Y for yum, yuck and yippee
Hello and welcome to the last but one episode of the ABC of Czech, Radio Prague's own Czech-language series in which we follow the letters of the alphabet. Today's letter is Y and it stands for yippee - or all kinds of exclamations which are such an important part of any language. Exclamations, or interjections, are the easiest and most expressive means of conveying feelings, moods or sensations.
Hello and welcome to the last but one episode of the ABC of Czech, Radio Prague's own Czech-language series in which we follow the letters of the alphabet. Today's letter is Y and it stands for yippee - or all kinds of exclamations which are such an important part of any language. Exclamations, or interjections, are the easiest and most expressive means of conveying feelings, moods or sensations.
Let's start with the pleasant feelings. When you see, hear, touch or smell something beautiful or hear some good news, you'll most probably say jé. When eating something tasty or just thinking of a delicacy, Czechs will say mòam or mòam mòam, which sounds very similar to the English word yum, doesn't it? The exact opposite is fuj, which can be used when expressing disgust over bad food, nasty smells or any unsightly object or unpleasant situation. The verbal expression that goes hand-in-hand with goose bumps is brrr. People use it when they are cold or just imagining something terrifying. When you experience sudden physical pain the automatic response is to scream au or jauvajs. To warn someone, to tell them to watch out, Czechs shout pozor. To express sudden strong happiness or joy, people typically shout hurá - a word which is very similar in many European languages. And another one which is probably shared by even more languages is ha ha - expressing laughter.
And that's all for today's episode - ach jo - that's an expression of regret, by the way. But we'll be back next week with the last remaining letter Z.
See also Living Czech.
