Poles Apart?

Increased interest in global issues and a more transient population has seen a great increase of emigration and immigration worldwide. Polish people are but one of many different peoples that now spans the world.

Europe, indeed, has its share of Polish visitors. Since the widening of the European Community boarders in 2004, some 750,000 east and central European immigrants arrived in Britain and it is estimated that two-thirds of the newcomers are Polish. Many plan to stay in the country indefinitely and in the region of 200,000 east Europeans were approved to work in Britain last year. While the tide may be turning and a large number of Poles are returning to enjoy better conditions in the home county, many Poles are choosing to stay.

Polish and British cultures contrast greatly so the question remains, can Poles be expected to integrate fully into society while the gaps between the cultures are so self-evident? Even when interests are shared – in the Roman Catholic Church for instance – there are difficulties in assimilation and there are gaps in communication. This divide was especially highlighted by the controversy caused in the UK by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, the Archbishop of Westminster, when in December last year, he urged the Polish community associated with his church to learn more English and to integrate into local parishes. The congregation were in uproar. How dare he hurt the Polish pride to such an extent and suggest that they should not pray in Polish! As with any statement, his words of encouragement were misconstrued as unreasonable demands. Besides, his pleas were offered from a pulpit during a sermon in a service in church – usually a highly appropriate place for advice.

For Polish people, learning English is not as easy as it is for those whose native tongue is based on similar Latin roots to English, like French, Spanish or Italian. The English and Polish languages are very different and thus more difficult to learn. The English alphabet of some 26 letters is a direct contrast to the Polish list of letters which total to 32. In the Polish script, there is a prevalence of “z”s and unusual signs and symbols change the pronunciation of words in ways native English people find difficult. Similarly, Polish speakers find pronouncing “th” and using “a” or “the” or prepositions (such as in, on …) difficult if not impossible and sometimes not worth the effort. The script of the language is just the beginning – the contrasting grammatical structures and vast differences in customs and social etiquette also make learning difficult.