Old pilots on the bridge, that is the discreet charm of the alternations

Abstract

Polish is wrongly regarded as a particularly difficult language. Morphonological alternations that occur in verbs, nouns, adjectives, numerals, pronouns and participles, in gradation, as well as in word-formation, seem to be difficult, indeed. This article demonstrates that a few simple rules suffice to organise the seemingly chaotic world of Polish alterations. When teaching Polish as a foreign language, it is worth introducing these rules step by step from the initial stage of learning. Furthermore, properly presented examples can be more instructive than lengthy metalinguistic comments. With this approach, numerous grammatical forms do not appear to be an ocean of exceptions, but a network of waterways that can be navigated safely.