President Zeman revives debate on one-word name for the Czech Republic

President Zeman revives debate on one-word name for the Czech Republic

Author: Radio Prague International October 10, 2013 Duration: 5:05
The Czech Republic –or Czechia – a dilemma that Czechs have been unable to resolve since the 1993 Czech-Slovak divorce left the country without a one-word name that would roll of the tongue easily and that the public could identify with. On a state visit to Israel this week, President Miloš Zeman revived a twenty-year-old debate on an informal English name for his country, publicly thanking his host, President Simon Perez, for using the informal name Czechia rather than the official Czech Republic. I discussed the proposal with the head of the Czech Language Institute of the Academy of Sciences, Karel Oliva.

Ever wondered what it's like to navigate the charming complexities of the Czech language? This collection from Radio Prague International-Topic «Czech language course» offers a direct line to learning, presented by the seasoned broadcasters at Radio Prague International. You'll hear practical lessons woven into engaging audio segments, moving beyond simple phrases to explore the rhythm and character of the language as it's actually spoken. Each episode serves as a cultural entry point, where grammatical concepts and vocabulary are presented through real-world context and clear explanations. Tuning into this podcast feels less like a formal class and more like a guided auditory tour of Czech linguistic landscapes. It’s an accessible resource for anyone from curious beginners to those looking to polish their existing skills, all delivered with the authoritative yet approachable style of an international public broadcaster. The content, categorized under News, reflects a commitment to providing informative and current material, making the learning process relevant and connected to contemporary Czech life. Discover the sounds and structures of Czech through this dedicated series, where language learning is presented as an integral part of understanding the country itself.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Radio Prague International - Topic «Czech language course»
Podcast Episodes
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Ty is one of the ways to say ‘you’ in Czech, specifically the singular, informal version. It’s part of a big family of related words for ‘you’, all descending from one ancient source. You can find one relative in French:…
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Tariffs are a topical concept at the moment, and the Czech word clo is similar to the German over the border: Zoll . It was from medieval German that Czech took the word clo .
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The Romans called a mill a molīna , literally a ‘grinder’, as the root of the word is the Latin verb molere ‘to grind’ (see also: your molar teeth).
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The primary component of vinegar is acetic acid, both words of which derive from the Latin verb acēre ‘to be sour’.
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Sometimes, a language can get a word from another language, and preserve aspects of the word that are changed in the original source.
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Dvanáct is the number ‘twelve’ in Czech. The dva- bit of the word is the number ‘two’ on its own, while - náct is the part that it shares with the other ‘teen’ numbers: jedenáct (11), třináct (13), čtrnáct (14) and so on…
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Experts have argued over the exact origins of Czech’s distinctive word for ‘elephant’. It shares this word with other Slavic languages (for example, Polish słoń , Russian слон ), but where Slavic as a whole got it from i…
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The Czech word for the cherry tree or fruit ( třešeň ) may now begin with a T, but it can be reconstructed back to a prehistoric Slavic word like * čerša .
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This stubborn but useful animal was much liked by the Romans, who depended on donkeys for transporting goods around their empire.