Living Creatures
of the Psyche....
....Much More
than a String
of Phonemes.
MEANING,
INTELLIGENCE,
AND THE SOUL.
Let's Get to the
'Root' of the Matter.
Students studying Russian are at a slight disadvantage to students studying Spanish and French. Why? There are hardly any cognates (words that are similar in form) in Russian. The few cognates that do exist are obscured by years of change. Look at the chart below.
| English |
German |
French |
Spanish |
Russian |
| mother |
Mutter |
mère |
madre |
mat' |
| night |
Nacht |
nuit |
noche |
noch' |
| day |
Tag |
jour |
dia |
den' |
| water |
Wasser |
eau |
agua |
voda |
Say it isn't so!
The good news is that even though Russian didn't borrow a whole lot from Latin, it does have a system quite similar to Latin and other languages where words are formed from one basic root. Let me give you a few examples. In class, we have seen the verb 'govorit,' which means 'to say', to speak,' or 'to talk.' Now, look at the chart below and see how by learning a 'basic root' and a handful of prepositions, you can expand your vocabulary.
Root = Govor
govorit' = to speak
|
| razgovor |
a conversation |
'raz' means 'disperse', thus, 'dispersed words'
|
| peregovor |
a negotiation |
'pere' means 'back and forth', thus, 'talking back and forth'
|
| dogovor |
an agreement, treaty, or contract |
'do' means 'up until a certain point', thus, 'speaking until a point when everyone feels the results are acceptable
|
| ugovor |
a persuasion |
'u' means 'away', thus, 'words that are used to talk someone away from their opinion or belief'
|
| skorogovorki |
tongue-twisters |
'skoro' means 'quickly' and 'ki' is a diminutive form, thus, 'little words that you say quickly'
|
| pogovorki |
sayings or proverbs |
'po' means 'in a certain way', thus, 'little sayings'
|
Did you notice that the last two words are sections on the Russian Website?
At first it might seem like Russian vocabulary is completely disconnected from any words you know, but soon you will see that the notion of 'roots' will become an important part of your studies. Soon, you will actually be able to guess words just by knowing the roots! Keep your eye open for some of them when we read through our short story, Taman'.
My 'dom' is your 'dom'
The basic meaning of the word dom is building. For example: Eto krasivyj dom. This is a beautiful building. Another meaning of dom is house or home. So I could say, "U tebja ochen' krasivyj dom." Now I mean, "You have a beautiful home." Context will help you tell which meaning is implied. However, there are still other uses of this multipurpose word dom, and all of them are based on the basic meaning of 'building.' Some of them are predictable, but some are absolutely not. Let's look at a few.
Belyj dom can mean the White House, but on the streets of Moscow it can also mean the 'john' or 'bathroom' in other vulgar terms.
Blochnjy dom is a block of flats or an apartment house.
Dom bashennogo tipa means a 'high rise.' Literally it is 'a building of the tower type.'
Dom bol'nyx is a kind of home for the elderly and infirm. Literally it is a 'home of the sick.'
Dom molitvennyj is a place of worship. Literally it is a 'house of prayer.'
Dom-avtopritsep is a trailer or mobile home. Literally it is something like 'a home chained to a vehicle.' This whole concept of trailer living is foreign to most Russians.
Doma
Doma has the special meaning of 'at home.' So if a Russian says to you, "Bud'te kak doma!" you are being told to make yourself at home. Literally, be like at home. It is a wonderful thing for a guest to hear. Just remember that Russians, just like Americans, are merely being polite. This warm invitation does not give you the green light to take off your shoes and prop them up on the coffee table.
Kak vasha imya, otchestvo i familiya?
In English we have the first, middle (most of the time), and last name. For example, my full name is Todd Alden Marshall. The first name and the middle name in English could be a name from one of my relatives, or it could not. The last name most typically stems from the father's last name.
Russians do not really have a middle name. They have a first name, a patronymic (name from the father's first name), and a last name. The first name or 'imya' is the name selected when a baby is born. The 'otchestvo' or patronymic name is a derivation from the father's first name by adding 'ovna' for women and 'ovich' for men. For example, if my first name is Alexander and my father's name is Ivan, then my first two names would be Alexandr Ivanovich. If my sister is Anna, then she would be named Anna Ivanovna.
Clear so far? Now, let's get to the family name. The family name also differs between men and women. The female name ends in 'a' and the male most often ends in a consonant. For example, if the family name is Konstantin, the female rendition would be Konstantina. So the complete name of the male would be Alexander Ivanovich Konstantin, and the female rendition would be Anna Ivanovna Konstantina.
