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Bohemian Grammar — Context and Discussion

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Authors: Nigrin, Jaroslav Victor Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2015 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Czech language -- Grammar Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

Edition facts

Words 67,955

Reading time 296 min

Text sections 10

The source record for Bohemian Grammar — Context and Discussion measures this digital text at 67,955 words, 4 hr 56 min estimated reading time, and 10 detected text sections.

The text analysis averages about 11.1 words per sentence, while the detected sections provide another way to judge how the source is divided.

Project Gutenberg metadata also associates the work with “Czech language -- Grammar,” connecting these edition facts with the source record’s subject description.

Source: Project Gutenberg record #50595

Jaroslav Victor Nigrin's 1918 grammar adapts Jan Gebauer's standard Czech grammar for English speakers, emphasizing pronunciation, oral drills, and reading real texts over translation. The preface and exercises reveal a method focused on repetition and ear-training.

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File: pg50595

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Umím čísti, I know, I can read. =Věděti něco=, to know something. Slyšel jsem to, vím to. I heard it, I know it. =Znáti= (znám), to know a person or a thing to be acquainted with it. Znám Vás. I know you.

=jeti= is used whenever we go somewhere by some means of transportation, =jíti= denotes merely walking.

=Jedu domů=, I go home, if I use some vehicle, car, horse, bicycle etc.

=Jdu domů=, if I merely =walk=. I went to New York is to be translated jel jsem, if train or other vehicle was used. But =šel jsem= do New Yorku if =I walked=.

The future of jíti, jdu, půjdu (prefix pů-), never budu jíti.

The future of jeti, pojedu (prefix po-); never budu jeti.

Complete in all three persons singular and plural:

Půjdu na procházku. I’ll go for a walk. Pojedu na venkov--I’ll go to the country. Chci pracovati--I wish to work. Nevěděla jsem to--I didn’t know it (fem.) Umím svou úlohu--I know my lesson. Znám mladou dívku, I know a young girl. Nevěděl jsem to, I didn’t know it.

=dvůr= (dvory) court-yard, yard =lov= (lovy) chase =krásný=, beautiful =řádný=, respectable, decent =ochočený=, tamed =půl=, half =spálený=, burned =promluviti= (=mluvím=) to speak, to deliver a speech, =přečísti= (čtu) to read over, =uviděti= (=vidím=) to see, to perceive, =užívati=, (užívám), to use, =plný=, full, =zdraví=, health.

Translate into English:

Můj bratr mluví. Moji bratři mluvili. Tvůj bratr promluví. Kdy jste přečetl tu (that) velkou knihu? Má matka to chce věděti. Kohout sedláka běhá po dvoře. Má teta má velkou zahradu, plnou krásných květin. Sokol se dá ochočiti. Ochočení sokolové byli užíváni k lovu. Zdraví hlava všeho. Čistota půl zdraví. Veselá mysl půl zdraví. Máte jít domů. Když přišel, uviděl svůj dům spálený. Poznal jsem ho co (as) řádného hocha. Přečtu tu knihu zítra.

Translate into Bohemian:

Did you know that respectable gentleman? Have you read that old book through? You ought to know this (to). Will you go to Washington? (by train). Did you go (walk) to Washington? Who knows this gentleman? Who knows how much are five and five? We can work well. The farmer has a big yard with many (s mnoha) cows and geese. My father spoke some (několik, follow by possessive) kind words. Our old mother came here. Our soldiers march through the city. Your garden is big.

(Look for the words in the vocabulary at the end of the book). Den má dvacet čtyři hodiny. (Also čtyřiadvacet hodin). Noc jest ta část dne, kdy nám slunce nesvítí. Když slunce započíná svítiti, říkáme tomu ráno, nebo jitro. Poledne jest půl dne; hodiny ukazují dvanáct hodin. Půlnoc jest půl noci. Odpoledne jest doba mezi polednem a večerem. Večer slunce zapadá, tmí se. Lidé se zdraví: Dobré jitro! Dobrý den! Dobré odpoledne! Dobrý večer! Dobrou noc!

It is very important that the student of Bohemian master the declension of nouns, adjectives, pronouns and numerals. This is to be acquired not only by memorizing the case endings but also by thorough understanding of the meaning and use of the cases.

