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Try asking on http://www.reddit.com/r/linguistics/ -- those guys are pretty sharp about this kind of thing. (Assuming that reddit isn't down due to DOS attack.)

Try googling / binging "L1 interference".

Thanks!

I know about funny word differences, but we have no problems learning russian, why russians would have problems learning polish?

this is my favorite http://translate.google.com/#ru/pl/%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B5%... (in polish it sounds like 'caviar in a can')

Well, I know neither Polish nor Russian, but here in Prague I know a lot of Russians that never learn to say the word dobrý. They say dobry(short y) instead, which exists in Russian. They never learn to say it long, even when you point it out to them.

oh, I get it.

we also share a lot of funny misunderstandings with czech. čerstvý chléb is zatuchlý chléb in polish, imagine being there for the first time and seeing grocery stores advertising old bread :D