Slovo Dne #2: Bohemistika

The actual Czech word for “Bohemia” is Čechy, from which comes the word Česko, and the word for the country in many other languages, Czech. However, these originally referred only to the Western half of the country we now call the Czech Republic, Bohemia. This term comes from the Latin term for the tribe that inhabited the area in ancient times, the Boii.

The word Bohemistika is a Czech word that describes the discipline of Czech Studies- the study of the language and the literature of the Czech lands. The discipline has existed from at least the 14th century when the scholar Klaret attempted to create a scientific vocabulary in the language under the rule of Charles IV, but Jan Hus is widely regarded as the founder of the discipline, completely reforming Czech orthography, so that now istead of “Czech”, we see “Čech”.