# Jeno



## kirahvi

I've never run into the word _jeno_ in Polish until Stardusd started to post here. Based on my basic knowledge of Czech, I understand _jeno_ is a synonym for _tylko_, but I'm not sure of the register of this word. Is it dialectal or maybe an old fashioned word? Or has it simply not caught my attention in speech or writing until now?


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## majlo

I've heard people from the country use it many times. I think it's typical of them to use this word. The possible alternative is "ino".

I sometimes use them, especially the latter one, but only in jest.


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## majlo

POLSKAdoBOJU said:


> _Jeno_ jest przestarzałe i książkowe; i rzadko spotykane w polszczyźnie codziennej. Tu bym raczej użył _tylko, jedynie,_ lub nawet_ zaledwie._


To mnie zaskoczyłeś. W życiu bym nie pomyślał, że to może być książkowe. Masz jakieś źródła, które to potwierdzają? W PWNie w ogóle nie ma tego słowa, a Wiki podaje tylko _przest._


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

It's definitely an old-fashioned word meaning _tylko _or j_edynie_. It's rarely heard in spoken Polish. We all know the famous Christmas carol (_kolęda_) that goes: _Bracia patrzcie *jeno*, jak niebo goreje_.... That's pretty much the only time I've heard the word used.


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## kirahvi

Thanks, majlo. I haven't really ventured out of the cities in Poland, so I haven't been exposed to a lot of dialectal variety, I'm afraid.

It also looks like PolskaDoBoju already answered my question in another thread.

Edit: I see I posted at the same time as PolskaDoBoju. Thanks for the info!


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## majlo

What do you mean by venturing out the cities in Poland, kirahvi?


POLSKAdoBOJU said:


> We *all* know the famous Christmas carol (_kolęda_) that goes: _Bracia patrzcie *jeno*, jak niebo goreje_.... That's pretty much the only time I've heard the word used.


Are you sure?


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

majlo said:


> To mnie zaskoczyłeś. W życiu bym nie pomyślał, że to może być książkowe. Masz jakieś źródła, które to potwierdzają? W PWNie w ogóle nie ma tego słowa, a Wiki podaje tylko _przest._


A kolęda wyżej podana przeze mnie?


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## POLSKAdoBOJU

majlo said:


> What do you mean by venturing out the cities in Poland, kirahvi?
> 
> Are you sure?



Yes, I'm sure. I PM'ed everyone on this forum. They *all* know it.


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## kirahvi

I mean I haven't really heard how people speak outside the larger cities, where the language has been pretty standard Polish, in my experience. I would assume there is a lot more dialectal variation in the countryside. That's generally the case in most countries, so I'm being bold and extrapolating. But as I haven't been to the countryside, I haven't been exposed to a lot of variation in spoken Polish.


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## majlo

I see now, Polska.

By the way, I didn't receive your PM.


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## LilianaB

It must be an older word. It was definitely used in literature, even  the literature of the beginning of the 20th century, especially by one great poet and playwright: Stanislaw Wyspianski. He was somehow fascinated with folklore and used it in a very special, experimental, let's say, way in his plays. There is a famous line by this poet:"Miałes chamie złoty róg został ci się jeno sznur." I don't know how popular this word was otherwise at the beginning of the 20th century. It could be encountered in some regional dialects, probably even now. In the Beskida Mountains, most likely, In Silesian it is jyno.


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## marco_2

Another famous quotation comes from the K.K.Baczyński poem, performed by Ewa Demarczyk: *Jeno wyjmij mi z tych oczu szkło bolesne - obraz dni, które czaszki białe toczy* *przez **płonące łąki krwi *etc. I think that *jeno *is older even than *ino*, which is still used in some Polish dialects - I often heard people from Lesser or Greater Poland (Małopolska and Wielkopolska) saying: _Chodź ino tu! - _it's quite common e.g. in Świetokrzyskie woivodship or in Krotoszyn region (Wielkopolska).


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## dn88

It is also found in the fourth verse of our national anthem. 

_Już tam ojciec do swej Basi
Mówi zapłakany —
Słuchaj *jeno*, pono nasi
Biją w tarabany._


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## LilianaB

Is that the new national anthem of Poland? Is it tarabany or barabany?


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## dreamlike

POLSKAdoBOJU said:


> It's definitely an old-fashioned word meaning _tylko _or j_edynie_. It's rarely heard in spoken Polish.



The word certainly has had its day. That said, I think it's still quite popular with people using Silesian dialect, although I might be wrong. Also, I hear people say it jocularly every so often.


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## LilianaB

Well, however, in my opinion you cannot use it in standard language instead of tylko. It can be used for specific purposes only: poetic or as a part of a dialect.


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## Ben Jamin

LilianaB said:


> Is that the new national anthem of Poland? Is it tarabany or barabany?



You can find the complete lyrics in Wikipedia.


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## LilianaB

Thank you Benjamin. Is the music new as well? Added: Never mind, it is the same. That's what I thought. I always heard only the first two stanzas.


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## Oletta

From this word, I assume, derives the sort of a swear word, namely: jeny, for instance: 'O jeny, znowu do pracy....' (?)


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## dreamlike

Hmmmm... I don't seen any link between the two, Oletta.


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## Ben Jamin

Oletta said:


> From this word, I assume, derives the sort of a swear word, namely: jeny, for instance: 'O jeny, znowu do pracy....' (?)



‘Jeny’ is a replacement that allows pious people not to call high powers in vain. It replaces the one you know whose name begins with Je. It’s like ‘gosh’ o ‘gee’ in English. It has nothing to do with ‘jeno’, neither it is a swear word.


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## Oletta

Ben Jamin said:


> ‘Jeny’ is a replacement that allows pious people not to call high powers in vain. It replaces the one you know whose name begins with Je. It’s like ‘gosh’ o ‘gee’ in English. It has nothing to do with ‘jeno’, neither it is a swear word.


 Haha, I have never thought about it, you must be right, though. I thought it was connected with the unwanted repetivity of a certain action such as 'going to work' - jeny jeny znowu to, *tylko* to..  (not a swear word, indeed...)


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