Velvet Divorce

Details: Category: Czech History

How the Czech Republic came into being as an independent country 1st January 1993. A natural parting of the ways or a game of bluff and double bluff that went badly wrong? An intriguing bit of recent history anyway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Czechoslovakia How the Czech Republic came into being as an independent country 1st January 1993. A natural parting of the ways or a game of bluff and double bluff that went badly wrong? An intriguing bit of recent history anyway. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissolution_of_Czechoslovakia

Comments

#1 Velvet Divorce — tyvole 2009-12-28 17:57

With so many Slovaks living in Czech Republic and so many Czechs dating Slovaks and vice-versa, I propose that the two countries get back together and we can call it the Velvet Reunion. :party:

#2 semi-rant — mod 2009-12-29 11:34

Yes, I think for a lot of people the "velvet divorce" never really registered in their minds. Especially Slovaks who as you say really feel at home here to the extent of continuing to speak their language. Don't get me wrong I love hearing Slovak in Slovakia but not when I'm trying to communicate here in Brno J)

I can't imagine other Slavs such as Poles, Ukrainians etc. continuing to speak their language here saying "well it's nearly the same"

Czech people don't seem to have a problem with it but it drives me mad :(

Nic apache (which means "no native Americans" in Slovak :) ).

End of rant

#3 Slovak in Czech — tyvole 2009-12-29 18:00

My girlfriends family is Slovak and when I go to visit them, they only speak Slovak together. The mom speaks to me in Slovak and when I can't understand her, she justs speaks louder, then the dad yells at her in Slovak to speak to me in Czech. Also, my guitarist is Slovak, he's been here 7 years and has a Czech girlfriend, but only speaks to me in Slovak, then he hangs out with half of Levoca, who seem to live in Brno. Although all the Czech guys I've spoken too thinks it's super sexy when a girl spreaks Slovak.

#4 Slovak - my heart is in it — Hviezda 2009-12-31 17:03

:) Hmm Well have to comment here ( thats most unlike me lol) , being a Brit and having struggled with the language for at least half of the 10 wonderful years I spent in Slovakia under the High Tatras ( immediately Gotenburg springs to mind and being MS in hockey and being a part of that wonderful fortnight) I am afraid I really dont have the language talent to get my head round studying the subtle differences bewtween Slovak and Czech. There really is no great difference to the trained ear ( not mine by the way) , its really like an Aberdonian( proud to be one) meeting a Bristolian ( however unlikely that may be

, a dialect, slang and a number of completely different words to negotiate.

H owever as I like it put it Czech is a dialect of Slovak

( Slovak being a far cleaner form of a Slavic language and much more useful when travelling to former Yugoslavian states, Bulgaria and Poland.

Bu t before the lynch mobs head for Bohunice to find me...... :party:
Czech is a beautifully descriptive language and no doubt my feelings would be totally different should my bus have terminated at Brno and not Bratislava all those years ago.

#5 Slovak - my heart is in it — tyvole 2009-12-31 17:03

One of my former Slovak students told me he could communicate better with other Slavs than Czechs. One day a Polish guy came into their office looking to buy a truck, my Czech student asked him if he spoke English, but he only spoke German, then the Slovak guy was able to seal the deal with him, so Hviezda is right on that front.

Also, the months are much easier in Slovak than in Czech. I just couldn't get my head around how much they said hej during conversations, I thought they were making an exclamation like the Czechs do.

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