Our team member Jan Zalega, together with Dr Dariusz Jakubowski, MA Marlena Moskal, and BA Dagmara Jarzębska, conducted a series of workshops at the Stanisław Staszic 4th General Secondary School with Bilingual Sections in Sosnowiec. The workshops were titled “Ej, to brzmi podobnie! Czyli o etymologii i pokrewieństwie słów kilka” and “Ar ju spiking or mówisz tu mi? Czyli o tym, co angielski robi w polskim”; they discussed the notions of etymology, language families, loanwords, and English-derived neologisms.

The goal was to acquaint students with the theoretical framework of lexical borrowing, present examples of folk etymology, and illustrate how languages are inherently connected. The students had the opportunity to reflect on how other languages influence Polish and on the types of borrowing. The success of the workshops was reflected in the students’ active and eager participation.