Page:Guide to the Bohemian section and to the Kingdom of Bohemia - 1906.djvu/155



he Bohemian language is the crystalization of a great number of dialects; of which, influenced by political conditions that spoken in Bohemia by the ruling division of the slavonic race, is the one that generally prevails.

The language as it is spoken at the present time, must be divided into three groups: 1st, that used throughout the Kingdom of Bohemia, 2nd that of Moravia and 3rd, the dialect spoken by the Slovaks of Northeastern Hungary. The literary form of the language is that of Prague, but in course of time it has undergone numerous changes so that it does not agree with any special dialect, but stands as the most cultivated example of the language spoken by any of the slavonic family.

There are three epochs recognised in the literary history of Bohemia. Beginning with the old, from the first written documents, to the works of John Huss (1410)-next, on to the reign of Joseph II. (1774), then to the modern, from the end of the eighteenth century until the present time.

The ancient folk-lore, traditions, lyric and epic verse, with the fables and sayings, must be considered as the first fruits of the Bohemian literary tree, these were repro- 9