Friday 4 January 2008

Vocative Case

Answers the questions who or what are you calling - or to call someone from a distance. This case is rarely used and some say don't even bother to learn it... who am I to argue? However, there are uses that are common:
  • when using titles - very important in Polish society - the Vocative is obligatory: Dzień dobry, panie profesorze! (Hello, professsor-Voc.!)
  • with diminutive (affectionate) forms of first names: Kasiu! Grzesiu! Hanu!
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6 comments:

  1. Anonymous5 March 2008 at 08:13

    hey,

    this blog is a good idea, I'll keep my eye on it:)

    what I would add is that vocative case is used primarily to address people or things.

    Like in the most notable Polish elegy starting with the words
    "Litwo, oczyzno moja"
    in which author addresses his native Lithuania

    therefore I wouldn't say it's rarely used, unless you don't address people or things:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Biluś5 March 2008 at 11:32

    A point well made! Thanks :-)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ai Dihayco18 March 2008 at 17:49

    i kept on looking for somebody who can aid me more in my learning the polish language. Im a foreigner here in poland and struggling with my polish..so i need to polish my polish all the time. good blog!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Biluś23 March 2008 at 09:24

    Thanks a lot, ai! I hope you're enjoying your time in Poland - do please let me know if there is any language point in particular you'd like a focus on :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous16 April 2008 at 22:15

    Stick this in yer pipe and smoke it:
    http://uzar.wordpress.com/2008/04/06/strefa-rafa/

    ReplyDelete
  6. Biluś17 April 2008 at 09:56

    Lovely! Thanks, Raf - duly smoked. It's great to hear these (new-to-me) idioms in context. And the presenters babble on just as much as on Blighty radio... (is that you, then? I like it!) :-)

    ReplyDelete

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