has anyone read the book "České dejinny očima psa"

Discussion in 'Culture' started by rsalc1, May 16, 2009.

  1. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    A couple of years ago I bought the book "České dejinny očima psa" at knikupec in Praha. The book seemed interesting and hopefully easy to read, with some illustrations.

    Two years later I have NOT finished reading the book.
    For each page that I read I must consult the dictionary about 20 times, so I quickly lost interest.

    Has anyone read the book. Has anyone even heard of it?
    I wonder what level reading it is...

    Can anyone suggest a plan for me to read it? For example, read 2 pages each week, gradually build it up to 7 pages a week, etc? :roll:

    Rene z Floridy
     
  2. Irena M

    Irena M Well-Known Member

    I don't have an answer for you, but it sounds like a funny book!
     
  3. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    Irena,
    I looks indeed like a funny book. A dog belonging to Praotec Čech begins the story and other dogs continue it.

    Unfortunately my level of comprehension is still quite low, so I will have to wait till I improve my reading skills before I can read it through :)
     
  4. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    If I can judge by excerpt from review of this book, its language is quite advanced. Idioms, historical references, complex sentences...

    Review:
    http://kultura.idnes.cz/literatura.asp? ... w_tipy_kot
     
  5. Irena M

    Irena M Well-Known Member

    Thanks Eso! Now I want this book! I got a couple of chuckles out of the review.
     
  6. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the link, eso.

    I will try to translate the book review to practice my reading skills.

    Can anyone tell me what is the subject of the sentence below?
    České dějiny vyzývají k novým pohledům

    Does it mean (more or less) that the book encourages seeing Czech history from different viewpoints?

    Thanks!
     
  7. Irena M

    Irena M Well-Known Member

    To me it means Czech history from new viewpoints.
     
  8. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    The subject is dějiny (Plural-only noun).

    Dějiny vyzývají k... - History encourages to...

    České dějiny vyzývají k novým pohledům.
    Czech history encourages to new perspectives.
     
  9. bibax

    bibax Well-Known Member

    Without context it is ambiguous.

    České dějiny is (are?) either subject (nom.) or object (acc.) of the given sentence. If dějiny is object then the subject of the sentence is not expressed (they = oni/ony/ona).
     
  10. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    No. Word "Dějiny" is clearly subject in nominative.

    Accusative of "dějiny" is "dějin".

    Znalost českých dějin je užitečná věc.
    Knowledge of Czech history is useful thing.
    In this case Znalost - subject, dějin - object.
     
  11. bibax

    bibax Well-Known Member

    No. No. No. :!:

    We parsed literally hundreds of sentences in school. So I must know it. 8)
     
  12. bibax

    bibax Well-Known Member

    In this sentence the expression českých dějin is an attribute (neshodný přívlastek) in genitive.

    Znalost českých dějin is the subject (rozvitý podmět, podmětová část věty).
     
  13. bibax

    bibax Well-Known Member

    From the given context I have concluded that there are two possibilities:

    1) "České dějiny očima psa" vyzývají k novým pohledům, a to i v odlehčené formě určené hlavně dětem. České dějiny (shortened title) is the subject of the sentence in nominative.

    2) the subject of the sentence is oba díly (both volumes). České dějiny is then the object in accusative (which is equal to nominative, of course).

    The second reading is unlikely.
     
  14. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    So do we. Out teacher soudružka Zabuďková was very insistent :)
    But I admit it was long time ago.

    I believe wer in this matter. If wer will say you are right, then I will surrender :)
     
  15. bibax

    bibax Well-Known Member

    I accept wer as an arbiter impartialis.

    Our motto could be: We trust in weritas. In weritatem credimus. :lol:
     
  16. rsalc1

    rsalc1 Well-Known Member

    I like #2 :)
    Both volumes (of the book) encourage (looking at) Czech history from a different perspective (viewpoint), and that in a lighthearted form intended/designed mostly for children.

    #1 seems to me to be missing something:
    Czech history encourages a new viewpoint (it sounds incomplete in English)...

    That is a great Latin quote, and very true. wer is very knowledgeable.
     
  17. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Kdybychom ji dali tu otázku, Pana Vševedová by nám z jeji působivé vševedoucností řekla, že

    bud' České dějiny jsou...
    nebo Znalost českých dějin je...

    A tak aby někdo opravdu pochopil dnešní čech, musí pochopit české dějiny, když jsme všichni produkt naše prostředí, stejně jako, aby čech opravdu pochopil mysl američanu, musí pochopit americké dějiny.

    Podrobím se ale panu Weru. :D
     
  18. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    Yes, now we will wait for werification. ;)
     
  19. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

    Ha hah! Ego sum wir Bohemus et super grammaticam! :twisted:

    Bibax is right. Syntactically, the sentence “České dějiny vyzývají k novým pohledům.” could be interpreted in two ways:

      1) České dějiny jsou výzvou k novým pohledům.
      2) České dějiny jsou vyzývány k novým pohledům.


    The second interpretation is syntactically correct, but absurd as for the meaning. You can’t challenge the history, or you can, but the history will ignore you. But it is also possible that the author thought that the sentence constructed in the second way could mean “české dějepisectví je vyzýváno…” (or “kniha je vyzývána”?).

    Be that as it may, the original sentence is stylistically bad. One should avoid the nominative-accusative dichotomy (Sed hoc tene, quod idem agens et patiens esse non potest.) It should be easy for inanimate agens, and for the animate agens Czech created the new category of animateness to solve this very problem.

    The name of your teacher explains everything. Nine tenth of the knowledge, so called zabudka, is supposed to be forgotten by the pupils. :wink:

    Literally: Czech history encourages/challenges (the readers) to new viewpoints.
    Perhaps more common English: Czech history guides the reader to new viewpoints.


    Hey you all, stop the Apocolocyntosis divi weri before I get angry, or else… :D
     
  20. eso

    eso Well-Known Member

    Well, only after wer explained second meaning now I understandt, how bibax meant it.

    It never occured to me, that someone could encourage the history itself.

    So, bibax was right.
     

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