Thread: Why did you choose to learn Russian?

Спасибо, Оля, за комплимент и за исправление. Я рада, что я наконец-то решила написать первый пост на форуме. Часто здесь читаю, только никогда ничего не писала.

Originally Posted by devochka

Спасибо, Оля, за комплимент и за исправление. Я рада, что я наконец-то решила написать первый пост на форуме. Часто здесь читаю, только никогда ничего не писала.

Молодец.

For me, as Thai people, I think Russian is the most easiest language. I had learned some languages such as Japanese, French. Russian is my best language, but I have to learn more and more.

Для меня, как тайский народ, я думаю, русский является самым простым языком. Я узнал несколько языков, таких как японский, французский. Русский язык в моих силах, но у меня есть, чтобы узнать больше и больше.

Originally Posted by Mujin

For me, as Thai people, I think Russian is the most easiest language. I had learned some languages such as Japanese, French. Russian is my best language, but I have to learn more and more.

Для меня, как тайский народ, я думаю, русский является самым простым языком. Я узнал несколько языков, таких как японский, французский. Русский язык в моих силах, но у меня есть, чтобы узнать больше и больше.

If you don't mind:

=> Я думаю, что для меня, как тайца, изучение русского языка не представляет сложности. Я уже знаю несколько языков, например японский и французский. Я немного знаю русский, но мне ещё предстоит многому научиться.

Thank you, Crocodile. My Russian is not good. I have been trying to refresh it.

Спасибо, Crocodile. Мой русский не является хорошим. Я пытаюсь обновить ее.

Come on, i keep reading over and over that Russian is a difficult language...I can't believe what i am reading here.
Russian is considered an 'Indo-European' language, just as English, German or even Ukrainian is...

Now if you'd take a look at the English language back a thousand years ago, it would look like somekind of odd german-like language, probably not too far away from Dutch-Pensylvannian or something.

The English language, as i have often heard, is easy to speak but very difficult to master.
To me learning Russian isn't anymore difficult than learning English.

As a matter of fact, this is all psychological, meaning that, it's like people who claim they can't send a sms because mobile phones are from a newer generation..

Russian people tend to easily pick up new languages such as the English language, well, to me it's only because they are more serious about learning a new language than we folks are.

It's true to say that people don't necessarily share the same abilities when it comes to learning a language, but i will tell that, if you are serious about doing something and do everything that it takes to achieve your goal, then, you will get to the level you intended in the first place.

To me learning Russian isn't anymore difficult than learning English.

Are you done bragging? Because "to me", that's all you are doing.

@ Kiwix,

I think that writing it off as psychological is not very fair. Good for you that you find it so easy but that does rather belittle the time and effort required by the rest of us.

To use your mobile phone analogy, it is not so much like learning how to send an SMS because just about everybody can speak and/or read in their native language. It would be more accurate to compare it to learning how to send an SMS from an unfamiliar phone, perhaps with a different type of predictive text as well.

If you have never used a phone before, you might find any of them as easy as another to learn. If you switch to another phone from the same manufacturer, the differences may be few and you will learn it quicker. If on the other hand, you switch to a completely different make/model, the learning curve may be steeper as you have to disregard much of what you have already learnt.

To me, Russian is like that different make/model. It has some words that sound similar (and a whole lot of borrowed words as well, but then so does English) but I've seen enough of it to say that the grammar is very different. I feel I'm progressing quite well with the materials I am using (though I realise they can only take me so far) but I still find it challenging as I have to disregard much of what I have spent most of my life learning.

I don't really see as the Indo-European connection makes all that much difference to be honest. If you spend your life studying this group of languages, maybe you can spot patterns and trends that help you learn them. Otherwise, languages can change rather a lot over a thousand years or so and English and Russian look to me to have developed in very different ways.

I'd say that the difficulty of learning a given language is relative to how different it is from languages you already know, especially your native language. I don't think that any language is objectively more difficult than another; all languages have their areas of complexity. For instance, my native language is German, so I only have to deal with two more cases when learning Russian; whereas, if my native language was English I would have to deal with the concept of cases as such first. On the other hand verb aspect is more alien to me than to a native speaker of English, as the difference between simple and progressive verb forms in English is at least conceptually similar to the Russian verb aspects, though not the same. In German, neither feature exists.

And on-topic: I am learning Russian because it's fun. And I have Russian-speaking neighbours whom I visit every now and then, and when their family and friends are there the language everyone speaks is Russian. So if I learn the language they don't have to translate all the time. And they cannot speak behind my back as easily.

Robin

Originally Posted by bitpicker

And they cannot speak behind my back as easily.

Robin

Боюсь что в любом языке есть такая возможность иносказаний, что поймут только только посвященные. Попробуй-ка понять язык чиновников...

