Unit 13 Vocabulary: Arts and Culture Comprehensive Study Guide

General Artistic Concepts and Core Terminology

The fundamental vocabulary of the arts begins with the individual creators and their reception. An artist (/'a:tist/) is an artysta or artystka who creates work for an audience (/'o:dians/), which is the widownia. Within a creative work, a character (/'kærǝktǝ/) is a postać or bohater/bohaterka. To create (kri'eit/) is defined as tworzyć, often resulting in entertainment (,entǝ'teinment/), which translates to rozrywka. A central figure in a story is the hero or heroine (/'hiǝrǝu/'herǝvin/), meaning the główny bohater or główna bohaterka. Certain figures become an icon (/'aikon/), known as an ikona. When a work reaches the highest level of quality, it is deemed a masterpiece (/'ma:stǝpi:s/) or arcydzieło.

The structure of a narrative is known as the plot (plot/), encompassing the akcja or fabuła. The first public showing of a work is the premiere (/'premieǝ/), or premiera. Critical evaluation is provided in a review (ri'vju:/) or recenzja, which is read by a viewer (/'vju:ǝ/), the widz. Collectively, these creations are referred to as a work of art (,w3:k av 'a:t/), or dzieło sztuki.

Musical Categories, Professions, and Performance

Music is categorized into various genres and professional roles. Classical music (,klæsıkǝl 'mju:zik/) is known as muzyka poważna, typically written by a composer (kam'pauzǝ/), or kompozytor/kompozytorka. The result of their work is a composition (,kompǝ'zıfǝn/), which is a kompozycja or utwór. These works are often performed in a concert hall (/'konsǝt,hɔ:l/), or sala koncertowa, under the direction of a conductor (kan'daktǝ/), who is a dyrygent or dyrygentka. Other genres include folk music (/'fauk,mju:zik/), or muzyka folkowa, and indie (independent) music (/,indi (,Indǝ'pendǝnt) 'mju:zik/), which refers to muzyka wytwórni niezależnych.

General classifications are referred to as a kind of music (/,kaind ǝv 'mju:zik/), or rodzaj muzyki. The verbal component of a song consists of the lyrics (/'liriks/), the tekst piosenki. A person who plays or performs is a musician (mju:'zıfǝn/), or muzyk. A single musical item is often called a piece (pi:s/), meaning a kawałek or utwór muzyczny. When musicians travel to perform in multiple cities, they are on tour (tua/), undertaking a tournée or trasa koncertowa.

Literature: Genres, Structure, and Authorship

Literary works come in many forms, such as an adventure story (ǝd'vent fǝ,sto:ri/), which is a powieść przygodowa. Non-fictional accounts of a person's life include an autobiography (,:tǝbar'ngrǝfi/), or autobiografia, and a biography (bar'ogrǝfi/), or biografia. A text is organized into a chapter (/'t fæpta/) or rozdział, and moves from the beginning (br'gının/) to the ending (/'endiŋ/), meaning początek and koniec. A story told through images is a comic book (/'komik,buk/) or komiks. Crime-related fiction is labeled a detective story or murder mystery (/dr'tektiv,sto:ri/,mз:dǝ 'mistǝri/), which is a kryminał.

Titles are introduced with the term entitled (in'taitld/), meaning pod tytułem or zatytułowany. Folkloric narratives are fairy tales (/'feǝri,teil/), or baśnie. Written works are divided into fiction (/'fikfan/), which is beletrystyka or literatura piękna, and non-fiction (,non 'fikfǝn/), or literatura faktu. Specific forms include the ghost story (/'gaust,stǝ:ri/), a historia o duchach; the historical novel (hi,storikǝl 'novǝl/), a powieść historyczna; and the standard novel (noval/), or powieść.

Poetic works include the poem (/'pauim/), or wiersz, created by a poet (/'pauit/), a poeta or poetka, within the field of poetry (pauǝtri/), or poezja. Love-centered stories are romantic novels (rau,mæntık 'novǝl/), or powieści romantyczne. Shorter prose is a short story (fo:t 'sto:ri/), or opowiadanie. Accounts of journeys are found in a travel book (/'trævəl,buk/), or książka podróżnicza. Large works may be divided into a volume (/'volju:m/), or tom, produced by a writer (/'raitǝ/), a pisarz or pisarka.

