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Re: Polish names
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Agnieszka for a girl and Janusz for a boy.I'm sure there are loads more. But these are the ones I've heard and fallen for. Mushy "sh" sounds are catnip for me. :0)

This message was edited 4/6/2023, 11:29 AM

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The sz sound in Polish is not sh. It is not found in English. Polish is my first language.
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No, but it's the closest approximation in English.
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Names should be pronounced correctly and not by just using the closest English approximation.
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Yeah, but some sounds are very difficult to produce if you weren't exposed to them in the critical period. I'd be surprised if you, for example, replicated the click consonants in Xhosa names.
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Oh, darn. I was going off of pronunciations of others speaking English.ETA: Intrigued, I just tried online pronunciations on Forvo which purport to comes from people in Poland. And they all sound like "sh" to me. Maybe you and I have a different understanding of "sh?" Or maybe those people aren't really from Poland? I'd be interested in your reaction to the pronunciations of those names at Forvo. :0)

This message was edited 4/6/2023, 2:20 PM

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I hear differences in the accents and I can see where an English speaker could think they hear sh when the names are said quickly but I definitely hear the difference.
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