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This study examines both the quantitative and qualitative contribution of Vladimír Šmilauer to Václav Machek's etymological dictionary. Appointed scientific referee, Šmilauer wrote lengthy evaluations for both editions of the dictionary, which contained hundreds of notes and suggestions for improving individual entries. In our paper we classify these comments into several groups, working mainly with the criterion of the nature of the comments (i.e. whether they concern the forms and/or meanings of words given in the entry, or the interpretation of the origin of the word) and the criterion of the acceptance of the suggestions by Machek (roughly on the axis of acceptance -- alternative interpretation -- rejection). Šmilauer's reviews provide some hitherto unknown interpretations of Czech and Slovak words, and may thus stimulate further reflection on the origin of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fin-de-Siècle Europe appears in the prose of the Czech poet and writer Jiři Karasek from Lvovice (1871–1951) as a mystical space full of nostalgia and claustrophobia, which force the characters to experience the hereditary involvement of history. This is, for example, how the hero of the novel “Gothic Soul” (Czech: Gotická Duše) feels. The novel shows Prague at the turn of the century as a place where the past is more real than the present. The trilogy “Novels of the Three Magicians” (Czech: Romány tří mágů), inspired by the legends about European “sorcerers”, uses Vienna, Venice, and Prague as magic or decadent territories that affect the characters’ behaviour. Karasek creates urban images with decadent aesthetics by applying special features and techniques. Among them we can highlight the night atmosphere, intentional emphasis on the artificiality of the reality, and the description of the scene with the symbols of decline or decay. Such a subjective view from the eyes of a decadent character can open up a city from a unique perspective, making it possible to distinguish previously unseen details. The image of Prague in Karasek’s works is dual and ambivalent. On the one hand, it is an aesthetically artifi cial decadent Prague and on the other, a mystical, magical Prague. Venice by Karasek is also a decadent city where only the past is alive. With help of Karasek’s prose one can obtain the prism of decadent and “gothic” novels — rather rare and original for Czech literature genres. His works also give us the opportunity to experience the lost atmosphere of pre-war Europe.

This article focuses on the emergence of new or author's words during the verbal communication between students of the departments of Czech and Ukrainian studies. The article very accurately analyzes the main causes and conditions of neologisms in Czech and Ukrainian languages, as well as the tendencies of their further development are described. The topics of neologisms are identified separately and specific examples are given for better perception of the presented information. Particular attention is paid to the relevance of this topic, as the issue of language enrichment has always been and remains an important subject of research of many theorists and practitioners of both foreign and domestic linguistics. This topic clearly meets the needs of today and is essential for the development of scientific thought.

This article focuses on the emergence of new or authorʼs words during the verbal communication between students of the departments of Czech and Ukrainian studies. The article very accurately analyzes the main causes and conditions of neologisms in Czech and Ukrainian languages, as well as the tendencies of their further development are described. The topics of neologisms are identified separately and specific examples are given for better perception of the presented information. Particular attention is paid to the relevance of this topic, as the issue of language enrichment has always been and remains an important subject of research of many theorists and practitioners of both foreign and domestic linguistics. This topic clearly meets the needs of today and is essential for the development of scientific thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since over a century, the narrative of Brno literature has been one based on the principle of genius loci – Brno, the "Manchester of Moravia", a city of industry and proletarians "produces" industrial and proletarian literature. The – rarely questioned – problem with this unity of place and art has been that at the same time, the Czech version of this narrative excluded the literature of Brno written in German from it, and vice versa. The present paper suggests to take advantage of the theory of literary field (Bourdieu) as a tool for analyzing the literary field of the city to challenge the monolingual and monocultural approach to the history of Brno literature. Using the synchronic "cuts" of the 1860s when a new literature emerged following the easing of restrictions of Austrian magazine and book production as well as of activities of readers' and writers' associations in 1860/1861, and of the 1920s as a period of differentiated literary field(s) with popular fiction, bourgeois literature and various modernist and avantgarde groups, the paper attempts to show how the literary field(s) of Brno evolved. In the 1860s, in spite of already existing nationalist ideologies, there still was a largely unified field of Brno literature, based mainly on the fact that publishing houses operated in both languages and published parallel periodicals in German and Czech, whereas in the 1920s, this field was split in two structured monolingual segments which, however, still display numerous intersections and parallelisms.

