# Niezapominający syn



## PocketWatch

Written on the back of an old family photo from around 1916. I am positive that I got this phrase wrong, so I attached an image. I am pretty sure it's Polish, that is the most logical language for it to be. I would greatly appreciate a translation, thanks!
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/KilledBill/polish.jpg?t=1178514311


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## vodevilja

Dla drogiego 
Ojczulka
Niezapominający
Syn

_Ojczulek_ is a strong (then: very intimate, now: sometimes slightly ironic) diminutive of _father (ojciec)_. It may also have a slight connotation of advanced age. Yet I wouldn't translate it to _daddy - _it would have the same meaning, but wouldn't be appropriate for those times.

For my dear
Father
The-not-forgetting [translated literally, as the Polish word sounds archaic]
Son


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## Thomas1

FWIW, regardless of what it should read like today; I think the sentiment on the photograph reads:
_Dla drogiego ojczulga niezapominający syn._

Tom


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## vodevilja

Then compare this "_k_" with the two "_g_" in "_drogiego_". To make a "_g_", the writer made a loop from the right to the left, and then came down with just a small curve (just like I do, by the way) - do you see any of this in "_ojczulka_"? Besides, writing "_ojczulga_" wouldn't have any sense if you take into consideration the Polish grammar - even the ancient one. Therefore it is written just like it would be now.


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## Thomas1

I know it wouldn't have any sense, at least today, since I don't know well enough Old Polish grammar. Anyway, to my eyes it doesn't look like a _k_ it is more reminiscent of _g,_ which compared to the ones in _drogiego_ is in fact a bit got out of shape. It kind of looks like there was too much ink which blurred the distincitve traits of a loop--this is also visible in _j_ in ojczulka and niezapomniający as well as in _y_ in the latter.

Tom


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## vodevilja

I'm talking about the loop in the center part of the letter, as the first part of the letter that's written - it doesn't exist in _j_ and _y_. As for the height of the letter - the lack of the "upper column" can be explained by the habit of writing in cyryllic (where the _k_ is smaller), while the "tail"... I don't know where it came from, but it can't really be anything else than an unexplainable "tail" of the letter _k_  He probably made it by mistake :]


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## dn88

The Polish grammar notwithstanding, I would go for "ojczulga" together with Tom (to me, it doesn't look like "k" at all). I assume that the person who penned this word must have distorted its spelling affectionately, I'd even say deliberately. So I truly doubt there is the "k", it may resemble "y", however, then it wouldn't make any sense whatsoever. Look at the style in which this message was written, "niezapominający" isn't a very common word I think, at least nowadays, one would probably use "zawsze pamiętający" instead. That's my opinion. Uh, I fear we're somewhat getting beyond the scope of this thread, since the answer was given in #2.


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## vodevilja

And for me it looks like a _k, _as I know people who make even stranger distortions (the writer simply didn't "reattach" the upper hook and lenghtened the lower one by accident). Just look at the _g_'s in the first line - they are begun with an obvious counterwise loop, then followed by a curve before the second loop. It has absolutely nothing to do with the letter below.

While the use of _niezapominający_ doesn't have much in common for me, as it sounds quite natural if you think of the language spoken 90 years ago...


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## PocketWatch

I found another photo almost like this one. It had Polish written on the back also and it looked very similar to this. I think it is almost the same text as this one.

http://i128.photobucket.com/albums/p181/EdwardDocumentary/Scan10083.jpg?t=1193285903

Can someone tell me if it is/what it says?


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## Oletta

It says:
"Dla Najdroższego Ojca

Ignacy"

"For the dearest father

Ignacy"


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