Praca domowa: BMW piosenka!

First, some homework for you. Please listen to this song and do the homework assignment below the lyrics, which I have translated into English.

On occasion, it has been suggested that more modern Polish songs be incorporated into the curriculum of this course - I hope that this will help quench some of those yearnings. 

We will discuss some of the cultural context of this song, and of others in this group's repertoire, during the next class. The group performing this song self-identifies as belonging to the "disco polo" genre, which you may have heard of. If not, you can read more about it (in English) here.

Incidentally, this video has 6,497,767 views on Youtube.

IMPORTANT: When you are listening, it might seem to you that the syntax of the lyrics is backwards. You will be absolutely right. As in poetry, the syntax is often turned around, often to aid with the rhyme or rhythm. 

The beauty of a highly inflected language is that you can move all the elements in a sentence around and still know what it all means -- thanks to the case endings!

Przyjemnego słuchania! Pleasant listening! 

And remember: De gustibus non est disputandum! :-)

Bma


Każdy kupić furę chce, / everyone wants to buy himself a car

Kupię sobie właśnie tę: / I'll buy myself this exact one

Nie opelka, nie audicę,*/ not an Opel, not an Audi

Lecz niebitą beemwicę. / but an unbeatable BMW („beemwica”)

Czy to z Niemiec, Austrii, Chin / whether it’s from Germany, Austria or China

Dwieście lekko lecisz nim. / you can easily go 200 [km an hour] with it

Skóra, lansik przecież jest - / there’s leather [slang for leather], it’s flashy after all

To moja beema. / it’s my beemer



Ref: Trójka, piątka czy też siódema,** / three, five or seven [-hundred series)

Najlepsza maszyna to jest beema. / the best car [slang for car] is a BWM

Betka***-beemka w 'metalik' kolorze. / Tiny-beemer in a metallic color

Nie potrzebny mi jest merc, / I don’t need a Mercedes [slang for mercedes]

Beemą się wożę. / I drive a beemer.



2. Dzisiaj właśnie taką mam, / today that’s exactly the kind I have

Gumę palę tu i tam, / I burn rubber here and there

Kiedy wrzucę wyższy bieg / when I throw it in high gear

Opon pisk usłyszysz też. / you’ll hear the squeal of tires, too

Basik daje głośno tu, / The bass is on loud here

Każdy słyszy bmw. / everyone will hear the BMW

Skóra, lansik przecież jest - / there’s leather, it’s flashy after all

To moja beema. / It’s my BMW



Ref: Trójka, piątka czy też siódema, / three, five or seven [-hundred series)

Najlepsza maszyna to jest beema. / the best car [slang for car] is a BMW

Betka-beemka w 'metalik' kolorze. / Tiny-beemer in a metallic color

Nie potrzebny mi jest merc, / I don’t need a Mercedes [slang for mercedes]

Beemą się wożę. / I drive a beemer.

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UWAGI / COMMENTS:

*Nie opelka, nie audicę - should be "Nie opelka, nie audicY", in genitive because it is negated, but to make it rhyme, they have it in accusative.

** siódema - Here, siódema is used instead of siódemka primarily so that it rhymes perfectly with beemka in the next line.

In siódema, the lack of the K perhaps also implies the large size of the car (the 700 models are the biggest).

Pan Szczepan, our linguistic consultant in Warsaw, has this to say about the matter:

Of course siódema is not only because of the rhyme. Words like siódema, dwója, etc., are supposed to give the impression that something is big, important and serious. The car models are arranged in order -- so we know that the biggest number is the best.  

***betka, betki - "something that is not very important (from the word bedłka- a type of small mushroom that is not particularly prized, which are sold at markets by volume, measured by little bowls or cups)." (Translation of an entry from an interesting web page on Łódź slang.)

Autor: James Lindsey; Wikimedia Commons.

Although there is some discussion among Poles as to what kind of mushroom betka actually refers to, some say that it is one from this group -- Russula. 

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Praca domowa cz. 1 / Homework, part 1:

Listen to the song and study the words and translation. Try to identify what grammar you can.
Then answer these questions:

1) Skąd pochodzą beemki? Where are the beemki from?

2) Find the reified numerals.

3) Jaka jest najlepsza maszyna?

4) Explain the grammar in this sentence: "Beemą się wożę."
(wozić się = to drive [oneself around]