Since over a century, the narrative of Brno literature has been one based on the principle of genius loci – Brno, the “Manchester of Moravia”, a city of industry and proletarians “produces” industrial and proletarian literature. The – rarely questioned – problem with this unity of place and art has been that at the same time, the Czech version of this narrative excluded the literature of Brno written in German from it, and vice versa. The present paper suggests to take advantage of the theory of literary field (Bourdieu) as a tool for analyzing the literary field of the city to challenge the monolingual and monocultural approach to the history of Brno literature. Using the synchronic “cuts” of the 1860s when a new literature emerged following the easing of restrictions of Austrian magazine and book production as well as of activities of readers’ and writers’ associations in 1860/1861, and of the 1920s as a period of differentiated literary field(s) with popular fiction, bourgeois literature and various modernist and avantgarde groups, the paper attempts to show how the literary field(s) of Brno evolved. In the 1860s, in spite of already existing nationalist ideologies, there still was a largely unified field of Brno literature, based mainly on the fact that publishing houses operated in both languages and published parallel periodicals in German and Czech, whereas in the 1920s, this field was split in two structured monolingual segments which, however, still display numerous intersections and parallelisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the basic directions and subjects of the scientific activity in the Bohemian studies at Kyiv University within the context of formation and development of historical Slavic studies. In particular, general laws and specific features during different development stages have been emphasized, so was the contribution of each individual university departments to the Czech history and culture studies. The establishment of the domestic Slavic studies as a whole and Czech studies in particular is related to a great extent to the scientific activity of the universities of the Russian Empire. In the 1830s – 1840s, the Department of History and Literature of the Slavonic Dialects, and later – Slavonic Philology were founded. The famous Professor of Medieval history A. M.Yasynsky was among the pioneers of Ukrainian Czech studies. The traditions of the university’s Czech studies have been shaped by the work of the Department, wich was established on the Faculty of History in 1967 (Department of History of Slavs since 1996). The brightest representative of this institution and specialist in the foreign policy of Czechoslovakia in the eve of the Second World War was Professor A. F. Kithchenko. Nowadays the Department of History of Central and East Europe, established in 2016 within the framework of the new educational program «Eastern European historical studies», has a wide range of research subjects and interests. Newertheless, in spite of the years of research and the established historical tradition, no center able to stimulate systematic theoretical and practical explorations in this field hasn’t been created so far.

Copyright of Slavica Litteraria is the property of Masaryk University, Faculty of Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We may not think of Russia as an advanced information society with open access to its scholarship, but it is. The Russian Electronic Library at elibrary.ru offers us twenty-eight million academic journal articles, essays in edited volumes, book reviews, and other texts from all disciplines, many of them in PDF full text and free to download. All of Russia's periodical scholarship is open to the world in elibrary.ru. Just one keyword search, for "Чешская республика" [Czech Republic], brings us 863 results, 372 of them (forty-three percent) in full text. We can find much more writing about Czech subjects with other search terms, but even this single corpus of 863 results shows us the diversity of scholars, interests, and perspectives in Russia on the Czech Republic and the Czech people in the past and present. The Russian Electronic Library can help us reduce ethnocentrism in Czech studies. It gives us open access to a diverse and unfolding scholarship outside the Czech Republic, the European Union and the West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of comparative literature there is no theoretical solution for bridging the rift between the historical process and the individuality of the work of art. Thus, it is improper to exclude the earlier conception focusing on literary trends which concentrates on some common semantic and poetic traits, and it can be harmonized, in the practice of the analysis, with comparative operations based on intertextuality and reception research. It is argued, on the basis of these presuppositions, that comparative studies in Central Europe must cross the methodological barriers which restrict the literary histories of the region merely to a juxtaposition of singular national literary histories. In this framework, Hungarian Czech Studies can bring new information not only about the region but also about the processes of the Czech culture in general.

