cz pronunciation

M

mathman

Valued Senior Member
The combination cz occurs in at least two well known places, Czech (pronounced ch) and czar (pronounced z). Why the difference?
 
mathman said:
The combination cz occurs in at least two well known places, Czech (pronounced ch) and czar (pronounced z). Why the difference?
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Is there any reason to look beyond the fact that they are from in two different languages?

Sure, they have a lot in common, but then so do English and French. Yet we correctly pronounce the word non, whereas those silly French people pronounce it non.
 
The cz or tz in Russian is transposed from the Cyrillic alphabet. In Polish, it's different again. Since the English alphabet doesn't employ accents or tails on letters to change the sound, it has to use a combination of letters. It's always an approximation and never sounds exactly the same as it does in another language.
 
Thanks for the replies - it has been my guess that the differences in language (Czech and Russian) made the difference. I have a doctor whose name is Boczko - I will have to get a pronunciation from him.
 
mathman said:
Thanks for the replies - it has been my guess that the differences in language (Czech and Russian) made the difference. I have a doctor whose name is Boczko - I will have to get a pronunciation from him.
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I'd pronounce that Bozhko - with a bit of a 'j' in there, as in 'vision' or 'bourjois''.
 
When not quite sure, ask the person who has to wear the name how he wants it pronounced.
It used to annoy my father terribly when people Anglicized his name.
 
Speaking of linguistics, there is a relevant ^^ joke in my mother tongue. It's particularly good, because it's simple and to the point on the surface, but it actually consists of a metaphor, a cultural reference and a pun. Which, of course, makes it completely impossible to translate.
 
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