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Similarities between Czech and German? | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| Remster Diglot Senior Member Netherlands Joined 4806 days ago 120 posts - 134 votes  Speaks: Dutch*, English Studies: German, French | Message 9 of 16 03 October 2011 at 10:17am | IP Logged | ||
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It's a different language as said before.
It also hase more cases, and a more extensive Gender rule. (Masculine is devided into some sub categories). As a Dutch native speaker, I can generally understand some German when spoken and written, but I've been to the Czech republic this summer and the language is completely foreign to me. I understood maybe two words in one page full of text. Most words you understand are probably loanwords. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5010 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 10 of 16 03 October 2011 at 2:56pm | IP Logged | ||
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1. As someone already said, the words from German are usually very informal.
2. Due to the very different nature of the two languages, most words from German have changed a lot, so it is harder to recognize them than for exemple French based words in English. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Zaphkiel Triglot Newbie Czech Republic Joined 6207 days ago 6 posts - 8 votes Speaks: Czech*, EnglishC1, Japanese Studies: Mandarin, Polish | Message 11 of 16 20 October 2011 at 12:40am | IP Logged | ||
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As many people have already said they are different languages from different language
groups, but I actually there is a lot of common framework behind German and Czech. Many expressions and idioms are directly translatable as it wouldn't be possible let's say between English and Czech. This is of course the result of centuries long contact in all spheres of life. 2 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| Cavesa Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic Joined 5010 days ago 3277 posts - 6779 votes Speaks: Czech*, FrenchC2, EnglishC1 Studies: Spanish, German, Italian | Message 12 of 16 20 October 2011 at 12:14pm | IP Logged | ||
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I have found a lot of the "czech" idioms and expressions in Spanish and French as well, I'd say most of them is part of the same "european cultural heritage". I wouldn't overestimate the similarities.
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| William Camden Hexaglot Senior Member United Kingdom Joined 6273 days ago 1936 posts - 2333 votes Speaks: English*, German, Spanish, Russian, Turkish, French | Message 13 of 16 20 October 2011 at 1:37pm | IP Logged | ||
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I believe spoken Czech has a fair number of German loanwords, more than literary Czech does, and Czech at one time came close to extinction at the hands of German. It was saved by the development of a Czech intelligentsia in the 19th century. There are some cultural similarities and Franz Kafka was hardly unique in his time and place in being fluent in both languages (though he only wrote in German). Other than the cultural contact, I wouldn't say there was much similarity. Edited by William Camden on 20 October 2011 at 1:37pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| buchstabe Tetraglot Senior Member Germany Joined 4703 days ago 52 posts - 108 votes Speaks: German*, EnglishC2, French, Spanish Studies: Czech, Swedish, Japanese | Message 14 of 16 07 March 2012 at 11:47pm | IP Logged | ||
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Maybe the perception comes from that the similiarities stick out like a sore thumb. :)
When learning English as a German native, you come across cognates all the time, it's nothing special, whereas when you start learning Czech, it all sounds completely like "böhmische Dörfer". When you then stumble upon the odd unexpected slangy cognate here and there, or idioms that are 1:1 matches, it really strikes you. I could hardly believe my eyes/ears when I ran into hajsl, kudlmudl and fotr (all not in the Wiki, maybe a native could confirm?). Edited by buchstabe on 07 March 2012 at 11:48pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Majka Triglot Senior Member Czech Republic kofoholici.wordpress Joined 4658 days ago 307 posts - 755 votes Speaks: Czech*, German, English Studies: French Studies: Russian | Message 15 of 16 08 March 2012 at 1:04am | IP Logged | ||
You can look up some of these words in czech wiki Some are used in general slang (known in whole Czech republic) - hajzl, fotr, perhaps šnuptychl or papundekl. Some are local - karfiol, erteple, šnitlik. I haven't noticed the local use before a college from northern Moravia asked what it is. For me (south Bohemia), these aren't unusual. As an explanation - one cannot find many similarities to German. The reason is that the Czech language was cleaned from "Germanisms" through conscious effort in the period of "National Renaissance" in 18. and 19. century. Many of the words from German were eliminated from literary language (and in effect from spoken language completely) and only a few words remained in slang. Edited by Majka on 08 March 2012 at 1:06am 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| nonneb Pentaglot Groupie SpainRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 4752 days ago 80 posts - 173 votes Speaks: English*, Ancient Greek, Latin, German, Spanish Studies: Mandarin, Hungarian, French | Message 16 of 16 10 March 2012 at 11:42am | IP Logged | ||
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As to the question about a book, Chcete Mluvit Česky is excellent.
I feel like the similarity between German and Czech, aside from some loanwords, is primarily in the culture. The languages seem to categorize things similarly, but my Czech is still at a very low level, so it could be imagining things. 1 person has voted this message useful |
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