- Paperback
- Publisher: Teach Yourself Books; 3rd Revised edition edition (26 Dec 2003)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0340870591
- ISBN-13: 978-0340870594
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 16.8 x 5 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,402,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Since 1993, the Czech Republic is one of the two daughter states of the former Czechoslovakia (the other is Slovakia to the east). The Czech Republic lies in the very heart of Europe and its capital Prague has become an important tourist destination. This course is designed for those who want to progress quickly from the basics to understanding, speaking and writing Czech with confidence. Although aimed at those with no previous knowledge, it is equally suitable for anyone wishing to brush up existing knowledge for a holiday or business trip. Key structures and vocabulary are introduced in 20 thematic units progressing from introducing yourself and dealing with everyday situations to talking about the past and making a complaint. You should become familiar with many aspects of life in the Czech Republic as well as the language. The emphasis is on communication throughout, with important language structures introduced through two dialogues in each unit. These build up to give you a command of many essential phrases and, especially in earlier units, much of the basic language you will need on first arriving in the Czech Republic. There are plenty of exercises to practise the language as it is introduced and tips throughout to help with grammar. The new edition retains the tried-and-tested structure of the lessons, but has been updated. The new page design makes the book more attractive and user-friendly for the self-access learner. New features in this edition include: an English-Czech vocabulary; a glossary of grammatical terms; new artwork; and a "taking it further" section, directing you to further sources of real Czech. The accompanying cassette provides approximately 90 minutes of listening material.
About the Author
David Short has taught Czech and Slovak in London since 1973 and is a founder member of the North-American (now International) Association of Teachers of Czech. He has also examined in Czech for a wide range of institutions, including other British universities and a period of involvement in the Czech A-level examination, before it was scrapped. He publishes widely on Czech and Slovak topics, with many items brought together in a volume of Essays in Czech and Slovak Language and Literature (1996), and he is pleased to have had some involvement in prize-winning dictionaries of Czech idioms (1983, 1988, 1994). He is also an active reviewer, freelance translator (including some literary and scholarly works) and interpreter (chiefly for asylum-seekers from the Czech Republic and Slovakia). His other published books include the bibliography Czechoslovakia (1986), its updated revision Czech Republic (with Vlaïka Edmondson, 2000), and Customs and Etiquette in the Czech Republic (1996), and he is the author of the descriptive outline grammars of Czech and Slovak included in Bernard Comrie & Greville G. Corbett (eds): The Slavonic Languages (1993).
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More of an aid than a primary source,
By
This review is from: Czech (Teach Yourself Languages) (Paperback)
For a language like Czech which is not mainstream the choice isn't going to be wide for self-learning materials and this book tries to be a reasonable help but as is often the case it goes too fast and gets too complicated too quickly and manages in the end to be just a crutch rather than creating conversational ability for tourists and businessmen. The problem might be that it's trying to be all things - beginners guide, grammar book, course text book, academic reference. And only one tape? Two would be better and with clearer pronounciation. Most of the speakers are very clear but one sounds like he's half asleep and is a real strain to hear. Not only that but some conversations have one speaker taking on several characters. It surprises me that governments in smaller countries don't take matters into their own hands and produce a great beginners course themselves and sell it at cost (the Swedish government tried this but decided on a book/tapes price that was exhorbitant). After all, the language is an essential part of a nation's culture and a great tape course at a reasonable price might be a cost-effective way of promoting both.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent,
By
This review is from: Teach Yourself Czech (TY Complete Courses) (Paperback)
The bane of teach yourself books, or at least the language ones, is that they try to be jack-of-all-trades and cater for the linguist, hobbyist, tourist and student. Especially in the modern texts- Catalan was completely re-written and now is a shadow of its former self, being a conversational phrasebook for holidays rather than a descriptive grammar for the serious learner. It's nice, then, to see this- a big chunky ty book which includes clear-cut grammar sections which go in to a good amount of detail. Make sure you know your grammar terminology and simple ideas like case and tense before reading though, its liable to sweep you off your feet with the "declension of the nominative" and suchlike phrases ;)
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
VERY GOOD!,
By
This review is from: Teach Yourself Czech (TY Complete Courses) (Paperback)
Ahoj!
Yes, this is a good help for travellers. Read it, learn well and impress the local people! VIVA LA BIRRA!
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