Czech

Czech belongs to the group of West Slavic languages, along with Polish and Slovak, as well as Upper and Lower Sorbian and Kashubian. A member of the Indo-European language family, Czech uses the Latin alphabet enriched with diacritical marks. Unlike French, the spelling system reflects pronunciation fairly closely. The relative simplicity of the vowel system, mainly characterized by the phonological opposition of vowel lengths, is offset by the richness of the consonant system, which includes several consonants foreign to the French language.

Typologically speaking, Czech is a flexional language with a complex nominal morphology: seven cases, four genders, numerous types of declension. Word order, relatively free with SVO predominating, is governed by the informational structure of the utterance. The verbal system, simpler than in French in terms of tense expression, is mainly structured by the lexico-grammatical category of aspect, with the opposition of perfective and imperfective verbs. Czech has a rich lexical system reflecting its historical evolution and its multiple functions in modern society.

Standard Czech [spisovná čeština] is used in writing and is recommended orally in formal situations (teaching, public speeches, media...). However, there is also a register specific to the spoken language, common Czech [obecná čeština]: derived from the dialects of Prague and Central Bohemia, this register used in most of the country is associated with informal situations (with family, friends...) and presents numerous linguistic differences from the standard register. In addition, certain traditional territorial dialects are still used, particularly in Moravia, the eastern region of the Czech Republic.

The study of the Czech language as an object of linguistic reflection is characterized by a long tradition. In particular, it benefits from the legacy of the Prague Linguistic Circle, an interwar school whose linguists, poeticians and semioticians, at the origins of modern structuralism, had a profound impact on language sciences and literary analysis in the 20th century. It is in this wake that we can consider today the wealth of work in theoretical or applied linguistics and the number and quality of resources available, including the Czech National Corpus or the Prague Tree Corpus.

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The origins of the Czech chair at Langues O', closely linked to the creation of the Czechoslovak state, date back to 1916-1917. In that year, the first courses in Czech grammar and history were taught at the National School of Living Oriental Languages. Among the very first teachers, a young academic from Prague stood out, in charge of courses on the civilization of the Czech lands and Slovakia: Edvard Beneš (1884-1948), later Minister of Foreign Affairs (from 1918), Prime Minister and President of the Czechoslovak Republic.

The decree of November 2, 1920, co-signed by French President Alexandre Millerand, soon established a "magisterial chair of Czech" and a "position of repetiteur for the Czech language". The fruit of a bilateral Franco-Czechoslovak commitment, the teaching of Czech at Langues O' was born.

From this inception, successive teachers of Czech language, literature and civilization - including professors Fuscien Dominois (in post from 1922 to 1938), André Mazon (1939-1940), Marc Vey (1944-1965), Yves Millet (1965-1985), Patrice Pognan (1988-2014) - have worked tirelessly to develop Czech studies in France and strengthen Franco-Czech and Franco-Czechoslovak cultural ties.

Inalco is the only French university to offer a complete degree course in Czech language, literature and civilization - from beginner to doctorate level. Open to a wide audience of both French and foreign students, the Czech curriculum requires no prior language skills.
The varied and complementary courses on offer enable students to acquire a coherent, high-level training not only in language, but also in literature and literary translation, history and geography, and the history of arts and culture.

The Czech language teaching offered at Inalco is mainly provided by Ivan Šmilauer, lecturer specializing in theoretical and applied grammar, Ilona Sinzelle-Poňavičová, native Czech reader, and Magdalena Vigent, lecturer. Learning takes place in small groups, enabling individualized pedagogical support. As part of the Bachelor's degree, students gradually acquire practical communicative skills, together with a thorough knowledge of the Czech language system. They are also introduced to Czech-French and French-Czech translation. In addition to textbooks and specialized digital and other media used for practical exercises, oral and written comprehension and expression, students are introduced to a wide range of sources, from literary and press texts to contemporary films, enabling them to familiarize themselves with both the supported language and everyday Czech. Face-to-face language teaching is complemented by exercises offered on the Cetlef platform, created and managed by Ivan Šmilauer, and by course materials posted online on the Moodle platform (Inalco). Finally, thanks to the modern environment offered since 2011 by Inalco's new premises, orthoepy sessions take place in high-performance language laboratories.

Czech literature and civilization courses offer students a diversified approach to Czech culture and society of the past and present. Czech literature courses - history and analysis - taught by Catherine Servant, focus on works and authors from the 19th and 20th centuries, and take the form of readings, translations and commentaries, underpinned by an inscription in literary history and elements of criticism and aesthetics. In 3rd year, a literary translation course from Czech into French, focusing on a work from the 19th or 20th century, takes the form of a workshop around a joint translation project. Étienne Boisserie's Czech and Czechoslovak history course is divided into three main sections: from the origins to the 19th century, from the 19th century to 1918, and the history of Czechoslovakia. It also includes a course on Czech-Slovak relations, history and culture, and can be supplemented by lessons on the history of Central Europe. In addition, from the 1st year of the bachelor's degree, students benefit from Zuzana Loubet del Bayle's introduction to the physical, demographic and economic geography of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as to the geopolitics of the Czech Republic. Last but not least, Thibault Deleixhe's Czech arts and cultural history courses probe the richness and diversity of Czech artistic creations.

