Czech Language

The Czech Republic is a Slavic nation in Central Europe. It is one of 42 nations in the world that is landlocked, meaning that it has no coastline. It has ancient roots dating back to the Neolithic Era (the end of the Stone Age, approximately 500 BC), and is more widely recognizable for the part it played during the fall of Communism in the late 1980's and early 1990's. The Czech people speak the Czech language. It is one of the West Slavic languages, and is spoken by most people living in the Czech Republic, as well as small populations in the United States, Canada, Germany, and Slovakia. Roughly 12 million people worldwide speak the language, which is very close to the Slovak and Polish languages. It is not uncommon for many adults from the Czech Republic and Slovakia to be able to communicate with one another with little difficulty. This is as a result of being exposed to both the Czech and Slovak languages via the media before the division of Czechoslovakia, which was effective on January 1, 1993. The Czech language is thought to be a difficult language to learn and master for non-natives. It is a complex language because of a very broad word structure and vastly free word order in its sentence structure. In the Czech language, word order functions are emphasis, as in English.

In the Czech language, many of the words have several different forms. The sentence structure rules are very erratic and many word forms have official, slang, and partially official alternatives. Further, often all variations of words in a sentence are possible. The phonology (how the sounds of a spoken language function) of the Czech language is frequently difficult for speakers of other language types to learn. Some of the words do not contain vowels, but have rules on how to pronounce them, which can be confusing.
In the Czech Republic, there are three individual dialects that can be found. They are spoken according to the regions of the country. They are all different from the standard Czech language to some degree. This creates one formal (civic) language, and one less formal language, or vernacular. The first dialect is known as "Common Czech", and it is spoken in Bohemia. Bohemia is named after the Boii tribe, who has been historically linked to the region since the 1st century. In this Bohemian dialect, there are a few grammatical and pronunciation difference from Standard Czech, but it basically remains true to it.

The second dialect is spoken in the region of Moravia. This dialect contains some completely different words from Standard Czech. And, there are varying dialects from town to town, further complicating matters. The third dialect is known as Teshen Silesian, which is spoken in Silesia. This dialect is fairly close to Standard Czech, but it is spoken very quickly and some of the consonants tend to run together.There was an abundant amount of Czech literature in the past. The first book printed in the Czech language was the story of the Trojan War in 1468. Czech literature was common until Austria seized control of the region, and the German language became the official language of government communication, as well as literature. Finally, near the end of the 18th century, Czech writings saw a renaissance.

There are many resources available for those who are interested in learning the Czech language. Though complicated, it can be done. There are resources online that provide basic lessons in vocabulary and spelling, as well as cultural and historical information on the fascinating European country. For those who wish to travel to the Czech Republic, it never hurts to learn the basics before arriving there. Knowing a few key phrases displays interest in the language, people, and culture, and tourists will find that they will have a more gratifying trip to the Czech Republic.