# Babie Lato



## Stardusd

Hi!
When I try to understand the word "Babie Lato" in Polish language  it may have several meanings when translated to English and to Portuguese.
If I translate to English it'll be "Ballooning", that means the way spiders "Fly", and if consider the Portuguese translation it'll be "Verão Indiano", or Indian Summer ( India-country).
Well, if I try to undestand, why, Poles named this "spider flight" as Babie lato, I ask- why they used this word, if Babie lato-when translated to the letter-in Polish, means- "Woman's summer".
Which would be the best suitable translation?
Thanks!


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## dreamlike

Hi, Stardusd

The only meaning I was familiar with, prior to reading this thread, was " the spider's thread (gossamer) hovering in the air". (1) It came as a surprise to me to learn that it also means "the period of very sunny and warm weather in autumn". (2)

The suitable translation will vary depending on context - although I think we are safe to assume that, in most cases, a person would mean the first (1) meaning. From my experience, it's more common.

As for the reason "Ballooning" translates as "Babie lato" in Poland,  I'm not quite sure but it might have something to do with the fact that during the Indian Summar, which we also call "Babie lato", different spiecies of spiders move to different places (at least that's what I found out having read encyclopedia's entry for "babie lato")


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## LilianaB

It means Indian Summer, nothing else, in my opinion. Balooning is latanie na balonach. This may have some meaning for scientists dealing with insects, but I am not aware of it, and not too many lay speakers of the language will be aware of, in my opinion.


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## Ben Jamin

LilianaB said:


> It means Indian Summer, nothing else, in my opinion.



Your opinion is erroneous. Read, please: http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babie_lato_(biologia)
http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babie_lato_(meteorologia).


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## Ben Jamin

A very good explanation of both meanings of "babie lato" can be found here: http://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bab%C3%AD_l%C3%A9to


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## LilianaB

Please don't use partial quotes, and do not confuse the poster just to get at me. Thank you, Benjamin. It does not mean anything else to somebody who is not interested in insects, just an Indian Summer. Your link is in Czech, not in Polish. It is a different language, after all. Going back to spiders, the web they make is actually called babie lato, at a certain time of a year, for some reason. I don't think baba refers to a woman here, but rather to some insects. Babochka is a butterfly in Russian, but don't ask me. I am not the biggest fan of insects, except crickets.


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## dreamlike

LilianaB said:
			
		

> It means Indian Summer, nothing else, in my opinion.




It takes a lot of audacity to say that. "*t**he spider's thread (gossamer) hovering in the air" *is often the only meaning Polish people give when asked about "Babie Lato", and you are trying to dismiss it as wrong. You took it too far this time, Liliana.




			
				LilianaB said:
			
		

> It does not mean anything else to somebody who is not interested in insects, just an Indian Summer.




What makes you think that? How do you know what does it mean to other people? I'm not interested in insects, not even in the slightest (and so are other people), but still the only meaning I knew was that of spider's thread.


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## LilianaB

Conduct a pole, Dreamlike, if you don't believe me, what people who speak Polish understand by babie lato, as the first meaning of the phrase. There is a similar phrase in Russian, and in Lithuanian, and the primary meaning of those phrases is Indian Summer. I even asked somebody.


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## dreamlike

We can do without a poll, Liliana. I asked around and very few people were even aware of the second meaning, let alone mentioned it as the first one. The prevailing meaning is that of spider's thread. You will not make me think otherwise, Liliana, I remember hearing this phrase in my early childchood


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## Stardusd

Hi! Nothing else?
I think that the English translation is most accurate (ballooning), because the spider makes its "balloon" of thread ( in the air when it  lifts in hot days) and awaits for some breeze. None of the other translations make sense to me.
If the word Babie lato wasn't old used, I would imagine that Poles modified it for Babie Lot. Now it would be OK, because the spiders that fly are the new ones ( young), and lot means flight.


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

LilianaB said:


> Conduct a *pole*, Dreamlike, if you don't believe me, *what people who speak Polish understand by babie lato*, as the first meaning of the phrase. There is a similar phrase in Russian, and in *Lithuanian*, and the primary meaning of those phrases is Indian Summer. I even asked somebody.


First of all, it's spelled *poll*. Secondly I'm a "person who speaks Polish" and I understand both meanings of _babie lato. _Who cares about the Lithuanian meaning? You argued on the "Other Slavic Language" forum that Baltic languages are NOT related to Slavic languages, so why provide an example from a Baltic language???


