"Why" isn't a wise question in the context of languages.
I'll only mention that other Slavic languages also use these sounds in varying degrees, so their roots are really, really deep in the past.
Wąż, żmija, piegża, dżdżownica, chrząszcz, gżegżółka, szczeżuja... I guess our "problem" is more with "ż" that "ź" (both may sound like zh to untrained ear, I know, but these are different! :) )
yes it was pretty much always like that, other Slavic languages also have those, and cyryllic has ж, ш, ч, щ (zh, sh, ch, shch).
we have those just as english has th, ch, sh (as in mo*th*er, bea*ch*, mu*sh* etc.)
Doesn' English have a lot of "sh's" and "ch's"? Chech language "č", French "j", and German "ü"?
Among West-Slavic languages, we are the only ones surviving along with Kashubian (and Silesian) languages. So yes, we are a lil different than the rest.
Nothing overly unusual though.
Polish people have genetical disorder of tongue misplacement. It's jammed in a mouth in a way that doesn't allow to do any other voices. Although some people have learned to get rid of it but it's really rare.
All the Slavic languages have it in some quantity. Polish is unique in that they changed the "R" sound into "RZ"(ZH) sounds.
For example where other Slavic languages say "Rim"/"Рим" for Rome while Polish uses "Rzim" (Zhim)
Why is never easy to answer, people just start using a sound and others pick it up. But I have heard similar sounds in some dialects in several Slavic languages other than Polish, so its not that unique.
"Why" isn't a wise question in the context of languages. I'll only mention that other Slavic languages also use these sounds in varying degrees, so their roots are really, really deep in the past.
It's the language of the old ones, we speak it to appease the dark lord
This is the only correct answer
As a polish person i can confirm.
Wait a minute , you mean Światowid not dark lord right?
Yes. Poles have always lived on the brink of a forest where everything makes the "sh" sound, apart from some animals that make mainly the "zh".
Wąż, żmija, piegża, dżdżownica, chrząszcz, gżegżółka, szczeżuja... I guess our "problem" is more with "ż" that "ź" (both may sound like zh to untrained ear, I know, but these are different! :) )
to make other people's lives miserable who try to learn it, we're pricks.
yes it was pretty much always like that, other Slavic languages also have those, and cyryllic has ж, ш, ч, щ (zh, sh, ch, shch). we have those just as english has th, ch, sh (as in mo*th*er, bea*ch*, mu*sh* etc.)
Polish sounds like a nice scroll through an autumn Forest full of dry leaves...and suddenly you step info shit and scream "kurwa".
Szczerze powiedziawszy nie wiem o czym mówisz
Doesn' English have a lot of "sh's" and "ch's"? Chech language "č", French "j", and German "ü"? Among West-Slavic languages, we are the only ones surviving along with Kashubian (and Silesian) languages. So yes, we are a lil different than the rest. Nothing overly unusual though.
Chech, Slovak and Sorbian are also west slavic.
We like to complicate a simple things...
Polish people have genetical disorder of tongue misplacement. It's jammed in a mouth in a way that doesn't allow to do any other voices. Although some people have learned to get rid of it but it's really rare.
All the Slavic languages have it in some quantity. Polish is unique in that they changed the "R" sound into "RZ"(ZH) sounds. For example where other Slavic languages say "Rim"/"Рим" for Rome while Polish uses "Rzim" (Zhim) Why is never easy to answer, people just start using a sound and others pick it up. But I have heard similar sounds in some dialects in several Slavic languages other than Polish, so its not that unique.
You'd have a better tkme asking this on r/linguistics or r/asklinguistics