The last interesting thing to mention about names is that Russians usually call each other by their first name and patronymic. So, the male would be addressed as Alexander Ivanovich, and the female would be addressed as Anna Ivanovna. That would be like calling me Todd Alden instead of Todd Marshall. Of course, when two youths are speaking to each other, they do not use the first name and patronymic. They use another form of the name. It is sort of a diminutive or 'nickname'. Alexandr would be called 'Sasha', and Anna might be called 'Annechka' or 'Annjushko'.
Some of my Russian friends refer to me as 'Todik'. It has the warm, fuzzy feeling you get when someone close to you calls your name, like Toddy or Toddles (a nickname given to me by my high school track buddies).
g o l o s a
Golosa is the title of the 1320 grammar book. The word golos means "voice" and the word golosa is the plural form of the word, thus meaning "voices".
This root can be found in many words in Russian. There is the verb golosovat, which means "to vote". Can you see the connection? When you "give your voice" or "voice your opinion", in a way you are voting.
Another form of the word for voice can be seen in the similar root glas. From this similar root we find a verb like glasit, which means "to announce or say".
From this same root we get the word that Gorbachev put on the linguistic map: glasnost. This word literally means "freely speaking or saying, frankness, and/or openness". Under Gorbochev the Russian world certainly did "open up" so to speak, and it has never been the same since.
t o s t u d y
How do you express 'to study' in Russian? Russian has three verbs that are equivalent to the English verb 'to study'. They are:
1) uchut'sja
2) izuchat'
3) zanimat'sja
Use uchut'sja when you want to know in general where a person studies or how they are doing in their studies. Example: Where do you go to school? Do you do well in school?
Use izuchat' when you have a specific subject (direct object) that you are studying. Example: What are you studying? I study math and chemistry.
Finally, use zanimat'sja when you focusing on the actual act of studying. Example: I study best in the library. Sasha can't go to the movies because he is studying.
Don't be overly concerned if you should happen to confuse these verbs. Russians will still understand you. There are actually a few more verbs that are used to indicate the act of studying. You can see by this complex system of verbs why education plays such an important role in the Russian society!
a l s o
The English word 'also' can be translated into two possible words in Russian: tozhe and takzhe.
Use 'tozhe' when two different people do the same thing: Misha speaks Russian, and I also speak Russian (or I speak Russian, too).
Use 'takzhe' when one person does two different things: I speak Russian, and I also speak Japanese.
t o o b a d
Zhal'ko: Too bad. What a pity. (In the sense that I am sorry to hear that.)
a l i t t l e
Chyoot' chyoot' means 'a little' in Russian. You would use this phrase in the response to "Do you speak Russian?"
m o l o d e t s
How do you say, 'Good job!", 'Well done!', 'Wonderful!', 'Bravo!', and 'Great!' all in one Russian word?
Molodets!
b e p o l i t e , p l e a s e
In Russian the way to say 'Thank You' is spasibo. The response is the word pozhaluista, meaning 'You're Welcome'. However, the word pozhaluista can also be used to say things such as please and go ahead.
For example: Can I sit here? Please. Can I take (borrow) this book? Go ahead.
In both these instances the word pozhaluista could be used.
What Is in a Word?
Words are more than just a string of phonemes. Words are like living organisms that breath, move, and change. You will be amazed at what words can
tell you about a language, a culture, and a human perspective.
What kind of words? The words that are chosen to enter this site are more than just ordinary, everyday words ~ they are jewels of the intellect that tell us something about the Russian culture or psyche, mystical words that unveil a part of the Russian soul, and evocative words that tell a story at the very utterance of them.
Words are the building blocks of human thought and expression of our intelligence (or lack thereof). Words are separate links full of meaning that when hooked together allow us to express our most intimate thoughts.
What is in a word you ask? Everything.
Be Prepared.
From time to time your teacher will ask for the word of the day. A student who can answer correctly will win a bonus point. Students are encouraged to use the words in their speaking and writing.
*This is the next step toward THE One World Language.
Step Two: *Your gerund 'neath the nightstand!
Planet Russkij is ruled by Dr. Todd Alden Marshall, professor of Russian and Slavic Linguistics at the University of Central Arkansas. An independent entity in the CornDancer consortium of planets, Planet Russkij is dedicated to the study and exploration of the Russian language, culture, and society. CornDancer is a developmental website for the mind and spirit maintained by webmistress Freddie A. Bowles of the Planet Earth. Submissions are invited.
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