Well I'm not sure really but many years ago I had a friend at school(i didn't have many friends) and he could speak russian. I must have got curious and asked him to teach me. Unfortunately we lost contact shortly after and I've not seen him since. But that planted a seed I think and years later,when I got internet,I got curious. I first found a guy on ICQ who would teach me,even emailed me a sound file of him saying Zdrastvyetse which I'll never forget! I then found someone on msn from Siberia( Eugene,a DJ at Radio Boomerang) and he taught me a few words and phrases,many of which I've forgotten. We still talk occasionally but I am hardly on msn(too busy with my kids) and he is busy with other things.
Is a good man!

First of all, it happens that, prior to learning Russian, i have learned the Ukrainian language which is about the same in structure and difficulty. Now, as far as i am concerned a huge amount of Ukrainian words, especially Russian words too, have similarities with the Latin an Greek languages, ancient of course.
Take a look at words such as телефон, or even жить, работать
телефон clearly is of greek origin,
жить sounds just like the word gîte in French, which meanings are close enough
работать reminds of the word rabot, in French, a tool to work with wood

Every in life, i find dozens of new words, either Russian or Ukrainian words which are obviously similar to their French or English equivalents, not to mention when they do sound exactly the same, like фасад/façade, for example.
Those are just examples on their own, but there are hundreds like this.
Now their are only words, and grammar is a different topic, i agree.

To be able to learn a language properly, one needs to have a serious approach towards it,helped by a teacher or not, that's a fact, but then, not only one should be interested in doing it, learning a language has to be, to me, an addictive passion of some sort, and one must whatever it takes to speak this language fluently, not to say perfectly.

Originally Posted by kiwix

First of all...

Do a few posts in Russian and demonstrate your easily gleaned mastery of that language.

Originally Posted by Aimak

Боюсь что в любом языке есть такая возможность иносказаний, что поймут только только посвященные. Попробуй-ка понять язык чиновников...

Sure. I just spent about a quarter of an hour figuring out what you said there, so that shows how little I know. But hush, don't tell my neighbours.

Robin

Sure. I just spent about a quarter of an hour figuring out what you said there, so that shows how little I know. But hush, don't tell my neighbours.

Robin

I shall be mute as a tomb
Я буду нем как могила

Originally Posted by ekaterinak

Originally Posted by Crocodile

Russians tend to change overseas...

Russians who left Russia find oneself in unusual life. They meet other language, other traditions, other culture and valuables, other lifestyle, other friends and job....... It is extreme situation for any adult human (not for only Russian). In this conditions the humans visualize own inward nature. They don't tend to change.

I recently came across a nice story. I think it somewhat explains ...

In Russian: http://lleo.aha.ru/arhive/fan2006/sirius.shtml
Translation to English: http://lleo.aha.ru/e/sirius_e.htm

Originally Posted by Aimak

Sure. I just spent about a quarter of an hour figuring out what you said there, so that shows how little I know. But hush, don't tell my neighbours.

Robin

I shall be as mute as a tomb
Я буду нем как могила

Originally Posted by kiwix

телефон clearly is of greek origin,

To be honest, I strongly suspect that this is borrowed from English of French, which in turn is no doubt derived from an older language. I had always assumed Latin but I could be wrong.

Anyway, on topic, I offer my sincerest apologies for any butchery I might be about to inflict on you Russian folk's fine language but here goes:

Я изучаю русскии язьик потому что мне он очен интересно.

К сожалению, я никто не знаю из России, так я должен говорить со мной.

I hope at least it is clear what I am trying to say but please correct any inevitable mistakes.

Originally Posted by Karras

To be honest, I strongly suspect that this is borrowed from English of French, which in turn is no doubt derived from an older language. I had always assumed Latin but I could be wrong.

No, it is Greek. :P

Я изучаю русский язык, потому что мне он очень интересен.

И и and Й й are different letters! Й is a consonant, and и is a vowel.

К сожалению, я [s:2jwe3fub]никто[/s:2jwe3fub] никого ([s:2jwe3fub]accusative[/s:2jwe3fub] genitive) не знаю из России, так что я должен говорить [s:2jwe3fub]со мной[/s:2jwe3fub] с самим собой.

Спасибо, Оля.

Not as bad as I feared then. I was worried it might be complete gibberish.

I know и and й are different letters, I just goofed and picked the wrong one . I appreciate the correction though.

I had a feeling никто was wrong after I wrote it. I was guessing genetive but I think I understand now.

I am a little confused about the tendency to say "one's self" instead of "myself". The Penguin book I have seems to suggest this is optional when refering you yourself. Is this not correct then?

No, it is Greek.

Fair enough. Greek it is then. The point I was trying to make was simply that borrowed words are not always a sign that a language is easy to learn. I come across a lot of words I recognise instantly when reading them, but would not think to use them myself prior to that. I suppose it does at least mean the stereotypical tourist who thinks everyone will understand them, if they JUST SPEAK LOUDER, might have a fighting chance though.