Abstract
The author reflects on the specific ambivalence between linguistic feeling and linguistic intelligence, which many native language users encounter from the beginning of school language education. A similar duality of the relationship to the mother (native) language can also be felt by any adult individual who is interested in the valid language norm and its current fulfillment in the national communication space, and therefore formulates his or her comments on real “language life” or raises questions addressed to experts in language issues. The author tries to suggest ways to a solution both in educational practice and at the level of language education and language counselling for the wider public. Her approach is based on the current situation in the Czech Republic compared to some features in the Slovak environment.