CZECH REPUBLIC CULTURAL LANGUAGE LESSON MAP OF EUROPE

CZECH REPUBLIC CULTURAL &LANGUAGE LESSON

MAP OF EUROPE

BRIEF COUNTRY OVERVIEW The Czech Republic and its people: Czechs (with Slovaks and Poles) are considered West Slavs The capital, Prague, is often called “The Heart of Europe” Population: 10. 5+ million people in Czech Republic; 1. 3 million in Prague Western region is called Bohemia, eastern is Moravia History of its Kingdoms: Germanic tribes and Celts first settle the area Tribal Slavs arrive in the 6 th century Emperor Charles IV (1346 -78) or Král Karel IV Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor King of Prague becomes one of largest cities in Europe Builds Charles University, Charles Bridge, St. Vitus Cathedral (at Prague Castle) Habsburg /Austro-Hungarian Empire (mid-1500 s to early 1900 s) Prague becomes the seat of the Habsburg Empire under Emperor Rudolf II Influences architecture, art collections, renowned artists and scholars invited to court

HISTORY OF THEREPUBLIC After World War I, Czechoslovakia declares its independence (1918) • Munich Agreement (1938) leads to Nazi occupation (1939) • The popular Tomas Garrigue Masaryk became the first president Sudetenland region; then Bohemia and Moravia; then Slovakia becomes Nazi state After WWII, reestablished as an independent state (1945) • Communists win election (1946), coup d'état (1948) Czechoslovakia becomes hard-line Soviet satellite state (1948) Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia (1968) • The Velvet Revolution (1989) • Communist government resigns after a week of demonstrations • The popular playwright & dissident Václav Havel elected president The Velvet Divorce of Czechoslovakia (1992) • After reforms of Alexander Dubček (1960 s), Prague Spring Peaceful split into two countries: Czech Republic and Slovakia Czech Republic a member of NATO (1999) & European Union (2004)

MAP OF CZECH REPUBLIC

TO SEE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC Explore an ancient silver mine and marvel at the magnificent murals in St Barbara's Cathedral in Kutná Hora, a pretty medieval town and another UNESCO World Heritage site. See the Sedlec Ossuary, chapel where the bones of around 40, 000 black plague victims have been crafted into a stunning display of garlands, chandeliers, sculptures and coats of arms. Learn about the WWII occupation at Terezín, a former Nazi concentration camp north of Prague. Take a tour of the Czech Republic's incredible array of picture-postcard castles and country houses, including the Disney-esque, 14 th-century Karlštejn; imposing Konopiště; opulent Hluboká; and spectacular Vranov. Tour Villa Tugendhat and other architecture sites of Brno.

THE BOHEMIA TOUR Plzeň - The birthplace of the world's best beer at the Pilsner Urquell Brewery in West Bohemia. Guided tour through the American Army Museum. Český Krumlov- the Czech Republic's prettiest town. Wander the ramparts of its fairytale castle (UNESCO), stroll along the banks of the Vltava River, or lose yourself among its medieval back streets.

PRAGUE CULTURAL EXCURSIONS Planned cultural events: Walking City Tour Vltava River Cruise Traditional Czech Feast Past cultural events included: Museum of Communism Old Jewish Quarter mini tour Dvořák/Smetana concert

EATING OUT IN PRAGUE There are hundreds of restaurants in Prague. Don’t be afraid to experiment: Czech restaurants International restaurants (USA fix: Tex-Mex, Bagels) Wine tasting Internet c@fe It’s harder to find vegetarian restaurants, but here a few: o o o Radost. FX Beas Govinda Lehka hlava Veg. Food (vegan)

CULTURAL NORMS Stereotypes of host country? of home country? Dress Punctuality Elderly and women with children Public transport Etiquette Laying low Crowds Diversity Getting out of sticky situations Watch what locals and natives do! Use intuition and common sense…

CZECH LESSON - Facts about the Czech language Czech alphabet Practicing alphabet A few useful phrases How to overcome language barriers Additional resources Q& As

CZECH LANGUAGE The word robot comes from Czech. It was first used by the Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R. U. R. from 1920. It was invented by his brother, Josef Čapek, and was based on the word robota (i. e. labour) Nejneobhospodařovávatelnějšímu is one of the longest words in the Czech language. In Czech, some sentences have no a, e, i, o, and u vowels, such as: Strč prst skrz krk. (“Put your finger through your throat. ”)

ALPHABET The Czech alphabet is a version of the Latin alphabet, used when writing Czech. Its basic principles are "one sound - one letter" and the addition of diacritical marks above letters to represent sounds alien to Latin.

ALPHABET PRACTICE Česká republika Čes-ká re-pu-bli-ka Praha Pra-ha VŠE Žárová Žá-ro-vá Halík Ha-lík Linda Filáčková Chmelnice Chmel-ni-ce (dorm stop) Strážnická Stráž-nic-ká (dorm stop) Husinecká Hu-si-nec-ká (VŠE stop)

HOW TO OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIERS Speak slowly and clearly Avoid idioms & be carful of jargon Say it differently (use synonyms, rephrase what you want to say) Try different languages Say it without words: use gestures, hands, face expressions, draw it, etc. Ask for help Be patient and smile (it never hurts!)

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Basic Phrases o http: //www. myczechrepublic. com/czech_language/ czech_phrases. html o http: //www. hillmanwonders. com/czech/z_phrase. ht m Czech language Site http: //www. locallingo. com/ Dictionaries: http: //translate. google. com/ http: //www. wordbook. cz/ http: //www. ectaco. uk/English-Czech-Dictionary/