Visual and Plastic Arts

The visual arts encompass diverse styles and methods. Abstract art (,æbstrækt 'a:t/) refers to sztuka abstrakcyjna. The process of planning is design (di'zain/), which functions as both a noun (projekt) and a verb (projektować). Using lines to create images is to draw (dro:/), resulting in a drawing (/'dro:in/) or rysunek. To present work to the public is to exhibit (ig'zibit/), and the event itself is an exhibition (,eksǝ'bıfǝn/), or wystawa. The movement expressionism (ık'sprejǝnızǝm/) is known as ekspresjonizm, and its practitioners are expressionists (ik'sprefǝnist/).

Subject matter in art includes the landscape (/'lændskerp/), or pejzaż; a portrait (/'po:trǝt/'po:.treit/), or portret; a self-portrait (,self 'po:trǝt/'po:.treit/), or autoportret; and still life (,stil 'laif/), or martwa natura. Recent creative output is modern art (,modn 'a:t/), or sztuka nowoczesna. Large-scale wall paintings are called murals (/'mjuǝrǝl/), or malowidła ścienne. To use pigment is to paint (peint/), done by a painter (/'peintǝ/), resulting in a painting (/'peintıŋ/) or obraz.

Capturing light is the job of a photographer (fa'togrǝfǝ/), or fotograf/fotografka, practicing photography (fa'togrǝfi/), or fotografika, by taking photos (,teik 'fǝutǝuz/). Three-dimensional work involves the verb to sculpt (skalpt/), performed by a sculptor (/'skalptǝ/), to create a sculpture (/'skalptfǝ/) or rzeźba. These artists typically work in a studio (/'st ju:diaʊ/), or pracownia.

Theatre and Performance Arts

Theatre vocabulary focuses on the experience of the stage. To show approval, audiences applaud (ǝ'plo:d/), or oklaskiwać, resulting in applause (ǝ'plo:z/), or oklaski. Tickets are purchased at the box office (/'boks,pfis/), the kasa biletowa. The group of actors is the cast (ka:st/), the obsada. The curtain (/'k3:tn/), or kurtyna, separates the performers from the audience. Actors perform (pǝ'fo:m/), which means występować, grać, or wystawiać.

The event is a performance (pa'fɔ:mǝns/), a przedstawienie. A written work for the stage is a play (plex/), or sztuka teatralna. Audience members reside in a seat (si:t/), or miejsce, while actors utilize the stage (steidz/), or scena. The building itself is the theatre (/'01ǝtǝ/), or teatr.

Cinema and Film Production

Filmmaking involves many technical and creative roles. Acting (/'æktin/) is the gra aktorska. Popular genres include the action film (/'ækfǝn film/), or film akcji; the cartoon or animated film (ka:'tu:n/,ænǝmeitǝd 'film/), which is a film rysunkowy or kreskówka; the disaster film (dı'za:stǝ film/), a film katastroficzny; the documentary (,dok jǝ'mentǝri/), a film dokumentalny; the sci-fi (science fiction) film (/'sai,far (sarǝns 'fikfan) film/), or film science fiction; and the thriller (/'Orilǝ/), or film sensacyjny.

Creative control is held by a director (dǝ'rektǝ/), who directs (dǝ'rekt/) or reżyseruje. Excellence is recognized with an award (ǝ'wɔ:d/), or nagroda. Actors may hold the main role (,mein 'rǝul/), the główna rola, or they can play the part/role of somebody (,pleı dǝ 'pa:t/'rǝul av,sAmbDdi/), meaning grać rolę kogoś. To film a scene is to shoot (fu:t/), or kręcić. The musical background is the soundtrack (/'saundtræk/), or ścieżka dźwiękowa. Visual illusions are special effects (,spefǝl ǝ'fekts/). An actor who is the lead is said to star in a film (,sta:r in ǝ 'film/). For foreign language films, subtitles (/'sAb,tartǝlz/), or napisy, are provided.

