Pronunciation of "ne" in Czech

Discussion in 'Grammar & Pronunciation' started by Polednikova, Jan 2, 2008.

  1. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    Note from site admin: This topic was split from the Czech names thread.

    I don't understand this. I agree that nej is two sounds but so is nay, to me. I remember the difference between ej and aj in Czech by thinking of 'day' = ej as in hokej and 'night' = aj as in tramvaj.

    How do you pronounce ne as in 'no'? I'm trying to think of an English word it rhymes with but can't at the moment... But the sound, to me, would be a short e as in 'bed'.
     
  2. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    I think I pronounce Czezh "ne" as if it were written "neh" in English. I try to pronounce Czech "né" close to written English "nay" but trying to lose the final English "ee" (Czech "i") sound that tends to creep in. A bit hard to explain in writing - but not to hard to hear.

    BTW, hope all had a great and safe New Year - I was a designated driver so kept everything well in control, still had a great time with friends! :D
     
  3. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Glad to hear that you guys had a safe holiday. My husband and I are also the usual designated drivers. However, this year, the weather was so bad that I refused to drive which meant some of our friends had to drink light. We have 4 wheel drive and we still went in a ditch. Oh the joy of winter! However, there was so much snow that it cushioned the Jeep and no one was hurt, nor was the Jeep.

    Scrimshaw, I made the hung-over comment to you because when I got on this site on New Years Day, my husband said "that's a waste of time; all the Czechs are too hung-over to be on the computer." I can understand why he would think that... the Czech Republic consumes more beer than any other nation in the world - so I've been told.
     
  4. SMZ

    SMZ Well-Known Member

    I like to think of the "ne" sound in czech as being like the "e" in the word "beg." Americans pronounce the "e" in "beg" differently than, for example, the "e" in "bed" and also differently from the "e" in "hey." Maybe others have a different opinion, but to my ear that's what it sounds like.
     
  5. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    Good to know because I was pronouncing it as the "e" in hey. So I would say nejsem or nechci as ne rhyming with hey. I will now try to say with a "e" sound as in bed.

    Thanks for your help everyone.
     
  6. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    Didn't your teacher or your husband ever correct you? Or perhaps there's an American Czech accent that sounds different from a Czech Czech accent!
     
  7. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    I'm not an English pronunciation expert and I come from Manchester where our accents aren't the same as southerners but in my inexpert opinion, the "e" in "beg" and the "e" in "bed" are exactly the same! But at least that means I agree with you about the pronunciation of "ne"!
     
  8. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    my "beg" and "bed" are definitely different - beg is much more nasal :)
     
  9. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Glenn, do you have a southern accent creeping in there? :lol:
     
  10. GlennInFlorida

    GlennInFlorida Well-Known Member

    Ah reckon ah do :wink:

    But not too much of one - hard to do that in this part of Florida. Too many different accents to contend with (sorry for ending in a preposition). :lol:
     
  11. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    Hang on. I've just read this again. I might be wrong but nejsem and nechci are pronounced differently. Nejsem is nay/ney-sem because of the nej combination when the sounds run together but ne and chci are separate sounds.
     
  12. SMZ

    SMZ Well-Known Member

    Just to make this even more confused...

    I'd like to reiterate that I tend to hear "ne" as having the same e as in "beg" (not "bed"). Yes, Americans do prounounce those two vowel sounds differently. At least those of us who grew up in the "accentless" midwest. :lol:

    Further muddying the waters ... neither of those is the diphthong of the e as in "hey". But, because of the j in nejsem, for example, that first "e" becomes NAY (with diphthong).

    I'd better quit before this gets even more tangled!
     
  13. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    My husband never corrects me. When I speak Czech to him, he says "what" because he has lazy ears and can't understand me. :roll:

    All of our other Czech friends/family understand me but never correct me. They simply answer me in English. It can be very frustrating in trying to learn.

    My Czech teacher was an elementary teacher in CR so she has that "social work" ideation to praise your work even when it sucks. Therefore, the only time she corrects me is if I totally screw up a word pronunciation beyond recognition.
     
  14. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Dzurisova
    I totally agree, without corrections, we never get a chance to learn what we are doing wrong.
    Teacher sounds like she's trying to encourage. That's commendable but not always the best teaching method.
     
  15. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    My teacher is extremely sweet and always encouraging. I absolutely love having her as a teacher. I didn't mean for it to sound unappreciative of her. She is awesome.
     
  16. scrimshaw

    scrimshaw Well-Known Member

    Just out of curiosity Dzurizova. She comes to your home as a tutor? or you got to a class room?
    It would be great fun to take a class.
    Is it weekly?

    Řekni jí tohle, ''Pani ......, moc si cením, že jste k mne pořád tak mílá, ale prosím, bud'te tvrdá, když se snažím vysvětlit slova. Chci, abych jednoho dne zněla jako národní Čzech.''
     
  17. dzurisova

    dzurisova Well-Known Member

    I go to her house. It was originally set up for weekly, but she has kids and so do I and we can only do it on one particular day of the week so if ANYTHING comes up with either one of us, we cancel and don't reschedule, we just meet the next week. One of us cancels at least once a month so I take 2 or 3 lessons a month.

    It's nice because it keeps me in the book. I NEVER would study on my own and as it is, I only study about 1 hour or so right before my lesson. That's why it's taking me so long to learn. :?
     
  18. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

     
  19. Karel_lerak

    Karel_lerak Well-Known Member

    to scrimshaw:
    I hope I am not 8) 8)
     
  20. Polednikova

    Polednikova Well-Known Member

    We sometimes have the same problem in our 'proper' classes. Our teachers are excellent but the idea is to get us talking and I suppose they think that correcting us will put us off. But I agree, I want to know if I'm getting it right or not so I tend to question anything I'm not sure about.

    We had a very sweet American woman in our class at the end of last year but her pronunciation was appalling; for example she pronounced "v" as "vee" and she really couldn't hear the difference. Unlike me - I hear it right in my head, I just can't get it out right! And Dzurisova, you'll be interested to hear that she's married to a Czech as well, who sounds about as much use, language-wise, as your husband!
     

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