Modern and contemporary Czech art/The pronunciation of Czech words

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4112534Modern and contemporary Czech art — The pronunciation of Czech words1924Antonín Matějček and Zdeněk Wirth

THE PRONUNCIATION OF CZECH WORDS

(In “Czech,” the English spelling of Čech, the cz is pronounced like “ch” in “cherry,” and the final “ch” like “ch” in the Scotch “loch”—or like the German “ch” in “Buch”).

The consonants are pronounced like their English equivalents with the following exceptions:—
chc is a gutteral(unmarked) is pron. like chts in its.
chj is a gutteral is pron. like chy in yes.
ch is a gutteral is pron. like ch in Scotch “loch.”
chč is a gutteral(marked) is pron. like ch in cherry, as Čermák, pron. Cher-mahk.
chš is a gutteral is pron. like chsh in she, as Aleš, pron. Ul-esh.
chž is a gutteral is pron. like chz in azure (zh), as Brožík, pron. Brozh-eek.
chř is a gutteral is pron. like rolled r followed by ž (rzh), as Mařák, pron. marzh-ahk

Vowels are pronounced as follows:—
a like short oou in but.
e like short ooe in pen.
o like short ooo in log.
u like short oo in took.
y like short ooy in hymn.

An accent over the vowel (´) indicates length:—
ú or ůá like the ooa in father.
ú or ůé like the ooa in May.
ú or ůí like the ooee in sheep.
ú or ůý like the ooi in machine.
ú or ů like the oo in doom, cool.

A hook over e (ě) softens it into ye; as in Purkyně, pron. Poor-kyn-ye(r).

The primary stress in Czech words always falls on the first syllable.