Czech-ova/ovà

[Robert A. Rothstein]

I cite from F. Oberpfalcer, _Rod jmen v cestine_ (Prague, 1933), pp.
182-3:  "V hovorove cestine prijmeni zen neprovdanych, jsou-li spojena s
krestnim jmenem, zpravidla mivaji podobu privlastnovaciho jmena
pridavneho na -ova [short a], na pr. Anca Sykorova, Terina Hajkova,
Pepka Dusilova a pod. [...]  O tento usus se pred lety opirala teorie
hlasajici, ze sa ma i v jazyce spisovnem rozlisovat -ova [long a] u zen
provdanych a ovdovelych, -ova [short a] u svobodnych.  Psalo se tedy na
pr. pani Stehlikova [long a] a slecna Stehlikova [short a] a podle toho
i pani duchodnova [long a] a slecna duchodniho.  Ale o takovem
rozlisovani neni starych svedectvi."
    Oberpfalcer refers in a footnote on p. 183 to the discussion of this
issue in 1876-7 and again in 1916-17 (A. Hlavinka in favor of the
distinction; O. Hujer against).  He also cites some historical examples
(e.g. from Palacky) of the use of the suffix -ovna to refer to daughters
(parallel to Polish usage) and mentions that "[s]lova ciesarovna a
kralovna znamenala puvodne dceru cisarovu, kralovu [...].  Ale brzy oba
tvary zobecnovaly i pro manzelku a pro panovnici vubec [...]."
            Bob Rothstein

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