Thread: Vocab Question: контактный телефон

Can somebody tell me why if you want to say "telephone contact number" in Russian it would be "контактный телефон?" It seems to me like it would either be "телефоный контакт" or "контакт по телефону." But then I am the non-fluent, non-native speaker...

Одно из значений слова "телефон" - это "phone number." Так что "контактный телефон" - это именно "contact phone number", т.е. тот номер телефона, по которому можно связаться с данной компанией, организацией и т.д.

Because we just ommit "number" there. If I ask somebody, "Дай мне свой телефон", I don't mean that I want to borrow his/her device, I'm asking about telephone number.

Thank you for your responses, but that wasn't really what I was asking -- let me try again. Why is "contact" the adjective and "telephone" a noun? It just seems like it should be the other way around, since telephone modifies contact. Therefore, in English we would say "telephone contact."

I think we would say телефонный контакт in the same way we say телефонная книга or телефонный разговор. And a контактный телефон to me would be either a piece of electronic device or a telephone with some kind of a feature buit-in.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Thank you for your responses, but that wasn't really what I was asking -- let me try again. Why is "contact" the adjective and "telephone" a noun? It just seems like it should be the other way around, since telephone modifies contact. Therefore, in English we would say "telephone contact."

It implies following: "From all your telephone numbers (home, office, cell, your mom's phone #, etc.) choose and provide me with one that you prefer me to contact you with". So, it's actually contact modifies telephone.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Thank you for your responses, but that wasn't really what I was asking -- let me try again. Why is "contact" the adjective and "telephone" a noun? It just seems like it should be the other way around, since telephone modifies contact. Therefore, in English we would say "telephone contact."

Contact telephone number.

'Contact' is an adjective there too.

Originally Posted by Barmaley

Can somebody tell me why if you want to say "telephone contact number" in Russian it would be "контактный телефон?" It seems to me like it would either be "телефоный контакт" or "контакт по телефону." But then I am the non-fluent, non-native speaker...

Телефонный контакт would mean an actual electric connection between conductive parts... ummm... in a telephone.

Thank you to everyone who replied and cleared this up. Your knowledge of telephony is second only to your knowledge of Russian!