Polack
Encyclopedia
The noun Polack in the contemporary English language
, is a derogatory reference to a person of Polish descent. It is an Anglicisation of the Polish language
word Polak, which means a Polish male person
(feminine being Polka). Although the Polish word has a neutral connotation, the English loanword
"Polack" is considered an ethnic slur across the English-speaking world, and therefore is inherently insulting in nearly all modern usages.
to refer to the people inhabiting the land of Norway. A quote is given below:
In an Irish-published edition of Hamlet by the Educational Company, Patrick Murray noted: "Some editors, however, argue that Polacks should read as pole-axe, and that Horatio
is remembering an angry Old Hamlet
striking the ice with his battle-axe".
alternative to the term "Polish person" (man, and woman) today is Pole
(see also: Naming Poland in foreign languages). In some other languages such as Swedish
, Norwegian
or Portuguese
e.g., Polack, Polakk or Polaco is an acceptable expression for a person from Poland. In Russian and Ukrainian
the old exonym
"лях
" (lyakh, lyakhy) is now considered offensive, and is replaced by the neutral "поляк" (polyak).
On July 26, 2008, The Times
newspaper from the United Kingdom featured a comment piece by restaurant reviewer and columnist Giles Coren
(known for his profanity-strewn complaints), containing general anti-Polish sentiment. In a piece, entitled "Two waves of immigration, Poles apart" Coren used the racial slur 'Polack' to describe Polish immigrants who can "clear off". He went on to articulate his fringe revisionist views about the Holocaust in Poland as well. The piece prompted a letter of complaint to The Times from the Polish ambassador to the UK, Barbara Tuge-Erecinska
. She wrote that "the issue of Polish-Jewish relations has been unfairly and deeply falsified" by his "aggressive remarks" and "contempt". Coren's comments caused the Federation of Poles in Great Britain
to demand a published apology from The Times under threat of an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
, which has the power to force an apology.
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...
, is a derogatory reference to a person of Polish descent. It is an Anglicisation of the Polish language
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
word Polak, which means a Polish male person
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
(feminine being Polka). Although the Polish word has a neutral connotation, the English loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
"Polack" is considered an ethnic slur across the English-speaking world, and therefore is inherently insulting in nearly all modern usages.
- Slang: Disparaging and Offensive (Random House Unabridged Dictionary)
- Offensive Slang Used as a disparaging term for a person of Polish birth or descent (The American Heritage Dictionary)
History
According to Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas Harper, "Polack" meant as "Polish immigrant, person of Polish descent" was used in American English until the late 19th century (1879) to describe a "Polish person" in a non-offensive way (1574). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) based on the Unabridged Dictionary by Random House claims that the word originated between 1590–1600. For example, Shakespeare uses the term Polacks in his tragedy HamletHamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
to refer to the people inhabiting the land of Norway. A quote is given below:
- Such was the very armour he had on
- When he the ambitious Norway combated:
- So frowned he once, when in an angry parle
- He smote the sledded Polacks on the ice
In an Irish-published edition of Hamlet by the Educational Company, Patrick Murray noted: "Some editors, however, argue that Polacks should read as pole-axe, and that Horatio
Horatio (character)
Horatio is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. A friend of Prince Hamlet from Wittenberg University, Horatio's origins are unknown, though he is evidently poor and was present on the battlefield when Hamlet's father defeated 'the ambitious Norway'...
is remembering an angry Old Hamlet
King Hamlet
The ghost of Hamlet's father is a character from William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, also known as The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. In the stage directions he is referred to as "Ghost."...
striking the ice with his battle-axe".
Ethnonyms
The only acceptable English languageEnglish 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...
alternative to the term "Polish person" (man, and woman) today is Pole
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
(see also: Naming Poland in foreign languages). In some other languages such as Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
, Norwegian
Norwegian language
Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Norway, where it is the official language. Together with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional variants .These Scandinavian languages together with the Faroese language...
or Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
e.g., Polack, Polakk or Polaco is an acceptable expression for a person from Poland. In Russian and Ukrainian
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian is a language of the East Slavic subgroup of the Slavic languages. It is the official state language of Ukraine. Written Ukrainian uses a variant of the Cyrillic alphabet....
the old exonym
Exonym and endonym
In ethnolinguistics, an endonym or autonym is a local name for a geographical feature, and an exonym or xenonym is a foreign language name for it...
"лях
Lechites
Lechites – an ethnic and linguistic group of West Slavs, the ancestors of modern Poles and the historical Pomeranians and Polabians.-History:...
" (lyakh, lyakhy) is now considered offensive, and is replaced by the neutral "поляк" (polyak).
On July 26, 2008, The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
newspaper from the United Kingdom featured a comment piece by restaurant reviewer and columnist Giles Coren
Giles Coren
Giles Coren is a British food critic, television presenter and novelist. He is known for expressing controversial opinions, and for his television appearances with the comedian Sue Perkins.-Personal:...
(known for his profanity-strewn complaints), containing general anti-Polish sentiment. In a piece, entitled "Two waves of immigration, Poles apart" Coren used the racial slur 'Polack' to describe Polish immigrants who can "clear off". He went on to articulate his fringe revisionist views about the Holocaust in Poland as well. The piece prompted a letter of complaint to The Times from the Polish ambassador to the UK, Barbara Tuge-Erecinska
Barbara Tuge-Erecinska
Barbara Krystyna Tuge-Erecińska is the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United Kingdom, appointed by President Lech Kaczyński on 24 October 2006....
. She wrote that "the issue of Polish-Jewish relations has been unfairly and deeply falsified" by his "aggressive remarks" and "contempt". Coren's comments caused the Federation of Poles in Great Britain
Federation of Poles in Great Britain
The Federation of Poles in Great Britain is an organisation established to promote the interests of the Polish ethnic minority in Great Britain, and to promote Polish history and culture among the British people....
to demand a published apology from The Times under threat of an official complaint to the Press Complaints Commission
Press Complaints Commission
The Press Complaints Commission is a voluntary regulatory body for British printed newspapers and magazines, consisting of representatives of the major publishers. The PCC is funded by the annual levy it charges newspapers and magazines...
, which has the power to force an apology.