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Murzyn is a Polish word for a black person. It is seen by some as a neutral word, but others consider it to have pejorative connotations. Notably, the noun murzyn appears in a popular Polish saying which refers to any menial work performed by a Pole for the benefit of his or her potential adversaries, "Murzyn zrobił swoje, murzyn może odejść" ("Black man did his deed, black man can go now").

Etymology

Etymologically, 'Murzyn' is thought by some to derive from the same root as the English word 'moor'.

Meaning, usage and connotations

According to Słownik Języka Polskiego (Dictionary of the Polish Language), 'murzyn' means somebody with black skin. Informally, it can also mean: 1. Somebody anonymously doing work for somebody else; 2. Somebody with a dark brown tan; 3. A hard working person forced to do hard labour.

'Murzyn' (feminine form - 'murzynka', diminutive - 'murzynek') can be translated into English as 'black' or 'Negro'. In the opinion of Dr Marek Łaziński, it can also be associated with Shakespeare's 'noble' Othello, usually called a 'moor' in English. According to him, among Poles, the word is perceived as less offensive than a direct translation of the English word "black", "czarny", which often does carry negative connotations in Polish. Łaziński, in a language advice column of the Polish dictionary, also suggests that in cases where an individual may perceive the word to be offensive, geographic or national designations should be used.

According to Patrycja Pirog, the word "'murzyn', which in the opinion of many Poles, including academics, is not offensive, is seen by black people as discriminatory and derogatory." For Antonina Kloskowska, meanwhile, writing in "Race", ethnicity and nation: international perspectives on social conflict, the word "Murzyn" "does not carry pejorative connotations. In contrast, the favoured term in the West, "black", which translates into Polish as "Czarny", is seen as offensive".

It should be noted that in Poland the expressions "czarny" and "czarna," literally meaning "black," are also often applied, without derogatory connotation, to white ("Caucasian") individuals, respectively male and female, who have dark hair or dark complexions. Since black people have not been common in Poland historically, this has not caused confusion.

Poland's first black Member of Parliament, John Godson, has said that the word is not offensive and that he is proud to be called a 'murzyn'. Mamadou Diouf, a black Polish musician and representative of the Committee for the African Community (Komitet Społeczności Afrykańskiej), has criticised Godson for his use of the word, saying that it has only had "negative connotations" and that Godson does not know the etymology of the word. In January 2012, MP Marek Suski was heard referring to Godson as "your little black man" ("wasz murzynek") to MP Alicja Olechowska, from Godson's party - Civic Platform. Suski explained himself saying, "Murzynek Bambo is in Polish literature a nice little poem" ("Murzynek Bambo jest w polskiej literaturze miłym wierszykiem"). Godson in turn stated, "This is an issue of one's level of intercultural intelligence" ("To jest sprawa poziomu inteligencji międzykulturowej").

In phrases

Dr Tomasz Piekot, writing on Gazeta.pl, notes that the image of the 'murzyn' in Poland is

"brutal. We think they are stupid, dirty and stink. From this we get sayings of the following type: "it stinks as if it's from a murzyn hut", "it's as dark as in a murzyn's arse". It's associated with backwardness, poverty, slavery. We can after all describe someone we are using as, "this is my white murzyn". These are all negative connotations."

Wiadomosci24 says:

"Although we rarely see Africans and African-Americans on our streets, of course we say: "The murzyn has done his job, he can go now", or: "we need a murzyn" (for dirty work done for little pay)."

The phrase "a hundred years behind the murzyns" ("sto lat za Murzynami") is used, often about Poland itself, to describe a backward, under-developed situation.

The English word "ghostwriter" can be translated informally in Polish as "literacki murzyn" - "a literary murzyn" - someone who works (relatively anonymously) to write a book for somebody else.

Examples in Polish culture

Patrycja Pirog cites the famous children's poem Murzynek Bambo as having "greatly contributed to the preservation of the word 'murzyn' in the lexicon." Pirog characterizes the poem, about a cheerful but unruly black child attending an African school, as "a story about how enlightened Europe tries to civilise the savage", embodying "the Enlightenment myth of the good savage, creating an opposition to that which is white and rational."

"Under the murzyns" ("Pod Murzynami") is also a not uncommon name for chemist's shops or tenement buildings in Poland. Often an image of a black person accompanies the name.

