Czech pronunciation woes (Specific Languages) Language Learning Forum

Czech pronunciation woes
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Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages

10 messages over 2 pages: 1 2

Josef
Newbie
Czech Republic
Joined 4860 days ago
5 posts - 5 votes
Speaks: Czech*
Studies: English^C1, German

Message 9 of 10

09 August 2011 at 11:39am | IP Logged

Cavesa wrote:

Josef wrote:

The word "jsem (jste)" is not wrong (Good teacher can't say that this word is wrong)- in this cases.
Using words "sem (ste)" instead "jsem (jste)" is against rules of the Czech language, but many Czechs often use these words (ste, sem).

I don't agree it is wrong. Most of my teachers who touched this topic agreed that saying "ste" and "sem" is actually the more correct pronunciation. Using "jste" and "jsem" is not that wrong as well unless you put a huge accent on the "j" which would make you sound snobbish (or trying to sound right without knowing how to).

Media may prefer the "jste" version (which sounds completely unnatural from many of the speakers in radio or television) but the language is really not formed by the media only. Most people don't use "ste, sem" just often, most people use it always in normal conversation. Well educated people as well.

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I think there are rules of the Czech language ("PRAVIDLA SPISOVNÉ ČEŠTINY"). This rules say how to use the Czech language, what is correct and what is wrong.
This rules ("PRAVIDLA SPISOVNÉ ČEŠTINY")do not depend (immediately) on
1)what said my teacher or what said your teacher
2)how is the Czech language used in radio or television
3)how is the Czech language used by people (well educated people) in informal conversation.
It is true that most people in the Czech republic do not use the Czech language completely correctly. There are many variations of the Czech language and many people often use this variations instead of correct Czech language (in informal conversation and in "formal" conversation too).
But I have to say I have not studied Czech language at university. Perhaps I have something forgotten or perhaps I do not know something important about the Czech language (Can somebody tell me, please, what is it?).

Edited by Josef on 09 August 2011 at 11:55am
1 person has voted this message useful

Chung
Diglot
Senior Member
Joined 7156 days ago
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20 sounds
Speaks: English*, French
Studies: Polish, Slovak, Uzbek, Turkish, Korean, Finnish

Message 10 of 10

11 August 2011 at 5:21am | IP Logged

zrak0plovac wrote:

Aren't "jsem/jste" just the emphasized form of the auxiliary verb "byt" in the present indicative tense?

I couldn't help but notice the great resemblance in comparison with my native language, where this is the case:

ja jesam(sam), ti jesi(si), on/ona/ono jest(je)

mi jesmo(smo), vi jeste(ste), oni/one/ona jesu(su)

What you describe in SC with the emphasized forms of "biti" doesn't have that morphological parallel in Czech.

Here's what I mean:

"Jesi li kod kuće?" "Jesam"
"Zašto si kod kuće?" "Nisam siguran"

"Jsi doma?" "Jsem"
"Proč jsi doma?" "Nejsem si jistý"

Every now and then you may encounter the form "jest" in Czech for "je" just as you do in SC but it doesn't occur as frequently as in SC.

However the Czech and SC forms are related otherwise.
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