The RUSSIAN Language

Summary

In this video, Paul from Langfocus explores the Russian language, highlighting its global importance as one of the six official UN languages with over 260 million speakers. He delves into Russian's linguistic evolution from Old East Slavic to modern Standard Russian, influenced by Old Church Slavonic, French, and other European languages. The video explains key aspects of Russian grammar, such as its complex case system, verb aspects, and flexible word order. Paul also discusses the challenges and rewards of learning Russian, encouraging viewers to share their experiences in the comments.

Takeaways

• 😀 Russian is one of the world's major languages, with around 155 million native speakers and 260 million total speakers.
• 🌍 Russian is an official language in Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and several other regions.
• 📜 The Russian language originated from Proto-Slavic, splitting into East, West, and South Slavic branches around 500 CE.
• 📖 Old Church Slavonic was the literary language of the Slavs, influencing the development of Russian and other Slavic languages.
• 🐉 The Mongol Empire's rule over Kievan Rus in the 13th century introduced many Turkic loanwords into Russian.
• ⚙️ Peter the Great reformed Russian orthography in the 18th century, simplifying it to increase literacy and modernize the country.
• 👨‍🏫 Mikhail Lomonosov's 1755 grammar book helped standardize Russian by blending Old Church Slavonic with the vernacular.
• 📚 Alexander Pushkin is considered the father of modern Russian, developing the language's style and vocabulary.
• 🔤 Russian is written in the Cyrillic script, which consists of 33 letters mostly derived from Greek, with some differences in pronunciation.
• 📚 Russian is a fusional language with a complex system of noun cases (six total), and adjectives must agree with nouns in gender, case, and number.

Q & A

Why is Russian considered an important language?

Russian is one of the world's major languages, with around 155 million native speakers and a total of approximately 260 million speakers. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations and is spoken widely in countries like Russia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. Additionally, it serves as a lingua franca in many regions, especially Central Asia and Eastern Europe.

What language family does Russian belong to?

Russian belongs to the Slavic language family, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. Specifically, it is an East Slavic language, along with Belarusian and Ukrainian.

How did Old Church Slavonic influence the Russian language?

Old Church Slavonic was the literary and religious language used by Slavs for centuries. It heavily influenced Russian, especially in its early development. It was used alongside the spoken vernacular of Old East Slavic, and this diglossia continued for a long period, shaping the linguistic foundation of Russian.

What was the role of Peter the Great in the development of Russian?

Peter the Great's reign in the late 17th and early 18th centuries marked a significant turning point in the development of Russian. He simplified the Russian orthography, eliminating some letters and diacritics, and encouraged the modernization and westernization of the language. His reforms helped establish a more standardized and accessible version of the written language.

Who was Mikhail Lomonosov, and how did he influence the Russian language?

Mikhail Lomonosov was a Russian scholar and poet who wrote a grammar of the Russian language in 1755. He revolutionized Russian by blending Old Church Slavonic with the vernacular language, creating a 'Middle Style' for most forms of writing. This helped standardize the language and made it more reflective of spoken Russian.

What is the significance of Alexander Pushkin in the Russian language?

Alexander Pushkin is often considered the father of modern Russian literature. He expanded the Russian vocabulary and further developed the concept of high, middle, and low language styles. His works had a lasting impact on the evolution of modern literary Russian, making the spoken vernacular a legitimate part of the language.

What is the Cyrillic script, and how does it relate to Russian?

The Cyrillic script is the alphabet used to write Russian, consisting of 33 letters. It was originally created for Old Church Slavonic and has since been adapted for Russian. The script has some letters that resemble Latin characters but represent different sounds, and it forms the foundation for many Slavic languages.

What are the key phonological features of the Russian language?

Russian has 21 consonants, many of which can be pronounced in two ways—hard or soft. The soft sound is palatalized, meaning the tongue touches the roof of the mouth. Russian also has six basic vowels, with their pronunciation affected by stress patterns and surrounding sounds.

How does Russian grammar differ from English grammar?

Russian grammar is more complex than English, especially with its system of six noun cases, which indicate the grammatical function of words in a sentence. Additionally, Russian verbs are divided by aspect (perfective and imperfective), which changes the meaning of a sentence. Adjectives also agree with nouns in gender, number, and case, requiring a greater variety of endings.

What makes Russian verb aspect important?

In Russian, verbs are distinguished by aspect: perfective and imperfective. The perfective aspect indicates that an action is completed, while the imperfective aspect suggests that the action is ongoing or habitual. This distinction is essential for understanding the nuance of actions in Russian sentences.