The activities carried out at the university in northern Italy were financed from the funds of the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange granted under the "Promotion of the Polish Language" programme. Prof. Magdalena Pietrzak is the project manager, while Prof. Stefano Aloe, a Slavist, historian of Russian literature and Slavic-Italian cultural relations is the substantive supervisor from the Italian side. Six employees of the Institute of Polish Philology and Logopaedics and Dr Katarzyna Kowalik from the Institute of Romance Studies, who acted as a translator visited Verona. The project activities were carried out at the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures (Dipartimento di Lingue e Letterature Straniere Università di Verona).
To find a common language
The main objective of the project was to arouse interest in Polish language and culture among Italian students. The implementation of this goal was to be facilitated by conducting a turbo course in Polish. Experienced teachers from the Department of Applied and Cultural Linguistics at the University of Lodz were appointed to carry out the task: Dr Mateusz Gaze and Dr Kamila Kubacka. The linguists from Lodz conduct classes at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Lodz with international students of Polish Studies with English. In Verona, they used their competences to impart, in a nutshell, knowledge of the basic principles and constructions of the Polish language in five days. The course was attended by a dozen or so people.
What really surprised us was the fact that the students were at different levels of advancement in Polish. It was necessary to divide them into two groups. One group that started from the basics, i.e. learning the alphabet and Polish phonetics, and the other, which already managed the Polish language and was able to use basic phrases and answer our questions in an advanced way
– underlines Dr Mateusz Gaze.
Teaching Polish abroad is also the art of finding oneself in a new situation and conditions. The instructors were able to cope even in unexpected circumstances.
It turned out that we did not have the tools to show the Polish language system on site. We were missing some letters from our native language. We could not translate them into the local keyboard system, so we were not able to write them down either. However, as experienced language teachers, we had already created a file with Polish letters and that is how we managed to write down Polish words. We also used traditional, reliable methods – a board and a marker
– explains Dr Kamila Kubacka.
Learning Polish in an international group
The course participants’ motivations for taking part in the classes were interesting. Some underlined that they were enthusiastic about learning different foreign languages, others pointed to the practical aspects of learning Polish.
I haven't been to Poland yet, but I have a friend who is Polish and I really appreciate her. I would like to know more about her country
– said Ilaria Frizzera, a participant of the turbo course.
I think it's a great opportunity to learn something you haven't heard of before. I love all Slavic languages and I'd like to move to Poland or another Slavic country someday
– added Anna Luce Quaresimin, another person taking part in the course.
We should underline that the course was attended not only by Italian students, but also by people from Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Working in an international and diverse group was an additional advantage.
We were positively surprised by the fact that the course participants were very motivated to work. They were students of studies of various languages, and as a result, they were very aware of the language system. They asked about various grammatical nuances, which is always a pleasure for us teachers, because it is grammar that students do not like. On the other hand, these Verona students were very keen to delve into the secrets of Polish grammar
– underlines Dr Gaze, and adds:
It was 20 intensive hours. Students spent 5 days, 4 hours each, learning the basics of Polish. They got to know Polish pronunciation, the specifics of Polish sounds, such as "cz", "ż", "ś", "dź". They learned to talk about themselves, introduce themselves, talk about their hobbies, about their free day. They know how to place orders in cafes, restaurants and grocery stores.
Polish Literature and Culture Without Secrets
The visit of lecturers from the Faculty of Philology to Italy was not limited to a Polish language course. An additional attraction was a series of lectures on Polish literature and culture, which allowed the listeners to get to know our country and the mutual relations between Poland and Italy even better.
Over the last week, we held 10 lectures on Polish literature, language and culture. We have presented, among other things, the educational journeys of the first Poles to Italy, and discussed the interdynastic relations between Poles and Italians. We also demonstrated how our Polish romantics travelled across the Apennine Peninsula, seeking inspiration. Of course, there was also no shortage of contemporary Polish poetry from the 20th century inspired by art. We also used the Polish language during our lectures, showing the borrowings that we have from Italian in Polish, explaining how they reached our language and in what circumstances. During the lectures, we also looked together at proverbs, idioms, phraseologisms, among other things, those concerning cuisine and the image of women. This way, we could compare what image of Polish and Italian society recorded in the language unites us and brings us closer together
– emphasises Prof. Maria Berkan-Jabłońska, one of the people who gave lectures at the University of Verona.
The speakers also included Prof. Magdalena Pietrzak, Prof. Małgorzata Mieszek, Dr Magdalena Wismont and Dr Mateusz Gaze.
BILINGUAL LECTURES
The assistance provided by Dr Katarzyna Kowalik from the Institute of Romance Studies at the University of Lodz, who acted as a translator during her week-long stay in Verona, was invaluable in the smooth implementation of the lectures. Thanks to this, the lecture participants who did not yet have sufficient skills in the Polish language were able to easily assimilate the presented content.
I started my project activities in December 2024. The Polish studies lecturers gradually sent me their texts, which I translated into Italian, thanks to which they were now presented to students during the classes. I also had the opportunity to consult various issues with the Polish studies lecturers. I am glad that my experiences related to studying in Italy, traveling to Italy and knowing Italian culture could help my colleagues from the group
– Dr Kowalik points out.
From Poland to Italy
It should be mentioned that representatives of the Polish diaspora also appeared among the audience present at the lectures. For our compatriots, it was the first opportunity in many years to return to school desks and listen to interesting lectures in their native language.
I have lived half my life in Italy, I met my husband here. Personally, I do not like history and art, but if I had teachers at high school like the people who give these lectures, I would be very good at these subjects! They tell stories beautifully and approach the topics they discuss professionally. We have to take care to present our Poland properly, because the older generation in Italy still thinks that our country is about polar bears, snowy streets and black and white TVs. And I think that times have changed and as Poles we have nothing to be ashamed of and we have a lot to offer
– underlines Katarzyna Skoczkowska, a Pole who has been living in Verona for many years.
To be continued
The visit to Verona is not the end of the project activities. The next activities will be carried out online.
During these few days, it became clear that there are many similarities between us and the Italians. We will continue our lectures online as soon as we return home, from March to May. There will be new characters, including writers such as Henryk Sienkiewicz and Stanisław Lem, who are recognised by Italians. We are also going to talk about idioms, and of course there will be references to Polish cinema, which has dealt with such Polish-Italian themes. I am convinced that this is a project with a future
– concludes Prof. Berkan-Jabłońska.
People working within the project in a group photo with the participants of the Polish language turbo course
Prof. Magdalena Pietrzak emphasises the excellent relations developed with partners from Italy.
The cooperation with Prof. Aloe was perfect! All current issues were solved by us extremely quickly – as if we were friends, even though we did not know each other before
– the project manager points out.
Prof. Stefano Aloe adds:
From our point of view, the main objective was to get our students interested in Polish. We do not have Polish in our offer at the moment, and currently only one Slavic language can be studied here, which is Russian.
Both sides unanimously declare that the end of the project will not be the end of their relationship. Although Lodz and Verona are 1260 kilometres apart, it is already clear that there is something that unites the two sides – a passion for the Polish language. Let's hope their joint activities continue in the future!
Text: Bartosz Burski
Photos: Bartosz Burski, Angelina Kusowska (Promotion and Communication Office of the Faculty of Philology, University of Lodz)