Slovak language

Relationships to other languages

The Slovak language arose directly from the Proto-Slavic language independently of other Slavic languages (see History).

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The present-day Slovak language is closely related to the other west Slavic languages. Some observers compare the difference between Slovak and Czech to that between Italian and Spanish. Others prefer to compare it to the differences between Scandinavian languages, or between German dialects or differences between English and Scots language. Generally, it can be said that while the vocabulary (especially the professional one) is quite similar, and the used spelling almost the same, the declension, conjugation and pronunciation are different.

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Nowadays the Czechs and the Slovaks have more common words due to their long historic coexistence especially within the now-defunct country of Czechoslovakia. The Slovak is related to Czech especially in written form (because the Slovak literary language spelling has been inspired by the Czech spelling), but differs from it both phonetically and grammatically. However, the Slovak did not arise from the Czech language (neither from the Old nor from the Middle Czech) and the Czech language started to penetrate to Slovakia only in the 14th century. Adult educated Slovaks are able to understand Czech and to some extent Polish and Sorbian without a translator. In general, it can be stated that during the existence of Czechoslovakia (and especially of a common television), the spoken language has taken over many Czech words, idioms and some features of the syntax, and lost many typical Slovak expressions in turn. The future development after the split of Czechoslovakia (1993) remains to be seen, because close cultural and educational contacts did not disappear. Nowadays the ability to completely understand Czech, however, seems to disappear with a part of the youngest generation (and this is definitively the case with the Czech children in the opposite direction).

Related Topics:
Czechoslovakia - Literary language - 1993

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Basically, the standard Slovak is mutually intelligible with Czech (a bit more with literary Czech than with colloquial) and shares much of professional terminology with it, eastern Slovak dialects are mutually intelligible with standard Slovak, but less with Czech, the Rusyn language is mutually intelligible with eastern Slovak dialects (but both lack professional terminology and higher style expressions). The Polish language and Sorbian languages are somewhat intelligible to both Slovak and Czech, but they have different professional terminology and higher style expressions - the more you keep your language style low and simple, the better you are understood.

Related Topics:
Rusyn language - Polish language - Sorbian language

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The Slovak standard language holds a central position among Slavic languages: It has common features with:

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• the Czech language
• the Polish language , for example the use of the prefix pre-, use of the consonant dz, and some vocabulary (teraz, pivnica)
• South Slavic languages (especially Slovene and Croatian); this connection is due to the fact that the territory of present-day Hungary was inhabited by the Sloviene (see Great Moravia) before the Hungarians settled there in the 10th century, thus bringing about the rise of the Slovaks and Slovenians and of the corresponding languages
• East Slavic languages

This central position makes it relatively easy for other Slavs to understand Slovak and vice-versa. Thus, Slovak provides a good starting point from which to branch off to any additional Slavic language.

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Note however that the above only holds for the standard (that is northern central Slovak) language, not necessarily for the dialects (see Dialects).

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Slovak is not related to the (non-Slavic, non-Indoeuropean) Hungarian language. It borrowed words from Hungarian in the past as a result of being part of Hungary from the 11th century to 1918, but only a very low number of them is still used in literary language today. Traces of Hungarian loanwords remain in some dialects; they are usually words with a very specific meaning. On the contrary, according to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian language borrowed some 1200 words from the Slovak language (and 1000 from other Slavic languages), especially in the 10th century, when the nomadic Hungarians settled in present-day Hungary and had to take over basic vocabulary necessary for a civilized life (for example the words for: table (sk: stôl, hu: asztal), window (sk: oblok, hu: ablak), male sheep, brother (sk: brat, hu: barát), dear, dinner (sk: obed, hu: ebéd), supper, street (sk: ulica, hu: utca), book, coat (sk, hu: kabát), pub, cherry, basket, key, Wednesday (sk: streda, hu: szerda), Thursday, Friday, German, shepherd (sk: pastier, hu: pásztor), prince, king (sk: krá?, hu: király), servant, Christian, pagant, angel, miller (sk: mlynár, hu: molnár), smith sk: ková?, hu: kovács, county, county border, county leader...)

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