Language/Czech/Grammar/Accents-and-Special-Characters
As a Czech language teacher with over 20 years of experience, I have seen many students struggle with the accents and special characters used in written Czech. In this lesson, you will learn about the different diacritical marks used in Czech, how to pronounce them, and how to handle them in your writing.
After mastering this lesson, these related pages might interest you: Verb to be with names and places & Locative Case in Czech.
Accented Letters
Accented vowels are a key feature of the Czech language. There are four accents that can be placed on vowels, each with its own unique sound.
Acute Accent (Čárka)
The acute accent (ˇ) is represented in Czech by a symbol called the "čárka". It is placed over the letters "a", "e", "i", "o", "u", "y". When a letter with a čárka appears in a word, the pitch of the word changes, making the word distinctive.
For example:
Czech | IPA | English |
---|---|---|
mám | mɑ̌ːm | I have |
ráda | raːdɑ̌ | I like |
šťastný | ʃcɑstniː | happy |
Double Acute Accent (Háček)
The double acute accent (˝) is represented in Czech by a symbol called the "háček". It is placed over the letters "ů" and "y". When a letter with a háček appears in a word, it changes the sound of the letter.
For example:
Czech | IPA | English |
---|---|---|
dům | duːm | house |
říše | riːʃɛ̌ | empire |
Circumflex Accent
The circumflex accent (^) is rarely used in Czech, but it is seen in a few loanwords from other languages. It is placed over the letter "ô". When a letter with a circumflex accent appears in a word, it changes the sound of the letter.
For example:
Czech | IPA | English |
---|---|---|
pôle | poːlɛ | pole |
Caron (Haček)
The caron (ˇ) is another type of accent used in Czech. It is represented by the letter "ř". This accent gives the letter a distinct "r" sound.
For example:
Czech | IPA | English |
---|---|---|
řeka | r̝ɛka | river |
Other Special Characters
In addition to accents, Czech also employs a number of special characters that differ from those used in English. Here are some examples:
Č
The letter "č" is pronounced as the "ch" in "chair".
Ř
The letter "ř" is pronounced as a rolled "r", and is unique to Czech.
Š
The letter "š" is pronounced as the "sh" in "sheep".
Ž
The letter "ž" is pronounced as the "s" in "pleasure".
Conclusion
Don't be intimidated by the accents and special characters used in Czech! With practice, you will soon be able to read and write Czech with ease. Make sure to review this lesson regularly to ensure you fully understand the ins and outs of Czech pronunciation.
Sources
- Czech
- Why are special characters important? - Czech Time
- Czech orthography - Wikipedia
- Czechia Languages • FamilySearch
Congratulations on finishing this lesson! Explore these related pages to keep learning: Dative Case in Czech & Conditional Mood.
Other Lessons
- Possessive Pronouns
- Demonstrative Pronouns
- Locative Case in Czech
- Adjectives
- Introduction to Adverbs
- Conditional Mood
- Personal Pronouns
- Nouns
- How to Use "Být" (to Be)
- Verb to be with names and places