Tuesday 30 August 2011

More fun in the Anglo-Polish linguistic space

Two interesting threads came up in my English classes today. "What's the difference between 'regardless' and 'in spite of'?

Consider the following two sentences:

"I'm going to the seaside regardless of the weather"

"I'm going to the seaside in spite of the weather"

In the first sentence, I don't know what the weather will be. It might be storm force nine; it might be cloudless and still. One way or the other, I will go. I will go without regard to the weather, whatever it will be.

In the second sentence, I know for sure that the weather will be awful. And yet I will go. I will go despite the weather.

Getionary gives "regardless" as bez względu, niezależne (od czegoś). "In spite of" is given as pomimo, mimo czegoś.

Stanisławski gives "regardless" as nie zważając, nie bacząc, nie licząc się (z czymś); to pomimo as "in spite of" he adds wbrew (czemuś).

I think it's clear in both languages; no need for confusion between the two (phrasal verb alternative: no need to mix up the two).

I shall write more about phrasal verbs tomorrow, having made a massive discovery in this area of the Anglo-Polish linguistic space.

Before then - what's "to tell off" in Polish? A phrasal verb that every primary school child knows: "The teacher told me off for talking in class". Stanisławski has wyznaczyć (kogoś do zrobienia czegoś); wojsk. odkomenderować; z/besztać, z/rugać; nagadać (komuś). Getionary has kogoś zkarcić / zganić. Goodness! None of these are words I'd have associated with being told off at Polish Saturday school! Can anyone suggest good Polish translation for "to tell off"? Or do Poles not tell off their children?

UPDATE:
It occurred to me as we were cycling along ul. Kadetów; a woman driving the other way yelled at us to use the cyclepath provided. She was right - indeed there was one. What was she doing? Not so much telling us off for riding along the roadway, more a case of, yes, zwracać uwagę. To tell off - best translation - literally - 'to turn one's attention to [something]'.

This time last year:
Summer slipping away

This time two years ago:
Late summer dad'n'lad bike ride

This time three years ago:
Tuwim's Lokomotywa in English

2 comments:

Outsider said...

"Skarcić" and "zganić" are the ones most likely to be used at school. "Zbesztać" and "zrugać" are more colloquial, while "ochrzanić" and "opieprzyć" are rather undecorous. "Opierdolić" and "zjebać" are downright vulgar.

Oh yes, Polish parents sure tell their kids off, and as you can see there is no shortage of words to describe it.

student SGH said...

nie zważając, nie bacząc, nie licząc się (z czymś) - this is a perfect definition of "heedless of"

to tell sb off... hard nut to crack... - powiedzieć komuś do rozumu?