pronounce CZ

[Shaughn Leayme]

CZ = See Zee


Now I have always pronounced it Chess - ka Bri - ov- ka and I have not been corrected by a Czech coworker, I figure that means I am close to the proper pronunciation or that she is being polite

 

[natedog]

I usually refer to any CZ guns as "Check" as in "Check 75"

 

[igor]

Up here they're affectionately referred to as Zetor (which actually is a miserable Byelo-Russian tractor make)

 

[Nero Phoenix]

This is an old topic I know, but I stumbled across this by accident, and I thought I'd try and help settle the matter.

Firstly, companies tend to be pronounced world wide as they are pronounced by the people who created it. CZ is an American company (I think) so therefore world wide it should technically be See Zee.

However the British pronunciation would indeed by See Zed, discounting the above material.

As for those who believe they pronounce it correctly as See Zee due to the fact that it is American, and that is how it is supposed to be pronounced, while fair to say, that is correct in American English, however it is only the case in American English. The rest of the world does speak British English (for the most part) where it would be Zed. For those who believe the American version is superior, I ask why? British English is the most widely spoken and indeed the original, with many word stems which are deprived from the mother of all languages Latin. American English has lost many of these stems. So why is the vastly outnumbered and arguably lazy version of English the superior? I'm not trying to start an argument, I just wondered where people get this Idea from, and why other versions would tick people off so. I find some of the comments here pompous and naive.

 

[McCall911]

Oh, it's cee-zee, for goodness' sake!

The British know it's "zee" and not "zed." They just have to be different.

Anyway, what do you do when you sleep? Do you "cut some zees" or "cut some zeds?" You cut the zees, of course!

Yes, the British may have originated the language, but it took the Americans to perfect it. The proof? Most of us in America do pronounce our R's, for crying out loud!

 

[JohnKSa]

Why would the British pronunciation of the initials of a Czechoslavakian company be any more correct than the American pronunciation?

If the guy could tell you how to pronounce it in Czech then he'd have something. As it stands it's just some know-it-all trying to show off. (Speaking as a know-it-all who likes to show off.)

 

[Jim K]

IIRC, this is the U.S. where we pronounce the single letter "Z" as "zee" not "zed." So for any abbreviation, even of a foreign name, I use the American letter pronunciation*.

Shaughn seems to come the closest on pronuncing the actual words. CZ-USA doesn't use it, but in Czech, that C in Ceska has a caret mark over it which means it is pronounced "Ch", as in check.

*One exception. When I did a lot of travelling, I used to learn the local pronunciation of the letters of my name. That made it a lot easier when asking about reservations for a hotel or rental car. You might be surprised at what "Keenan" comes out sounding like in other languages. At one point, I seriously thought about spelling it Quinan in Spanish speaking countries, but decided that posed too many conflicts with drivers license and passport.

Jim

 

[Angus Podgorney]

CZ is an American company (I think)

WRONG... would you care to guess again?

("Let's not call them anything!")

.

 

[RNB65]

CZ is an American company

Absolutely!

Just like Mercedes, BMW, Volvo, and Toyota.

We own the world!

 

[Quiet]

Česká Zbrojovka a.s., Uherský Brod

I pronounce it as cee-zee.

 

[Odd Job]

See Zed

'cos I am South African

 

[Blakenzy]

Raymond Luxury Yacht

(us geeks will just let the rest of you guys figure out what the heck we're talking about)

The Flying Circus show??

 

[Ala Dan]

"Cee Zee"

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

The letters are C and Z, right? See Zee! I would have thought that obvious.

Now, "Ceska Sbrojovka," I haven't a clue.

Next: is it SIG (or SiG?) P-two-two-eight, or P two-twenty-eight?

 

[Eightball]

Raymond Luxury-Yacht

That.

Or See-Zee. We speak AMERICAN on this side o' the pond, not this silly "Zed" nonsense. It's the letter "ZEE".

 

[McCall911]

Česká Zbrojovka

It's like: CHESS-kah ZBRAW-yoaf-kah, with the first "kah" a little drawled out.
(Yeah, and a Czech speaker would notice that, too!)

So just pronounce it Cee Zee. Or Cee Zed. Whichever you're used to.

 

[TomN]

Cee-Zee is the best I can do.

 

[Autolycus]

Originally posted by GlocksRock:
I hate when I hear people pronounce z as zed, it ticks me off. It is said like zee, stupid no englinsh speaking people. Grrrr.... I have to hear this all the time at my job.

You complain about people who do not speak the language, yet you cannot even properly spell the language you are speaking?

 

[Geronimo45]

I always pronounced it 'KZZZZ' - like an alarm clock does.

 

[boing]

"We're not using the 'zed' word!"

 

[chopz]

i like to call mine "rosie."

 

[Stevie-Ray]

Anyone remember the Czech CZ Scrambles(motocross) motorcycles of the 60's and early 70's?
I remember that those were pronounced with a decidedly Czech flavor.
Chay-Zay

I guess that depended on where you were, also. The 250 Motocross I rode was a See-Zee. The 250 my buddy's father still rides is also a See-Zee.

 

[bender]

Raymond Luxury Yacht

(us geeks will just let the rest of you guys figure out what the heck we're talking about)

The Flying Circus show??

ok, so tell us. Is it a monty python joke??? I'm a big fan but its been a long time since I've watched the shows. I do have the Holy Grail movie practically memorized though... (I caught the "Ni" joke back on page 1)

 

[Matt King]

I have always pronounced it "Cee Zee." Never heard it said any other way.

 

[Sodbuster]

Is Oleg laughing or shaking his head at this?! BTW Another important Czech pronunciation is Pilsner Urquell.