Mailbox
This week: ABC of Czech - problems with transcription and pronunciation, the winner of Radio Prague's February competition. Listeners quoted: Stephani Shelton, Janice Pacl Hare, Roy Kitson, Alon Raab, Kanu Kumar Paul, Josef C.Vyvoda, Harold Yeglin, Stephen Price, Justin McCarthy, Colin Rose, David Rada, Annette Harris.
Welcome to the first Mailbox of March - which means we'll be announcing the lucky winner of Radio Prague's February competition. But first of all, let's hear some of your letters and emails that arrived over the past week. A number of them concerned our Czech language special - ABC of Czech.
Stephani Shelton from New Jersey wrote:
"Today I went to your website to see what your ABC of Czech would be like. I could hear it and read it and it was wonderful! I already know the words but not always WHY they are used a certain way. Your written explanation was very helpful, and then to hear the words spoken with the proper accent was even better!"
The last sentence partly answers a question sent in by our faithful listener Janice Pacl Hare from the United States.
"I enjoy your ABCs of Czech but struggle to try to pronounce some of the words. Perhaps you could try to write the words phonetically in parentheses? Although some sounds aren't easily reduced to English, any such attempt would help us with pronunciations."
Well, the easiest way to find out how the words are pronounced is to listen to the programme either on the airwaves, or at any time on our website - if your computer is connected to the internet. I'm afraid it would be difficult to agree on a pronunciation key that all our listeners - or readers, for that matter - would understand everywhere around the world. But Czech spelling is almost phonetic so once you know the simple rules, you can pronounce any Czech word. You may find a few leads on our website, in one of the very first episodes of the ABC of Czech, called "A for alphabet" which was first aired on April 10, 2002. A lot is explained there.
And finally, Roy Kitson from Northern Ireland doesn't have a problem with the sounds, but with the signs:
"Why do you present the Czech letters in the series ABC of Czech in ISO format? I notice that you do not do this in the language series in French or German. My computer (A Macintosh) cannot cope with ISO... Help!"
I've spoken to our internet team and they told me that in order to be able to help you they would need a little more information. Namely, which version of the Macintosh Operation System and which internet browser you are using, that is Microsoft Explorer, Mozilla, Opera etc. Regardless of Mr Kitson's problem, all visitors to our website who are interested in reading our Czech language series need to set their browsers to Central European languages in order to view Czech characters properly.
Moving on, Mr Alon Raab from the United States would like to know when we will announce the topic for this year's writing competition for listeners.
The big day is Easter Sunday, March 27, which is also when our broadcasting schedule changes because of the time change - and on that day you will also hear the first episode of a brand new ABC of Czech series, dedicated to Czech food and cuisine.
But let's not put it off anymore and let's get to the answer to February's competition in which our listeners were required to tell us the name of the son of the founder of a world-famous originally Czechoslovak shoe-making company. He is, of course, Tomas Bata.
And the lucky winner we drew this month is Kanu Kumar Paul from Bangladesh! Congratulations and your CD is in the post.
But let's hear what some of our other listeners had to say:
Josef C.Vyvoda from the United States writes:
"I remember as a child my father told me that he was involved in the manufacture and installation of the elevators in the Bata shoe factory administrative building. The building was known in the city as 'mrakodrap'. It was a very impressive building at that time. For example, the elevators were of continuous non-stop type, a very efficient design. Mr Tomas Bata, Jr. was instrumental in the establishment of the Tomas Bata University in Zlin in November 2000. I think this is very important for the region and visionary on the part of Mr Bata."
Harold Yeglin from Virginia sent us this e-mail:
"I knew nothing about Bata shoes until a 1990 visit to the Czech Republic (my first since being part of the American Army that liberated western Bohemia in 1945). Indeed, I do own a pair of Bata shoes! I even bought them in the Czech Republic."
Stephen Price from North Carolina writes:
"I used to hear the Tomas Bata's office was a very large elevator - so that he could travel to the different departments in his plant to meet with the various department managers."
And this e-mail came from Justin McCarthy from Canada:
"We have many of the stores here in Canada and our 90-year-old cousin worked in one of them. She was visited by Mr Bata and his wife and always refers to them in fine terms."
Colin Rose from the UK even sent us photos of Mr Bata and one entitled "Boys from Essex in 1937 learning the shoe trade in Zlin".
Janice Hare, from whom we heard earlier today, writes:
"In reading the history of the company, I was amazed at the international scope of the business. We used to go to our local Bata Shoe Store on Cermak Road in Cicero, Illinois. At that time (the 1930's), I assumed the store and the shoes were "American". I was so young it never occurred to me that it would be otherwise."
"Ok, you guys really sent me off looking for this one! As a 4th generation Czech who is rediscovering his roots, I've become fascinated with Czech influences here in Maryland. Who is the son of Czech foot wear innovator who resides in Canada? It's Thomas J. Bata. I lived but 12 miles from the Bata factory in Belcamp, Maryland. The factory was begun in 1933 with the purchase of 2,200 acres in Harford County. By 1939, Bata had started construction of the factory and a company town, complete with hotel. The Bata Shoe Factory in Belcamp had employed 4,000 people at its peak, but was demolished in October, 2004."
And finally Annette Harris writes:
"I have visited the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, Canada...a fascinating place with many different exhibits and displays."
Regular listeners might have heard Jan Velinger's Spotlight this Wednesday which he recorded at the Bata Shoe Museum. The story is available on our website in both sound and text.
So, thank you very much indeed for those nice letters and e-mails and the interesting stories you shared with us, and once again congratulations to Kanu Kumar Paul from Bangladesh.
And now it's time for a brand new competition question. And we continue with world-famous people of Czech origin.
"This month we'd like to know the name of the man who was President of Brazil in the latter half of the 1950s. A physician by profession, when elected President he launched an immense public works programme, including construction of roads, hydroelectric projects and also the new capital city, Brasília. (A clue: the international airport in Brazil's capital bears his name.)"
Please send your answers to us by the end of March and if you have an interesting story to tell, please share it with us and all our listeners. The address is as usual: Radio Prague, 12099 Prague, Czech Republic or [email protected].
