BOHEMIAN

AND BAVARIAN FOREST. From the Fichtelgebirge southward towards the confluence of the Ilz and the Danube, extends a ridge of mountains called the Bohmerwald or the Bohemian Foretty in ancient times a part of the SUva Ilercynia, the highest peaks of which are the Arbor (4320 feet high), Rachel, and others. It separates Bavaria from Bohemia^ The great abundance of wood has occasioned the establishment of many gla -houses, forges, ., in this r^on. The inhabitants have acquired, in their seclusion from the world, many characteristic virtues and vices. BOHEMIAN LANGUAGE. The Czechish (Bohemian) dialect was the first of the Slavonic idioms which was cultivated scientifically.. This dialect is spoken in Bohemia, Moravia, with slight variations in Austrian Silesia, in half of Hungary, and in Slavonia. That the Czechish has been widely spread as a dialect of the Slavonian is proved, as well by its antiquity and ^ degree of cultivation, as by tiie extent of tiie countries whose national language it is. The Bohemian has a wonderful facility for forming new derivatives from native roote. Thus, from the single radical word hyti (his) there are more than 110 derivatives; from the radical word dige st (i read like ea), signifying it happens^ there are more than ninety-five, without reckoning the frequentative verbs, verbal substantives, and adjectives. By the simple prefixing of the letters a, w, v, z, the verb acquires a different signification; that is, s-razyti, v-raeytif w-rasyti, convey the meanings to beat doirt*, to beat offy to beaJt in. Hence this language has formed, from native roots, all the scientific terms of theology, jurisprudence, and philosophy, and with every new invention can be further developed. If one compares the Bohemian radical words with the analogous terms in other languages, he will be astonished at the number of inflections and derivations by which the language of the Czechi is distinguished. A great part of the facility with which it receives new forms and additions rests upon its manifold declensions, and its numerous tenses and participles. In this respect the Bohemian and other Slavonic languages excel those of all other modem nations, and equal the Latin or Greek. The participles give them a great deal of pliability, as they imite in themselves the advantage of verbs and adjectives by denoting, as verbal adjectives, at onoe the quality of the thing and the determination of the time, saving,thus the use of the relatives whichy tpho, cw, and the prepositions after, since, , by which periods become so dragging: hence its concisene . Another peculiarity is the great variety of diminutives, by which not only small, but agreeable and dear objects are designated; also the ways of expre ing concisely the frequent naming of a thing; for instance, Frantiskowati te {a read as ah), to use frequently the name Francis; mace chow at i ae, to use frequently the name step-mother. It po e es also the patronymic nouns; for instance, kralowee, the king's son. It indicates concisely that an action is completed; as dopaati, to write to an end. It contains the inceptive verbs; for example, hrbatjtn, I am becoming hunchbacked; and many others. The Bohemian language, moreover, has much expre ivene and energy, as it is not weakened by a number of articles, auxiliary words, conjunctions, and words of transition, but is able to represent the objects of imagination, of pa ion, and all the higher emotions of Uie poet and orator, in a quick, vigorous, and lively manner; by its brevity, heaping together the most significant words, and arranging the connection of the parts of speech according to the degree of feeling to be expre ed, so as to give the style spirit and energy, or gentlene and equability. The Bohemian designates many objects by the imitation of natural sounds. Thus the names of many animals are taken from their voices, as bnUa, the turkey; kachna, the duck. Many plan to are named from their effects, as bolehlavo, hemlock (from headache). The concisene of the language is increased by the absence of auxiliaries in the greater part of the verln. The preterites, in the third person singular and plural, escpre a meaning still further condensed, as variation in the lart syllable is made to designate sex; for example, jaao^, pscUa, paalo, he, she, it written; ptali^ pialy, pacUa, they have written. like manner iixe Bohemian saves many prepositions and mnch circumlocution of other kinds, by the of the inHrtanental agreeing with the Latin ablative; for instance, aeeer^m mece fUawu mu a£ al (t read U\ with a blow of the sword he has cut off his head. This language is, therefore, very well fitted for translation of the Latin cla ics. By the use of past participle active the Bohemian can designate, well as the Greek, who has really performed the action contained in the predicate of the acce ory clause, which the Latin, with its ablative absolute, participle pa ive, must leave always undefined dubious. Every notion, moreover, is expre ed peculiar word; for example, the verbs ^ti, itrJMUiy hrdgeti, rezati, denote to cut with the sci ors, the sickle, with the knife, and with the scythe. the subtlety of grammatical structure the Bohemian is Uke the Greek, and has the advantage over Latin and other languages. Jn speaking of hands-, two eyes, ., the dual number is used example, rvce, oeif Ac The language is also capable of expre ing the idea of duration, referring to indefinite past time, like the Greek aorist; for stance, kupowal dum, ale nekaupil ho, he was engaged in buying the house, and did not buy it. The guage affords several preterite tenses, which are tinguished with great subtlety, as kaupil^ he bought once; Icupowal, he had purchased for a time; kupotodtoalf he had purchased formerly severed times; hipoiodwdtoal, he seldom had purchased foimer times; where, by adding the auxiliary hylf a time still longer pa ed may be expre ed, though this is very seldom used; for instance, kupowduxdf he had purchased in times long Another advantage of the language consists in many future tenses by which the Bohemian denotes not only the time but also the duration, and the or le frequent repetition of the action; for instance. I-au^'m, I shall purchase once; Imdu hupow<Uiy I be purchasing for a long time; hudu kupoiodwati, shall purchase several times; and budu kupowdvKttif I shall be purchasing very often. Not le manifold in signification, and equally subtle in the determination of time, are the participles and the participial constructions. The determination of the sex and number by the final syllable of the participle the Czechish language no small advantage others. The small connective particles of speech Bohemian has in common with the Greek. Greek aUa, men, gar, de, U, , agree with Bohemian tie pak, tDtak, li, z, V; only the three latter are always affixed to a word. Finally, the free, restrained arrangement of the words contributes much to perspicuity, as the Bohemian is le fettered than any of the other modem languages to a particular construction. By a happy mixture of vowels and consonants, by a combination of the latter favourable for pronxmciation, the language has also much euphony, though many call it rough on account of the r rah); but the sound of entire words, not that of single letters which compose them, determines roughne or smoothne of their pronunciation. terminations of the various declensions and conjugations are mostly vowels, or the smoother consonants. In general, the Bohemian has a natural melody that of the Greek, for the tongue stops longer syllable containing a long vowel, A,i,j, u, y, than one containing a short voweL The Bohemian alphabet consists of forty-two letters, expre ing a variety of sounds. The English sound of U the Bohemian expre es with c, the English y with j/, the the ah with aa or a, the Italian ee or ci with c modihas fied, the French gt and gi with the z, the Italian u In with the y, the gn with the n, the English w with the w, particularly at the end of words. It is very use seldom that combinations of difficult consonants are to be found in the Slavonic idioms, and these may like be softened by the freedom of construction which the language allows. In musical value Bohemian comes the next to Italian. Language has much influence on the the development of national music, and the native as opera flourishes in Bohemia^ while Bohemian singers are known throughout Europe. 262