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## LilianaB

Yes, it is spelled poll, sorry for the typo. It means almost the same in Russian, which is a Slavic language. The primary meaning of the phrase is Indian Summer, the rest might be interesting for insect lovers.


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

It's not a typo. The 'e' is far from the 'l' on the keyboard! You just don't know your homophones.

Anyways Russian meanings don't matter. We're talking about Polish. Non-insect-lovers also understand the meaning.


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## LilianaB

Yes, it is a typo. There are various types of typos, I hope you are aware of that. I am happy that everyone in Poland knows what ballooning is, even if they don't know much about insects.


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

There's a difference between a typo and a spelling mistake/grammatical error. Yours was the latter, which is NOT a typo. 

BTW English gossamer comes from Middle English _gos (goose) _+ _somer (summer), _so there's definitely a correlation to Polish_ babie lato_.


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## LilianaB

Maybe on an English language high school exam these types of things would really be considered mistakes, because most typos would. It is a typo in my case, believe me. There are very few words in English out of my vocabulary that I don't know how to spell. You did not notice another typo that I made today: interested instead of interesting in one of the posts. I would like to bring it to your attention. I had corrected it before you noticed it. Sorry.
A mistake is not an error, another point. A mistake is a phenomenon only in the sphere of performance, whereas an error is rooted in competence.


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

LilianaB said:


> Maybe on an English language high school exam these types of things would really be considered mistakes, because most typos would. It is a typo in my case, believe me. There are very few words in English out of my vocabulary that I don't know how to spell. *You did not notice another typo that I made today: interested instead of interesting in one of the posts*. I would like to bring it to your attention. I had corrected it before you noticed it. Sorry.
> A mistake is not an error, another point. A mistake is a phenomenon only in the sphere of performance, whereas an error is rooted in competence.


I'm so used to your sloppiness and careless replies that in most instances I just glance over what you write. I only point out the most glaring of errors. Whether you erred or make a mistake or committed a faux-pas or had a freudian slip, however you want to name it, IT WAS NOT A TYPO.


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## LilianaB

No, I don't believe that.  You just did not notice it. You have a lot of unidiomatic constructions in your writing, but I would not single them out because correcting typos and erroneous constructions is a sign of real pettiness, unless you are a teacher or a moderator, especially correcting English typos on a Polish forum.


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## dopethrone

For me it's only "the period of very sunny and warm weather in autumn". I wasn't even aware of the spider thing BUT I asked my mom about it and she said _to taka latająca pajęczynka_


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## kknd

POLSKAdoBOJU said:


> I'm so used to your sloppiness and careless replies that in most instances I just glance over what you write. I only point out the most glaring of errors. Whether you erred or make a mistake or committed a faux-pas or had a freudian slip, however you want to name it, IT WAS NOT A TYPO.


it's not important if it was a typo or not—you pointed it out and she accepted it—i think we can leave it out: mistakes (various) happen and we are on language forum…


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## LilianaB

In fact this discussion has gotten me interested in spiders and ballooning in  particular. What a fascinating way of transportation. Ballooning is not babie lato for sure: the silk may be referred to this way, I agree, but I don't think an average speaker would be aware of it. In my opinion this is the second meaning of babie lato.


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## Stardusd

Hi! Thanks.
I agree with you. Ballooning is the way spiders fly. Babie lato is the flying cobweb. In Polish we say- _Leci Babie Lato! _In English we don't have an equivalent translation. I can't say: Ballooning is flying! or Indian Summer is flying!
Nonse.


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## kknd

Stardusd said:


> Hi! Thanks.
> I agree with you. Ballooning is the way spiders fly. Babie lato is the flying cobweb. In Polish we say- _Leci Babie Lato! _In English we don't have an equivalent translation. I can't say: Ballooning is flying! or Indian Summer is flying!
> Nonse.


maybe just "it's ballooning" (not: "indian summering")…


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## eleannor

I must say that I also understood _babie lato_ as flying spider webs, and that's the only meaning it ever had for me. It is even introduced that way in books for primary school; I still clearly remember the topic and the accompanying picture of a lady laying on a field with _babie lato_ in her hair.

One more thing: I would like you guys to stop arguing. We've had enough topics closed or deleted already :<


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