Thread: What do you find interesting in Russian from the linguistic point of view?

Originally Posted by bitpicker

Romik, where is that quote on the incomplete verbs from?

I googled it, it's Rosenthal.
He is non-Russian btw.

Во-первых, это глаголы, которые обозначают процессы, совершающиеся в животном или растительном мире, в неживой природе и не присущие человеку: ржаветь, сквозить, телиться, течь и др. Такие глаголы не употребляются в формах 1-го и 2-го лица единственного и множественного числа (нельзя ведь сказать: «я теку» или «мы ржавеем»).

Why?! Я теку , Мы ржавеем .

Чуду-юду я и так победю

Russian is synthetic, (word building and inflection/cases?) Synthetic language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English is rather less synthetic, more analytic:Isolating language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
.
Caution must be used in reading these articles, I believe. A language that occasionally shows some synthetic characteristics, does not mean language is very synthetic. This applies to Romance languages for examples, that seem to be more analytic and less synthetic than is implied.

Originally Posted by Romik

I don't think there is much flexibility and freedom in Russian. There is a lot of conventionality in forming words and sentences. You can't form sometimes something because you just can't Like you say 'Мы победим' but you can't say the same in singular 'Я победю/побежду'. Why? I have no clue.
In English there is just few addings like 'ed, ing', and apart some exceptions, there is not much hesitation to put them.

sure thing
can you add 'ed' to these verbs in English
put
catch
have
build
be
burn
fall
find
freeze
go
pay
buy
forget
make
...
...
The list goes on up to 700 words
You can probably build the whole new language based just on these "some exceptions"

English would be much easier w/o exceptional rules for these verbs

'Burned' is ok. When native speakers hear these kinds of things 'builded, forgetted, cutted,'etc it doesn't impair comprehension. Children (and non-native speakers) often use these kinds of constructions, everyone almost always knows what they mean. And so yes, they are not 'legit' but they don't interfere with basic communication.

Originally Posted by Seraph

'Burned' is ok. When native speakers hear these kinds of things 'builded, forgetted, cutted,'etc it doesn't impair comprehension. Children (and non-native speakers) often use these kinds of constructions, everyone almost always knows what they mean. And so yes, they are not 'legit' but they don't interfere with basic communication.

if you say "я победю" every Russian can understand you and as you say "yes, they are not 'legit' but they don't interfere with basic communication."

It is good to hear this! I've been learning about personal and impersonal verb usage, and so it seems one can say 'Я успею...' 'Я успел....' and 'Мне удалось...' But can't say something like 'Я удамся...' And so maybe the incorrect usage of impersonal verb, using as a personal form might be understood too. This seems like this could be a typical mistake for people learning Russian.