Adjectives for Describing Art and Media

Various adjectives characterize the viewer's experience. Positive descriptors include amazing (ǝ'meizin/), meaning niesamowity; amusing (/'ǝ'mju:zıŋ/), or zabawny; brilliant or excellent (/'briljant/'eksəlǝnt/), meaning świetny; enjoyable (in'dzǝrǝbǝl/), or przyjemny; entertaining (,entǝ'teiniŋ/), or zajmujący; fascinating (/'fæsǝneitiŋ/), meaning fascynujący; intriguing (in'tri:gin/), or intrygujący; meaningful (/'mi:niŋfǝl/), meaning istotny or głęboki; original (ǝ'ridzinǝl/), or oryginalny; spectacular (spek'tækjǝlǝ/), meaning spektakularny; thrilling or exciting (/'Orilin/ik'saitiŋ/), meaning pasjonujący; and touching (/'tat fin/), or wzruszający.

Negative or intense descriptors include awful, horrible, or terrible (/''>:fǝl/'horǝbǝl/'terǝbǝl/), meaning okropny or straszny. Something can be unbelievable (,Anbr'li:vǝbǝl/) or niewiarygodny. Other terms include boring (/'bo:riŋ/), or nudny; unconventional (,Ankǝn'venfanǝl/), or niekonwencjonalny; disappointing (disǝ'pointiŋ/), or rozczarowujący; disgusting (dis'gastiŋ/), meaning okropny or wstrętny; frightening, scary, or terrifying (/'fraitniŋ/'skeǝri/'terǝfaŋ/), meaning przerażający. Works might also be hopeless or rubbish (/'hǝuplǝs/'rabif/), meaning beznadziejny; poor (po:/), meaning kiepski; shocking (fokiŋ/), or szokujący; strange (streind3/), or dziwny; ugly (/'Agli/), meaning brzydki; and violent (varǝlǝnt/), or pełen przemocy.

Mass Media and Communication

The dissemination of information occurs through various channels. A written piece is an article (/'a:tıkǝl/) or artykuł. A transmitted program is a broadcast (/'bro:dka:st/), meaning audycja or nadawać. When a book or album is released, it comes out (,kam 'aut/). Daily publications include the daily, weekly, or monthly (/'deili/'wi:kli/'maneli/), which are dziennik, tygodnik, and miesięcznik. Formats include comic strips (/'komik,strip/), or historyjki obrazkowe; crosswords (/'krosw3:d/), or krzyżówki; and series (/'sıǝri:z/), or seriale.

Television formats include the episode (/'episǝud/), or odcinek; game/quiz shows (/'geim/'kwiz Jau/) or teleturnieje; reality shows (ri'ælati Jau/); soap operas (/'soup,ppǝrǝ/) or telenowele; and sports programmes (/'sports,prǝugræm/). Information is shared through the news (nju:z/), or wiadomości, and the newspaper (/'nju:z,perpǝ/), or gazeta. Low-quality sensationalist papers are tabloids (/'tæblǝrd/), or brukowce. Media workers include journalists (/'d33:nalist/), or dziennikarze, who conduct an interview (/'intǝvju:/) or wywiad. Magazines can be specialized, such as a music or teen magazine (mægǝ,zi:n/). Information that is unverified is gossip (/'gosip/), meaning plotka.

Functional Phrases and Specialized Expressions

Specific contexts require idiomatic phrasing. A story can be based on (a novel / a true story) (/,beist on/), or oparty na powieści / prawdziwej historii. A scene might be set in (/,bi 'set in/), meaning rozgrywać się w. A person can be famous for (/'fermǝs fǝ/) or słynny z powodu something. Frequent visits are described as going to art galleries. Visual placement is described as being in the background (w tle) or in the foreground (na pierwszym planie). When something is logical, it makes sense (/,merk 'sens/). To give a positive review is to recommend something to somebody (/,rekǝ'mend/). A stimulus for creativity is a source of inspiration (so:s av ,inspǝ'reifǝn/). Excellent works are worth seeing/reading (/,w3:0 'si:1ŋ/'ri:dıŋ/).

Additional terms include appeal to somebody (/'ǝ'pi:l tə,sambodi/), meaning podobać się komuś; an art movement (/,a:t 'mu:vment/), or ruch artystyczny; a camera crew (/'kæmǝrǝ, kru:/), or ekipa zdjęciowa; and handwriting (/'hand,raitin/), or charakter pisma. Geographic features like a fjord (/'fi:o:d/) are mentioned, alongside historical periods like the Renaissance (da ri'netsons/), or Renesans. A must-watch (/mast-wolf/) is something co należy koniecznie obejrzeć. Finally, the idiom think outside the box (/'0nk aut,said dǝ 'boks/) is defined as myśleć twórczo i kreatywnie.