Powered By Blogger

Friday, April 15, 2016

Czech Republic's Leaders Agree On New Name

The Czech Republic has finally picked a short form English name for the country - Czechia.

The name will make it easier for companies, sportsmen and others to label products and clothing.

The debate has raged since the republic split with partner Slovakia in 1993, spelling the end of Czechoslovakia.

But on Thursday, the president, prime minister, heads of parliament, foreign and defence ministers agreed on Czechia.

Once it is approved officially at a cabinet meeting the foreign ministry can lodge it will the UN.

Up until now, many people wanting to promote the country have written "Czech" across sports jerseys or product, but critics of that point out the word is an adjective so cannot be used as a one-word proper noun.

The new name needed to be inclusive because, while the largest part of the country is known as Bohemia - or Cechy in Czech - any new name needed to take in the historic regions of Moravia and Silesia.

Supporters of Czechia say the name, which was suggested soon after the 1993 split, can be traced back to the 19th century.

However, some opponents say the name sounds ugly and others suggest it sounds too similar to the Chechen Republic, or Chechnya, leading to possible confusion.


No comments:

Post a Comment