how come the czech names for the months are so different from the german/english/french/russian etc. versions which are quite similar? and what about other slavic languages?
Czech names for months are Czech and meaningful (related to the characteristic properties of individual months), not derived from Latin as those you mentioned. Russian is a Slavic language, but adopted the Latin terms (as well as Slovak). On the contrary, Polish names for months originated similarly to the Czech ones.
Leden - icy month (led = ice) Únor - month of ice-floes plunging (nořit se = plunge) Březen - month of pregnancy (many animal females are pregnant) (březí = pregnant) Duben - month of oak leaves growing (dub = oak) Květen - blooming month (květ = bloom, flower) Červen - month of cherries turning red (červený = red) Červenec - month of fruit and grain ripening (červený = red) Srpen - harvest month (srp = sickle) Září - month of leaves turning (zářit = shine) Říjen - month of deer belling (říjet = bell, rut) Listopad - month of falling leaves (list = leaf, padat = fall) Prosinec - month of hog-killing (originally prasinec, prase = hog)
This is great Jana! I have one comment. I think that "listopad" actually means "the month of fallen leaves" ("list opad" - foliage has fallen off) when all leaves have fallen off trees and the trees are bare. For "červen", I've seen an explanation where the name was supposed to be based on the word "červ" (worm). I think there is uncertainty about the origin of some of the month names. Most Polish names of months are of Slavic origin also: January - styczeń February - luty March - marzec April - kwiecień May - maj June - czerwiec July - lipiec August - sierpień September - wrzesień October - październik November - listopad December - grudzień Dana
Well, my Holub´s Etymologický slovník jazyka českého is back in Olomouc, so I just put down what I remembered and I could not verify it. I agree with Dana that in November, almost all trees are bare already, so its Czech name means the month of fallen leaves.
I guess we're lucky month names aren't like this in Florida. June, July, August, and September would probably be: Hoten Hotteren Hotterthanhellen and Stilltoodamnhoten :wink:
Glenn -- I think one of those months -- maybe July? -- could be "winzablowin." Hope you're not in the panhandle... Hurricane Dennis just made landfall! Susan
Very true - well, luckily I'm on the west coast - missed most of the action (did get a small tangerine tree in my swimming pool but no big deal). Tampa has not had a direct hit since 1921 - hope our luck holds up. Thanks for the comments.
září - means "za říje" (Old Czech zařuj) The original Russian names of months: Просинец, Сечень, Сухий (later Проталень), Березень, Травень (later Цветень), Изок, Червень (later Липень), Зарев(later Серпень), Рюин (later Вересень), Листопад(or locally Желтень), Грудень, Студень.
The Ukrainian months are similar: січень (sichen') - Jan. лютый (lyutyi) - Feb. березень (berezen') - Mar. квітень (kviten') - Apr. травень (traven') - May червень (cherven') - Jun. липень (lipen') - Jul. серпень (cerpen') - Aug. вересень (veresen') - Sep. жовтень (zhovten') - Oct. листопад (listopad) - Nov. грудень (gruden') - Dec. Interestingly enough, the word for March (березень [berezen']), which is very close to the Czech (Březen), apparently comes from the word "береза" ("beryoza") meaning "birch" tree. Bohemica.com also states that "Březen" comes from "bříza" (adj. březový), birch, which is what I had understood. Also, the month of June (червень [cherven']--Ukr., Červen--Cz.) is also said to have come from червяк ("cherviak") or červ (same with July in Czech--Červenec). September in Czech (Září), as szarkafarka pointed out is claimed to be from "za říje" by bohemica.com, although I had always heard Jana's variant (month of leaves turning, from "zářit" = shine). A Ukrainian variant of August is зарев ("zarev"), "the time for hunting deer." December (Prosinec--Cz.) is quoted as being the month of gray color (bohemica.com says this is from Old Czech, and that it has no present-day Czech equivalent). A variant of the Ukrainian name for January (просынец, sp? ["prosynets"]), is very similar, yet is said to come from " winter's rousing from sleep, or prosynannia, as the days grew longer." Interesting. Sources: Ukrainian: http://www.encyclopediaofukraine.com/pages/M/O/Monthsoftheyear.htm Czech: http://www.bohemica.com/czechonline/reference/idiomatics/months_and_seasons.htm It is very curious that there are conflicting accounts of the etymology of these names, even more curious that they seem to cross over to other languages (particularly to other Slavic languages), yet sometimes indicating different months. Talk about confusing! :shock: Hmmmm....