The paper describes the scientific profile of Jacek Baluch, Polish scholar and scientist in the field of Czech studies, professor of the Jagiellonian University, democratic opposition activist in the communist period in Poland, and Polish ambassador to Prague. The study emphasizes the structural aspects of Jacek Baluch's scientific work and its meaning for the development of Polish literary knowledge in the second half of the 20th century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

František Trávníček (1888-1961) was one of the major figures in Czech linguistics during the 20th century. The wide range of his research had an important impact on the development of various areas of both diachronic and synchronic Czech linguistics, and his scholarly legacy lives on. After 1948, he held high positions in scientific institutions and expert organisations and was undoubtedly an authority in the system of research organisation. He was also politically active. His scholarly and public activities have already been researched quite extensively, but only fragmentarily. As a result, there has thus far been no synthetic elaboration on his life and work in the Czech historiographical literature. In commemoration of the anniversary of František Trávníček's birth, the aim of the present study is to contribute to a comprehensive evaluation of Trávníček's scholarly work and his life in the historical context of the 19th and 20th centuries. This is done through the analysis of thus far unanalysed primary sources as well as secondary sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the most significant moments of the life and scholarly work of the linguist and dissident activist Milan Jelínek, based on original documents from the collection of the Moravian Museum. The text deals with the development of Jelínek's personality related to his experience with forced labour during World War II, activities within the resistance and subsequent imprisonment by the Nazis. Further, the article reflects his university studies, lectureships in Greifswald and at the Sorbonne as well as his career in Brno, such as holding the university posts of vice-rector and dean, pedagogical work at the faculty of arts and involuntary transition from the university to the Academy of Sciences. It also focuses on the unofficial activities of Milan Jelínek and his wife Jana, particularly their organization of samizdat publishing and distribution as well as underground "home seminars" held by French philosophers. Jelínek's life and work after the revolution in November 1989, including his rectorship at the Masaryk University, is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Department of dialectology of the Institute for Czech language of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic follows both the development and the current situation of dialects of Czech national language. The department completed a six-tome Czech Language Atlas, which is the basis for researching the current spoken language. They ore now working on the Dictionary of Local Names in Moravia and Silesia, which represents an extensive set of local names embedded in local speech, and prepare publication of a so far the most comprehensive lexicographic work bearing on Czech language: National Dictionary of Czech Language Dialects. Every year they also organise dialect surveys, which show that discontinuation of dialects or dialect elements in current standard speech in Moravia is not as sudden as it was supposed. Nor interdialectic common Czech language, that is, Czech language spoken in the area of Bohemia is widely different. The article demonstrates historical links of the language development to everyday standard communication and illustrates the current situation with several maps from the Czech Language Atlas, which indicate the thus far live Czech-Moravian opposites in the area of vocabulary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Universitatis Carolinae Historia Universitatis Carolinae Pragensis is the property of Charles University Prague, Karolinum Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Professor Teresa Orłoś, an outstanding Polish bohemist, has authored numerous works on the history of the Czech language, and historical and contemporary lexicology and lexicography. Beside linguistic problems in Czech philology, she has strongly emphasized the need of study and the characteristic of mutual Czech-Polish and Polish-Czech contacts. She has demonstrated the Czech influence on mediaeval and 16th c. Polish, but also the importance of Polish for the Czech language when it was recovering in the 19th c. from a serious decline. Professor Orłoś passed away in 2009. The contemporary part of her research is mainly represented by her phraseological works and rich lexicographic activities, conducted together with the linguistic team she led. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]