# Polish Alphabet explained — The Deluge

> Chapter companion for The Deluge by Henryk Sienkiewicz.

## What happens

This chapter provides a guide to the transliteration of Polish names and phonetic combinations used in the book, explaining how Polish letters and digraphs correspond to English sounds to aid readers unfamiliar with the language.

## Key lines

> Since the Polish alphabet has many peculiar phonetic combinations which are difficult to one who does not know the language, it was decided to transliterate the names of persons and places in which such combinations occur in this book.

Because the Polish alphabet contains sounds unfamiliar to non-speakers, the author chose to transliterate names of people and places that feature these combinations.

_Explains the rationale for transliteration._

> The following are the letters and combinations which are met with most frequently:⁠— Polish Letters English Sounds c ts cz ch in “chief” sz sh in “ship” szcz shch rz r followed by the French j w v ż j in French

The most common Polish letters and their English sound equivalents are listed, such as 'c' pronounced as 'ts', 'cz' as 'ch' in 'chief', and 'sz' as 'sh' in 'ship'.

_Provides a reference table for Polish pronunciation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_deluge_se/chapters/polish-alphabet
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_deluge_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_deluge_se/chapters