Bohemica Olomucensia

Causes of pronunciation issues of Polish Students of Czech Studies

The author of the paper analyses the issue of Czech pronunciation of Polish students of Czech Studies at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, whose selected pronunciation difficulties persist throughout bachelorʼs and masterʼs studies. The author illustrates the pronunciation issues of Polish students with examples from her own practice in teaching Czech as a foreign language. She proceeds from an acoustic analysis of speech to the presentation and comparison of selected problematic phonetic-phonological features of Czech and Polish. Using the research of interpreting studies and neuroscience, the author argues that foreign language pronunciation is influenced by phonetic listening skills, the transfer of pronunciation strategies from the mother tongue, internalization of auditory input, acoustic imagination, and the physical setting of speech organs. Although pronunciation is a regular part of teaching Czech as a foreign language to students of Czech Studies, only advanced students are able to effectively apply self-monitoring strategies. Recordings of Polish students´ pronunciation examples are included.

Keywords: orthoepy; phonetics; Polish students of Czech Studies; pronunciation issues; Czech as a Foreign Language