Directory of Free Czech learning aids

Discussion in 'Multimedia' started by Ctyri koruny, Dec 4, 2009.

  1. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    I am making a web page for useful things for learners of Czech.

    So far this is what it looks like:

    http://sites.google.com/site/czechdirectory/

    What would you guys add to it? Any suggestions? Is the widget showing up in Czech?

    It would be great if someone could tell me a good online monolingual Czech dictionary (that includes parts of speech?... and dare I dream.. example sentences? )
     
  2. TomKQT

    TomKQT Well-Known Member

    Just a small bug - both the links under Modrá je dobrá are for the lyrics, the link to a Youtube video is missing ;)
     
  3. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Hee hee wupps! Thank you!

    Fixed!
     
  4. TomKQT

    TomKQT Well-Known Member

  5. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

  6. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    I do like that one an awful lot, but I've had problems with it in the past, especially when it comes to choosing the right word, so I'd like a Czech-czech dictionary for the "everyone else" section so that people can Czech (ho ho! I meant to write "Check") the explanation of what they are saying.

    And Tom that is a cool website but I don't know how useful Thesauruses are until one is proficient and writing a dissertation! I probably use thesaurus.com every week, but in English of course, and it includes a dictionary definition.

    Czech-czech dictionaries are unusual even in print form because for the most part Czech people rarely come across a Czech word they don' understand, unlike in English where it happens almost every day (800,000 English words)... but i KNOW i've seen one somewhere online!
     
  7. wer

    wer Well-Known Member

  8. TomKQT

    TomKQT Well-Known Member

    It could IMHO be used similarly to a monolingual dictionary, in some cases. If someone doesn't understand some word, maybe he'll understand some of the synonyms of that word.
    But of course, explanation of the meaning of the word is much better ;)
     
  9. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    But the thing is that no two words ever mean the same thing, they always have different connotations and collocations. It's okay for a native speaker to use a thesaurus without any explanations or examples because they'll be choosing from words they've heard before, but for me i'm right back where I started with another word i'm not 100% sure of the meaning of or of how to use it.

    If other learners disagree with me and think it's very useful then I'll put it up! I want the directory to be for everyone not just me :)
     
  10. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Updated! totally pimped out! http://sites.google.com/site/czechdirectory/

    Have a look at this site for English teachers:

    www.eslprintables.com

    I know we'll never get that far, but if make something for yourself or someone else to help you learn Czech, why not share it? I have a special section for PDFs and JPEGs and you guys can send me anything you make and I'll put it there! (With your name of course :) )

    If anyone wants to join this as a collaborator say and i can give you edit rights.
     
  11. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Updated today! just some links you are all probably familiar with from this site. Anyone else have any favourite aids they think belong on the list?
    Or rarest of all rare gems an online czech-czech dictionary. What about one for children? surely children need to look up words in dictionaries occasionally?

    Fraus seem to do real life childrens dictionaries, I might try and buy one.
    http://slovniky.fraus.cz/cestina-3/

    Can anyone find an online one?

    On Expats.cz they said that there are at most 250,000 words in Czech, but the core of literary language is made up of about 48,000. Not including scientific words there are at most (according to the EFL book "Messages 3" published by Oxford University Press) around 800,000 (And no, Churchill didn't even know half of them!). Some languages have more that that even, "trade" languages always have more, I don't know what language has the most but I imagine it's something like Punjab .
    I still think 48,000 has to be more than the average person knows, surely? I think I know maybe 20,000 words, just because that's what Oxford said an educated person might know and I fancy myself educated.... okay so maybe 19,999... 19,998... I just can't get my head around the idea that the average person doesn't own a dictionary (not including dictionaries of neologisms) that's amazing. Is there a word in Czech for ambidextrous?
     
  12. JPS

    JPS Member

    I agree with your link to http://prirucka.ujc.cas.cz/?slovo=pes&Hledej=Hledej It is a must.

    This is the most important Czech link out there for me!
     
  13. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    You can view pages of the childrens dictionary here: http://slovniky.fraus.cz/fraus-ilustrov ... ka-cd-rom/

    When it does include explanations of the words (and it doesn't always (!?) ) it's just a few synonyms.. so maybe it's time to give up my quest!

    I love Czech, I really really do, but times like this I look forward to the days when I'm learning Spanish.


    I don't know how I missed that before, thanks for pointing it out to me again, and thanks wer!
     
  14. JPS

    JPS Member

    Also, I use livemocha.com for writing to and chatting with Czech natives.

    Although Livemocha is a general language social networking site, they now also have some Czech flash cards and also some basic language courses (called Czech 101) which are good for revision.

    There are some Czech natives who are happy to help you out in return for you helping their English (some don't even ask that).
     
  15. The Animal

    The Animal Well-Known Member

    Ctyri koruny, Děkuji
    Keep up the good work. Your web page is coming along.
     
  16. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Found a free textbook for beginners designed for asylum seekers in the Czech Republic.

    Český den - teachers guide
    Český den - students book
    Český den - Teachers book
    Český den - Handouts

    added to the page!
     
  17. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    What kind of asylum are they looking for? Útočíště nebo blázinec?
     
  18. Ctyri koruny

    Ctyri koruny Well-Known Member

    Ha ha, you don't say asylum seekers in America? I suppose you don't let them in!
    Before someone is granted official refugee status they are an asylum seekers and have different rights with that status to what they would have as a refugee or a citizen.
     
  19. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Čtyři, you are right. It is a word that has two completely different meanings.
    So that was just a joke.

    The man is looking for asylum.....a country he can go too.(fleeing persecution for example)

    The man lived in the asylum(insane asylum) for a year.

    Zůstával jsem v blázinci dokud jsem se nezlepšil.

    Hledal jsem útočistě, protože někteří v mou zemi mě chtěli zabít.
     
  20. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Čtyři Koruny!!! Jen jsem si našel tvoje stranku o českém jazyku. Vyborné!!
    Bude to určitě moc užitečné. Blahopřání! Jsi motivovana.
    Udělala jsi tvoje domácí úkol. Je tam mnoho užitečných hyperlinků.
    Jsi v České Republice učitelkou, ne?
    Gratulují tě. :)
     

Share This Page