Let's add another Slavic language to the list: Traditional Slovenian months (rarely used nowadays, which is a shame): 1. prosinec (according to my source, named after a low-quality bread eaten at this time of year) 2. svečan ("the icicle month", sveča=icicle or candle) 3. sušec ("the dry month"; that's when the ground gets dry enough for planting to begin) 4. mali traven ("the little grass month" -- trava=grass) 5. veliki traven ("the big grass month") 6. rožnik ("the flower month" -- roža=flower) 7. mali srpan ("the little sickle month" -- srp=sickle) 8. veliki srpan ("the big sickle month") 9. kimavec (no clear meaning) 10. vinotok ("the month of flowing/pouring wine" -- vino=wine, tok=flow) 11. listopad ("the month of falling leaves" -- listje=leaves, pad=fall) 12. gruden (named after lumps of frozen earth) Compiled using the resources of http://rcum.uni-mb.si/~upa03110b/meseci.htm [no longer online -- I originally compiled the list for another forum a few years ago]
I found the Google cache of http://rcum.uni-mb.si/~upa03110b/meseci.htm, so here, for the sake of completness, are some alternate traditional Slovenian names of months (Slovenian is more dialectically diverse than any other Slavic language): 1. prozimic (according to the source, a combination of prosinec and zima=winter) 2. sečan (sekati=to cut [wood]), svičan 3. brezen, breznik (breza=birch tree) 4. travnik 5. majnik, cvetnar (cvet=flower), cvetnik, rožni cvet, rožni mesec, šentlipovšek, risalšček, risalščak 6. bobov cvet, rožencvet (according to the source, it could refer either rž=rye or roža=flower), prašnik (prašiti=to pollenate), senšek, senovjek (seno=hay) 7. žetnjak (žetev=harvest), pšeničnik (pšenica=wheat), senenec, Jakobov mesec, srpnik, krstnik (krst=baptism) 8. mlatnik 9. poberuh, jesenik (jesen=autumn), malomašnik ("little mass month"), miholščik, sadnik (sadje=fruit), sadni mesec, šentmihelski mesec 10. listognoj (listje=leaves, gnoj=rot, compost), kozoprsk (koza=goat, prsk=heat), obročnik, vinec, vinščak (vino=wine), moštnik (mošt=cider), bendimjak, bratvin, repar, lukovščak, vsesvešček 11. listognoj, kozoprsk [alternate w/ October], andrejšček, gnilolist, martinščak, martinšček, martovšek, listnik, vahtnik, listnik 12. kolednjak, božični mesec ("Christmas month"), veliki božičnik, venahtnik And I'm sorry if I just bored everyone to death , but I'm hoping some ameteur Slavists find this worthwhile.
10. listognoj (listje=leaves, gnoj=rot, compost), kozoprsk (koza=goat, prsk=heat), obročnik, vinec, vinščak (vino=wine), moštnik (mošt=cider), bendimjak, bratvin, repar, lukovščak, vsesvešček 11. listognoj, kozoprsk [alternate w/ October], andrejšček, gnilolist, martinščak, martinšček, martovšek, listnik, vahtnik, listnik :shock: Good heavens, how do you manage to set a date with this linguistic confusion? Suppose that we agreed to meet 1st of Kozoprsk which can be either 1st of October or 1st of November. Bringing a tent and provisions for a month seems the only way to handle the problem.
Exactly! However, while that was a problem, say, two hundred years ago (when their use was regional), these names are now archaic. Even the standardized traditional Slovenian names of months, which I listed in my first post, are very rarely used nowadays. You'll find them on an occasional newspaper or magazine, but only "Januar, Februar, Marec, etc." are used 99% of the time. Neighboring Croatia, however, still uses only traditional months on a daily basis, like the Czech Republic. However, theirs are again different from both the Czech and the Slovenian ones (and Russian, Polish, etc.): 1. siječanj 2. veljača 3. ožujak 4. travanj (trava=grass) 5. svibanj 6. lipanj (lipa=linden tree) 7. srpanj (srp=sickle) 8. kolovoz 9. rujan (=rut) 10. listopad 11. studeni (=cold) 12. prosinac Source: Wikipedia ^^ Note that their listopad and prosinec(-ac) occur one month earlier than in Slovenian or Czech. P.S. What about the Slovaks: Did they have their own traditional months before they adopted Western ones, or were they essentially the same as in Czech?