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During the academic year, students are encouraged to take part in meetings with Czech writers and artists, as well as in study days devoted to Czech literature, regularly organized by Catherine Servant, in collaboration with the Czech Center in Paris and Inalco's Centre de recherches Europe-Eurasie. Film screenings can also be organized as part of Inalco's programming. During Inalco's annual "Open Day", Czech Studies presents itself through lectures, readings and exhibitions (with the support of the Embassy of the Czech Republic). Undergraduate students are encouraged to attend these events. Finally, the Czech evenings traditionally organized by lecturers and students foster a warm and motivating working environment and provide an opportunity to reconnect with former students and friends of Czech Studies at Inalco.

• Centenary of Czech Studies at Langues' O: festive Christmas celebration at the Institut d'Études Slaves (Paris), Thursday, December 15, 2016.
• From learning Czech to literary translation, lecture-debate by Hélène Belletto-Sussel, Inalco, Monday, December 12, 2016
• Meeting with Czech writer Michal Ajvaz, Inalco, May 27, 2016
• A look at learning Czech: linguistic and cultural aspects, meeting with Stéphane Poignant, Inalco, May 12, 2016
• Flânerie au royaume des marionnettes, presentation of Czech studies at Inalco by teachers and students, Inalco Open Day, March 12, 2016
• Gottland, screening of the Czech film (2014) and meeting with Polish writer Mariusz Szczygieł, Auditorium du PLC, cycle "L'Inalco fait son cinéma", December 8, 2015
• Karel Poláček evening, Czech Center (Paris), October 16, 2015
• Karel Poláček (1892-1945): un écrivain tchèque d'une guerre à l'autre, journée d'étude, Inalco (Salons d'honneur), October 16, 2015
• Rencontre avec l'écrivain et artiste tchèque Ivan Matoušek, Inalco, cycle " Paroles de créateurs ", May 29, 2015
• "Česká Nej" / The nec plus ultra of the Czech Republic, workshop proposed by Inalco's Czech teachers and students, Open House, March 7, 2015
• Les Héritages culturels du XIXe siècle sous les régimes communistes, Centre tchèque (Paris), April 16, 2015
• Normalization and the underground in Czechoslovakia (1980s), meeting with Czech writer Petr Placák and screening of the film Pouta / Walking too fast, 2009, Inalco, November 20, 2014
• A la rencontre de l'écrivain tchèque Karel Čapek, lecture-lecture organized with Czech students at Inalco, Open House, March 8, 2014.

Members of a team that won a call for projects from Sorbonne Paris Cité University, Czech language teachers have been participating since 2014 in the development of a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) in Czech for beginners.
As part of the school's digital strategy, the "Kit de contact en langues" project brings together eight languages taught at Inalco: Arabic, Burmese, Chinese, Hebrew, Mazatec, Persian, Czech and Turkish. These MOOCs - courses open to all and free of charge - are published on the France Université Numérique platform.

Erasmus mobility

From the 2nd year of undergraduate studies, erasmus mobility is available under bilateral agreements with the universities of Prague and Brno. This program enables students to spend part of their degree course at a European university partnering Inalco, with financial support from the European Commission. The courses taken at the host university are recognized and validated at the end of the stay (in agreement with the referent teacher) as part of the degree for which the student is registered at Inalco. The duration of mobility can vary from 3 months to one academic year. Interested students should contact Inalco's International Relations Department. It should also be noted that, as part of these exchanges, Czech students are regularly hosted at Inalco.

Scholarships from the government of the Czech Republic

1. Summer universities: Inalco students can receive a scholarship to study at one of the summer universities - or "summer schools" - held each year in Prague, Brno, Olomouc, Plzeň and Poděbrady. A committee made up of French and Czech academics and representatives of the Czech Embassy selects the candidates. These study stays, which last an average of one month and enable genuine cultural and linguistic immersion, are supported by a grant from the Czech government covering accommodation and meals. Inalco students are regular beneficiaries.
2. Long-term stays: graduate students of Czech and other disciplines can also apply for a grant to stay at a Czech public higher education institution as part of their preparation for a master's or doctorate in any discipline. These stays can vary from 2 to 10 months and are renewable only in exceptional cases.

Václav Černý Prize

Named after the Czech academic, essayist and Francophile Václav Černý (1905-1987), this competition was created in 1995 under the aegis of the Czech Ministries of Foreign Affairs and National Education and the Czech Embassy in France to support and promote Czech higher education in France. It is aimed at students interested in the Czech language and civilization and enrolled in a French higher education establishment. The competition is divided into several categories, which vary from year to year - work in the humanities and social sciences at master's or doctoral level, literary translation. Entries are evaluated by a jury of academics.

Examen certifié de la langue tchèque / Certifikovaná zkouška z češtiny pro cizince (CCE)

This test is aimed at anyone over the age of 16 wishing to obtain a certificate attesting to their Czech language skills. The CCE has 5 levels of difficulty on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) proficiency scale: levels A1, A2, B1, B2 and C1. Candidates who achieve a B2 level can enroll in a Czech higher education institution. The results obtained by Inalco students on this exam confirm their very good level: at the end of their studies, they reach at least level B2. This exam, organized in Paris according to enrolment, is coordinated by the Czech Embassy in France -> http://www.mzv.cz/paris.