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padraig
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Joined: 11 Jul 2004
Posts: 39
Location: Ireland
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 Posted: 25-Aug-09 13:06 |
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Can someone clarify the pronunciation of 'ch' ?
It's supposed to be pronounced as the ch in scottish loch yet I have come across it often sounding like h or not sounded at all. Does the sound change it different situations? |
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stepan
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Joined: 28 Feb 2006
Posts: 175
Location: Virginia
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| Posted: 25-Aug-09 14:48 |
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As I was taught, the CH - as in Chleba (bread) - is pronounced as the "ch" in the German word "ich" - for "I" .
Now in English, the "CH" - as in church - becomes the equivalent to the Czech "c" with a "hacek" (my keyboard is not a Czech one to cover the hacek).
Another peculiarity between English and Czech is the "j" and the "y". In Czech - the "j" is pronounced like the "y" in "toy". Not sure what the equivalent sound for the "y" is in Czech, though. |
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Alexx
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Joined: 12 May 2007
Posts: 1184
Location: Karviná & Praha, Czech Republic
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| Posted: 25-Aug-09 15:02 |
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If you are familiar with spanish, czech "ch" is pronounced in very similar way as spanish "j" (bajar, jovén,...).
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bibax
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Joined: 26 Jun 2007
Posts: 352
Location: Regnum Bohemiae et Sacrum Romanum Imperium
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| Posted: 25-Aug-09 21:11 |
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| Quote: |
| As I was taught, the CH - as in Chléb (bread) - is pronounced as the "ch" in the German word "ich" - for "I" . |
Not correct.
The Czech CH is pronounced rather like the CH in the German word Bach (= brook). There is a difference between ach-Laut and ich-Laut in German.
However the ach-Laut in German (like in Bach) and j in Spanish (like in Juan) may be pronounced uvular. The Czech ch is pronounced velar.
The ch sound is also present in Irish (deoch), Scottish Gaelic (drochaid), Welsh and Dutch (Gogh). The hard ch sound was also part of the consonant inventory of Old English (in Modern English written gh and pronounced differently: thought, cough, tough).
The difference between CH and H in Czech: CH is voiceless (velar fricative), H is voiced (glottal fricative).
| Quote: |
| Does the sound change in different situations? |
Yes. CH can be pronounced H, and vice versa. They form a voiceless-voiced consonant pair, like S-Z, T-D, K-G, C-DZ, Š-Ž, etc.
Last edited by bibax on 25-Aug-09 21:47; edited 2 times in total |
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Beer
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Sova
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Joined: 05 Jan 2004
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Location: NY, USA
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| Posted: 27-Aug-09 20:06 |
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| Moved thread to Grammar and Pronunciation. |
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jen
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Joined: 27 Jun 2007
Posts: 149
Location: Velké Popovice
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| Posted: 26-Sep-09 17:42 |
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Be sure you specify which kind of Spanish - some "New World" Spanish doesn't pronounce "j" as Czech "ch", but rather as "h".... I grew up learning Latin American Spanish, and my daughter is now learning Castillian Spanish at school here in Prague, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling her to stop lisping! 
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Ctyri koruny
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Joined: 25 Aug 2008
Posts: 550
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| Posted: 21-Oct-09 9:17 |
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| Beer wrote: |
| http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSmXa5qc7mk#t=1m57s |
That was great, I can't believe there's a mongol-czech dictionary! I wonder is it as bad as the common English-Czech ones..
I'm looking forward to next year and meeting other people studying Czech and having classes with other people from different countries.
I think I'm okay with CH at the start and end of a word because as you mentioned we have it in Irish, but in the middle of a word it's so hard, also i tend to make it too gutteral, as it's stronger in Irish.. so there is a huge difference between
chonaic mé ( I saw )
and
chici ( I want )
at least it seems so to me
Could someone Czech here have a listen to the ch sounds in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuqaPljAnXk
An Grá faoi ghlas
Something like... Love under the magnifying glass.. they are all terrible actors and It's kind of a show for learning Irish I think so they're speaking dead slow. and sound ridiculous but you probably won't notice. I chose it because of the subtitles you'll be able to watch for the CH
I'm not convinced the Spideal guy can fully understand the Donegal girl...
Why are there more videos for learning Irish on youtube than for Learning Czech when 12 million people speak Czech and somewhere between 20,000 and 70,000 speak Irish.
Not that I mind.. it's just come on Czechs you guys need to make some more youtube videos! |
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Dannae
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Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 162
Location: Michigan, US
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| Posted: 21-Oct-09 15:06 |
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| jen wrote: |
| Be sure you specify which kind of Spanish - some "New World" Spanish doesn't pronounce "j" as Czech "ch", but rather as "h".... I grew up learning Latin American Spanish, and my daughter is now learning Castillian Spanish at school here in Prague, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling her to stop lisping! |
Jen, Spanish do not pronounce "h"  .
Btw ... where in Latin America did you grow up? I grew up in Argentina ...
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Wishing to find people with the same roots (e.g. Czech) or interested in learning Czech language. |
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Ctyri koruny
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Joined: 25 Aug 2008
Posts: 550
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| Posted: 21-Oct-09 17:57 |
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| Dannae wrote: |
| jen wrote: |
| Be sure you specify which kind of Spanish - some "New World" Spanish doesn't pronounce "j" as Czech "ch", but rather as "h".... I grew up learning Latin American Spanish, and my daughter is now learning Castillian Spanish at school here in Prague, and I have to bite my tongue to keep from telling her to stop lisping! |
Jen, Spanish do not pronounce "h" .
Btw ... where in Latin America did you grow up? I grew up in Argentina ... |
I would say that they pronounce H.. but differently.. where as the French don't say it at all.
You grew up in Argentina! You are so multi cultural! Some of my friends have never even left their home towns. (except maybe to go to Cork or Dublin etc.) |
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