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PanoramaDžíny, hamburgry and komputry: is Czech under threat from English?
‘English is attacking Czech from all sides’ one newspaper columnist
recently despaired, while others talk of Czech’s ‘battle for
survival’ in a world in which ever more English is spoken. From terms
like ‘setobox’, ‘vygooglovat’ and ‘mobil’ on the one hand to
words like ‘sorry’, ‘byzy’ and ‘lůzr’ on the other, English
does seem to be making an impact on today’s Czech. But are these English
borrowings really a threat to the Czech language, or do they enrich it
instead? I asked some Czechs for their opinion: More
One on OneChristopher Harwood – professor of Czech at Columbia University
Christopher Harwood is a lecturer in Czech at Columbia University in New
York. When I met him at his office on Columbia’s Upper West Side campus,
we discussed Czech literature, the difficulties of learning Czech, and how
Professor Harwood himself had become good enough at the language to teach
it at one of the world’s leading universities. More
PanoramaCzech expats from around the world come to Dobruška to connect with their heritage
Every summer the north-east Bohemian town of Dobruška turns truly
cosmopolitan, opening its doors to Czech language students from around the
world. The Czech language summer school organized by Charles University
lasts for a month and is specially tailored for Czech expats and people who
have developed an interest in the Czech language and culture.
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PanoramaDictionary of Communist Totalitarianism decodes the language of propaganda
How did communist propaganda brainwash people? What were the most frequent
words used in the communist press? And was it at all possible to learn any
real news from the censored newspapers? These are some of the questions a
team of Czech linguists is trying to answer in their Dictionary of
Communist Totalitarianism. More
SoundCzechI need to get out of this hole
Welcome to SoundCzech our long-running language series in which you can
learn Czech idioms through song lyrics. Today’s final edition looks at
the expression vypdanout z týhle díry – to get out of this hole. The
expression features in a song by Mňága a Žďorp a very popular
alternative rock band from Valašské Meziříčí, called Ve 4 rano – At
four in the morning. The setting is a bar or club just before closing: the
music has come to an end, no one has anything left to smoke and the tables
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Letter from PragueThe delicacies of you and You
English speaking foreigners to the Czech Republic who are interested in the
language are often befuddled or even annoyed by the feature of formal and
informal speech in Czech grammar, called vykání and tykání - that is,
the formal, plural “you” and the informal, singular “you”. Nowhere
is that characteristic more frowned upon than in multinational companies,
where new employees, called “formal you” at the job interview, are
renamed “demotic you” on their first day of work, and told to address
everyone else accordingly. More
SoundCzechLet your mouth take a walk
Hello and welcome to another edition of SoundCzech, Radio Prague’s Czech
language course in which you can learn new phrases with the help of song
lyrics. Today’s song is by the group Alkehol and is called Nesmíš se
vzdát – you mustn’t give up. The phrase to look out for is in the
refrain – život ti hubu kolikrát nabije. More
SoundCzechYay, work!
Welcome to a new edition of SoundCzech, our long-running series looking at
sayings and expressions through song lyrics. Today’s expressions all have
to do with the Czech word for work – práce – at a time when people
either don’t have enough or have too much, trying to clear their desk
ahead of the holidays. Featured is a song by 1990s punk band E!E called
Práce. In the tune, the group sings “práce, jé práce, práce, je
práce”, which translates as work, yay work, work there’s work. The
accent on the “e” in the first jé makes all the difference. More
SoundCzechLife on a heap
Hello and welcome to SoundCzech, our popular miniseries in which you can
learn some interesting Czech phrases while listening to music. Today’s
song is by Vladimír Mišík and it’s called “Co ti dám”. The phrase
to listen out for is “na hromádce”. More
SoundCzechBlood and milk meets thunderbasher
Hello and welcome to another edition of SoundCzech, Radio Prague’s Czech
language course in which you can learn new phrases with the help of song
lyrics. Today’s song is a traditional Czech folk song sung by Standa
Hložek – and it’s called “When I used to come to your house.” The
phrase to listen out for is “krev a mlíko”. More
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