12. 02. 2021
Project Čestina 2.0 covering a variety of the modern Czech language with its slangs and new words has joined forces with vocabulary Flashcard app Vocabulary Miner. They are bringing new words not only to Czechs but also to expats in two corona-themed Word lists. These Word lists cover answers on how you call the belly fat gained during the corona epidemics, the alcohol used as an internal anti-Covid 19 protection, who you meet in a store during the corona crisis, and when coronormalization starts.
New words that common people start using spontaneously are evidence that the Czech language is not static but rather thriving. Coronavirus is among social surprising events that according to Martin Kavka, founder of Čestina 2.0 wakes up the imagination for creating new words.
“It is always a good time to learn something, even better when it is funny. I believe that the more different Czechs you speak, the more you are a Czech. Therefore, I am really enjoying these overlaps of language and foreigners. With this kind of Czech, foreigners can become a different kind of Czech. Yes, it is never viral, however, it can pretty much enlighten the Czech-foreigner beer meetings. The cultural exchange is then hopefully even easier,” says Martin Kavka about the cooperation. He already put his work into the expat world through a Czech Radio show for Spanish-speaking enthusiasts of unorthodox Czech.
“Thanks to Martin Kavka, Čeština 2.0. mirrors the spirit of our times. Čeština 2.0 with Flashcard app Vocabulary Miner has created space to #saymore, as our motto goes, and to play with words and one’s own imagination. Coronavirus affected everyone so we wanted to include expats because the life of the Czech language touches the lives of half a million foreigners in Czechia, too,” explained Zuzana Pápayová, the coordinator of Vocabulary Miner.
Foreign language lovers can explore the newest of the Czech language by guessing what a certain word means in the form of a Flashcard quiz. In the app Vocabulary Miner, the words can be found under keywords #sayMoreInCzech or corona.
Next week, there is a plan to create three more unique Word lists in the Flashcard app with carefully chosen words from Čeština 2.0 with English explanations. It should cover the topics of corporate talks and politics. If successful, new Word lists should pop up on a regular basis. Updates for the project will be on Instagram and new words daily in Vocabulary Miner’s Instagram Stories.