visit to Poland in the spring. Despite all my efforts my Polish has not improved very much. Bill

Bill, CHRISTMAS WAFER (opłatek) is a white unleavened wafer imprinted with nativity motifs and sometimes referred to as “angel bread” (“chleb anielski”). It is the single most important artifact of Polish-style Christmas, without which the celebration would be unthinkable. Traditionally bits of the wafer are shared amid an exchange of best wishes with all present as a sign of love, forgiveness and reconciliation. It is usually send to those who can not attend the meal. Most to those of us in the US with family in Poland. It is like celebrating the meal with you family in Poland. Usually starts with the oldest person breaking the oplatek first to the person next to him/her. The empty seat if for unexpected guests. Jim On Dec 9, 2008, at 4:06 PM, Bill wrote: > Could someone explain the procedure and significance of the wafer that > is divided at supper on Christmas Eve? Also I understand there is an > empty place setting or something like that. > > My Polish is very poor so I did not fully understand the letter the > wafer arrived in. > > Thanks, > Bill > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the > list as long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this > list: researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com > with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and > the body of the message jimpres1@mac.com

Bill, This page might answer your questions and more! http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art37171.asp Debbie Bill wrote: > Could someone explain the procedure and significance of the wafer that > is divided at supper on Christmas Eve? Also I understand there is an > empty place setting or something like that. > > My Polish is very poor so I did not fully understand the letter the > wafer arrived in. > > Thanks, > Bill >

Bill, I cannot remember the procedure of the wafer, however the empty seat my grandmother said was for the unexpected guest. Marie On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 4:06 PM, Bill <Billmellsworth@comcast.net> wrote: > Could someone explain the procedure and significance of the wafer that > is divided at supper on Christmas Eve? Also I understand there is an > empty place setting or something like that. > > My Polish is very poor so I did not fully understand the letter the > wafer arrived in. > > Thanks, > Bill > ********************************* > Need to contact the list manager? Write to Marie at > Poland-Roots-admin@rootsweb.com > ---------------------------------- > Discussion of Polish food, culture, and customs are welcome on the list as > long as the discussion stays pertinent to the topic of this list: > researching our Polish roots. > ---------------------------------- > Browse the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=poland-roots > Search the list's archives here: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?aop=1 > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > POLAND-ROOTS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

Could someone explain the procedure and significance of the wafer that is divided at supper on Christmas Eve? Also I understand there is an empty place setting or something like that. My Polish is very poor so I did not fully understand the letter the wafer arrived in. Thanks, Bill

>Chris, > >It's odd because both "sites" had to use the same film from which to >get their own images. It seems Ellis Island produced lower quality digitized images from the film. Perhaps to speed up the scanning process, or to save storage space / bandwidth. Since the FHL is digitizing their microfilms anyway, maybe they'll eventually get to the immigration films, and are using the existing EI scans to quickly get them online. -- --- Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com

>Using ancestry.com search on the name Ignacz Chociaj, arrival 1903 >at the port of New York. (the given name is still transcribed >incorrectly). Note the incredible difference between this image and >the one provided by Ellis Island web site. > Hi Debbie, Yes, I've noticed that the scanned images on Ancestry are much better than the Ellis Island site (they seem to have a higher depth (more shades of gray). Often when I find a manifest of interest via a Steve Morse search from the Ellis Island site, I'll switch to Ancestry to view it again, if I am having a difficult time reading it. -- --- Chris Smolinski Black Cat Systems http://www.blackcatsystems.com