Loanwords
For centuries, three languages functioned next to each other in Poznań: Polish, German and Yiddish. All of them feature loanwords from each other.
In the Middle Ages the most commonly heard language in the city was German. Polish did not begin to dominate until the 15th century. Today, however, we still use many words coming from German. Many of them, such as ratusz (city hall), rynek (market square), burmistrz (mayor), pertain directly to the city and its organisation. Others are connected to construction, for example: cegła (brick), rynsztok (gutter), bruk (cobblestone), as well as to professions typical for cities, trade: handel (trade), jarmark (fair), waga (weigh), and craft: murarz (mason), ślusarz (locksmith), wajcha (lever), sznur (cord). Words such as knajpa (bar) and taniec (dance) as well as szacunek (respect), odwaga (courage) and los (fate) are of German origin. Loanwords from German comprise as much as one third of Poznań vernacular. These include, for instance, bana (train), bryle (glasses), glaca (baldness), rojber (hooligan), laczki (slippers) and the famous szneka (sweet bun).