=Case questions.= To each case a set of questions corresponds, which help us to determine the case. The boy knows the soldier. =Who= knows the soldier? The =boy= knows the soldier.

=Whom= does the boy know? The boy knows the =soldier=. We see, that the question who? asks for and =determines= the nominative case, and the question whom? asks for and determines the objective case.

Nominative =Kdo?, co?= who?, what? Objective =Koho?, co?= whom?, what? Possessive =Koho?, čí?, čeho?= whose?, of what? Dative =Komu?, čemu?= to whom?, to what? Locative =O kom?, o čem?= about whom?, about what? Instrumental =S kým?, s čím?= with whom?, with what?

The last question is used in asking for things, the first (and second of the possessive) is used in asking for animate beings.

No question corresponds to the vocative case. This is used in calling somebody, and has no connection with the sentence. It is inserted in the sentence and separated from it by a comma.

The Use of the Individual Cases.

The =nominative= is the case of the subject of a sentence.

Continue Reading →

Jaroslav Victor Nigrin opens his 1918 Bohemian Grammar with a clear pedagogical aim: to present the Czech language “along modern lines” for English-speaking students. He explicitly adapts the standard work of Dr. Jan Gebauer, but reshapes it for practical use in American classrooms and private study. The preface stresses pronunciation from the outset, urging students to “learn the language by ear and eye” and to practice oral exercises “by the entire class in unity.” This emphasis on spoken language, supported by numerous Czech exercises and readings, sets the tone for a grammar that is as much about active use as about rules.

A Method Rooted in Repetition and Real Texts

Nigrin’s preface outlines a deliberate strategy: “Repetition makes mastery,” he writes, and he does not hesitate to revisit difficult points. The exercises reflect this—early drills on cases give way to short articles, fables, and poems, which he believes teach “correct Bohemian” more effectively than translation from English. The book includes more Czech-to-English exercises than the reverse, a choice that prioritizes comprehension over production. This structure suggests a confidence in immersion: the student is expected to absorb patterns through repeated exposure to authentic language, not just through memorized paradigms.

Voice and the Shifting Pace of Instruction

The narrative voice in the grammar is direct and teacherly, often using imperatives (“Learn,” “Do not hesitate”) and first-person plural (“we tried to simplify”). The pace varies: dense explanations of declensions or passive voice syntax are punctuated by brisk exercise lists and proverbs. For instance, after a technical passage on the instrumental case, the reader encounters a string of pithy sayings like “Hlad nedá se slovem utišiti” (Hunger cannot be quieted with words). These shifts from formal rule to folk wisdom keep the text from becoming monotonous and mirror Nigrin’s belief that language lives in use, not just in tables.

The Role of Czech Proverbs and Cultural Context

Throughout the exercises, Nigrin weaves in Czech proverbs and everyday expressions, such as “Ne každému štěstí slouží” (Fortune does not serve everyone) and “Bláznu i dřevěný peníz dobrý” (A wooden penny is good enough for a fool). These are not merely filler; they serve as compact examples of case usage and syntax while offering a glimpse into Czech folk wisdom. The grammar also includes a dedication to Charles R. Crane, “a true and enlightened friend of the Slavs,” situating the work within early 20th-century American interest in Slavic cultures. This cultural embedding, though subtle, enriches the otherwise technical material.

Nigrin’s grammar is best approached as a workbook: read the explanations aloud, complete the oral exercises in groups, and return to difficult sections as recommended. The proverbs and short texts reward repeated reading, and the emphasis on ear-training means that listening to a native speaker—or reading aloud—will amplify the book’s effectiveness. The preface’s advice to “learn by ear and eye” remains the most practical guide to using this text.

There’s something tender about Nigrin’s insistence on hearing Bohemian before seeing it, trusting the ear to carry what translation can’t. It reminds me of another old grammar, this one for Shanghai dialect—both books feel like doorways left ajar for someone patient enough to listen. A Grammar of Colloquial Chinese, as Exhibited in the Shanghai Dialect — Story, Setting & Ideas holds that same quiet faith in spoken breath.