cz pronunciation

Discussion in 'Linguistics' started by mathman, Aug 2, 2020.

  1. mathman Valued Senior Member

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    The combination cz occurs in at least two well known places, Czech (pronounced ch) and czar (pronounced z). Why the difference?
     
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  3. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Is there any reason to look beyond the fact that they are from in two different languages?

    Sure, they have a lot in common, but then so do English and French. Yet we correctly pronounce the word non, whereas those silly French people pronounce it non.
     
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  5. sideshowbob Sorry, wrong number. Valued Senior Member

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    An alternate spelling is tsar - so is cz pronounced ts in Russian?

    Incidentally, in German, Czechoslovakia is spelled Tschechoslowakei.
     
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  7. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    The cz or tz in Russian is transposed from the Cyrillic alphabet. In Polish, it's different again. Since the English alphabet doesn't employ accents or tails on letters to change the sound, it has to use a combination of letters. It's always an approximation and never sounds exactly the same as it does in another language.
     
  8. mathman Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks for the replies - it has been my guess that the differences in language (Czech and Russian) made the difference. I have a doctor whose name is Boczko - I will have to get a pronunciation from him.
     
  9. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    I'd pronounce that Bozhko - with a bit of a 'j' in there, as in 'vision' or 'bourjois''.
     
  10. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    When not quite sure, ask the person who has to wear the name how he wants it pronounced.
    It used to annoy my father terribly when people Anglicized his name.
     
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  11. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    Ah yes, your father, Ashol from Iceland.
     
  12. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    You don't want to cross him!
     
  13. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    And yo mama's from Cuba, right?

    That makes you an icecube.

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  14. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    Speaking of linguistics, there is a relevant ^^ joke in my mother tongue. It's particularly good, because it's simple and to the point on the surface, but it actually consists of a metaphor, a cultural reference and a pun. Which, of course, makes it completely impossible to translate.
     
  15. DaveC426913 Valued Senior Member

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    We're waiting....

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  16. Jeeves Valued Senior Member

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    For Godot?
     

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