Agatha Christie's novel, which was originally titled Ten Little Niggers was translated into Polish as Ten Murzyns (Dziesięciu Murzynków), although the English title of the novel was itself changed to "Ten Little Indians". General Władysław Franciszek Jabłonowski (1769–1802), of mixed descent, was nicknamed "Murzynek".

The word "murzyn" has been used in various titles of artistic works. In 1875 Michał Bałucki wrote a book called Biały murzyn (White murzyn) and in 1938 Tadeusz Boy-Żeleński published Murzyn zrobił swoje (The murzyn has done his job).

Other meanings

"Murzynek" in informal Polish can also mean a popular type of chocolate cake, or a portion of strong coffee. A "murzyn polski" ("Polish murzyn") is a variety of black-billed pigeon.

"Murzynka", apart from meaning a "black-skinned woman", is also a type of strawberry with small, dark red fruit.

Derogatory terms

The words "Murzyn" and "Czarny," like other words, may — but need not — carry a derogatory connotation, depending on context. By contrast, other Polish expressions that have sometimes been applied to "Murzyni" have generally carried disparaging associations — e.g., "czarnuch" (a variant of "czarny"), and "negatyw" (a "negative," in the photography sense).

References

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (October 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

1. ^ Antonina Kłoskowska (1 July 1996). "Nation, race and ethnicity in Poland". In Peter Ratcliffe (ed.). "Race", ethnicity and nation: international perspectives on social conflict. Psychology Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-85728-661-8. Retrieved 28 September 2011.
2. ^ "Murzynek Bambo w Afryce mieszka", czyli jak polska kultura stworzyła swojego "Murzyna", '"Murzyn", który zdaniem wielu Polaków, w tym także naukowców, nie jest obraźliwy, uznawany jest przez osoby czarnoskóre za dyskryminujący i uwłaczający.'
3. Jarosław Głodek, "Murzyn zrobił swoje." Miesięcznik "W Drodze", 2011
4. "Murzyn zrobił swoje". Protest radnego. Gazeta Wyborcza, Łódź.
5. Murzyn, SJP.pl
6. Czy Obama jest Murzynem?, Juraszek.net
7. Lista odpowiedzi, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN
8. Czy Murzynek Bambo to rasistowski wierszyk?, TVP2
9. "Murzyn to niewolnik. Szkoda, że poseł tego nie łapie", TVN24.pl, retrieved 30/11/2011. Diouf: "Myślę, że pan poseł nie zna pochodzenia słowa, o którym mowa" - "I think, that the MP doesn't know the etymology of the word".
10. ^ Suski z PiS o czarnoskórym pośle Godsonie: "Murzynek" , Wiadomosci24, retrieved 29/01/2012
11. O rasizmie w mowie: Dziś Bambo chodzi z nami do szkoły, Gazeta.pl: "Po pierwsze, mówimy zwykle "Murzyn". Obraz takich osób w Polsce jest brutalny. Myślimy o nich, że są głupi, brudni i że śmierdzą. Stąd powiedzonka typu: "śmierdzi jak z murzyńskiej chaty", "ciemno jak w dupie u Murzyna". Kojarzą się z zacofaniem, biedą, niewolnictwem. Możemy przecież powiedzieć o kimś, kogo wykorzystujemy, "to jest mój biały Murzyn". To wszystko negatywne konotacje."
12. This is a quote from the 1783 play Fiesco by German writer Frederick Schiller (translated from the German as "The Moor has done his duty, the Moor can go" according to dict.cc - English-German Dictionary).
13. Murzynek Bambo w USA mieszka, czyli ile w nas rasizmu?, Wiadomosci24. Originally: "Choć na naszych ulicach rzadko widzimy Afrykanów i Afroamerykanów, to przecież mawiamy: "Murzyn zrobił swoje, Murzyn może odejść", albo: "potrzebujemy Murzyna" (do czarnej roboty za marne wynagrodzenie)."
14. Public information advert about tolerance: "Twoje zabawki są sto lat za murzynami"
15. Jak Colin wyłowił Alicję, TVN24
16. PANDORA W KONGU, Wydawnictwo Literackie
17. ^ "Murzynek Bambo w Afryce mieszka", czyli jak polska kultura stworzyła swojego "Murzyna"
18. Christie Agatha Mary Clarissa, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN
19. Jabłonowski Władysław Franciszek, Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN
20. Murzynek, PWN
21. Murzyn polski, PWN
22. Murzyna, PWN