The modern dictionary of the Russian language has a long way of becoming. And no matter how painful it is perceived, but the "great and mighty" consists of a considerable number of words borrowed from other languages. Some were adopted in antiquity, others came more recently. All this is the result of a constant natural process of interaction between different cultures. Can a language do without borrowings? The discussions that arise on this subject are trying to give an unambiguous answer.
The term "borrowing"
There is no such people in the world whose language would be completely free from the influence of foreign words, otherwise it would have to be isolated. Due to long political, economic, military, cultural relations between countries, the Russian language is regularly updated with new words of non-Slavic origin.
You can meet foreign words everywhere: in sports, business, politics, science. They have firmly entered everyday life and most of them have no analogues in their native speech. Examples of borrowed words from other languages: office, rating, image, provider, internet, charisma, speaker. But more ancient words of non-Russian origin: pencil, bath, school, lamp, soldier. They have taken root so much that the carriers do not even know about their true roots.
Borrowing refers to the assimilation, copying, adoption of a word from one language to another. This is a long process, the result of which will be the consolidation of a foreign language lexeme in the speech of the native speaker.
Relevance of the topic
Modern man can hardly do without borrowed words. The language continues to actively replenish them, changing its vocabulary. For some, this trend is alarming, while others do not see anything wrong with it. Public figures, politicians, scientists, ordinary people do not stop discussing and discussing this topic.
Interestingly, linguists take a neutral position in this controversy. They are more concerned about the ignorant use of foreign words than their introduction. They believe that the language itself, sooner or later, will reject unnecessary words. Its self-regulation mechanism operates on the principle of the immune system and will eventually put everything in its place.
Increasingly, the question of redundancy of borrowing is being raised. Some native speakers evaluate this extremely negatively. As far back as the beginning of the 20th century, the linguist Alexander Peshkovsky once noticed that such conservatism that we meet in relation to the language cannot be seen anywhere else. And on the one hand, it's even good, such a reaction helps to keep the defense against unnecessary excess. On the other hand, as far as it was noted, a negative attitude towards borrowed words is typical for older people who tend to look back and see the negative in modern times.
In all periods of the development of the Russian language, it was believed that it was degrading and losing itself. And in the meantime, he developed, enriched himself and adapted to the changing realities. Today, the picture is the same as many years ago, all these processes are taking place under the inevitable indignation and murmur of the bearers.
A bit of history
Some words were acquired in such a distant past that their origin can only be discovered with the help of etymological analysis. Philologists distinguish several historical stages that influenced the Russian language.
- Acceptance of Christianity. At this moment, the influence of the Greek language occurs, and the words appear in the vocabulary: bench, tower, icon, monastery, Gospel. Names such as Alexander, Nikolai, Ekaterina, Larisa are also of non-Slavic origin.
- The next period is the influence of the Turkic peoples, the Tatar-Mongol yoke. They come into use: a hero, a cart, pearls, a tent, a gang.
- Stage of influence of the Polish language, XVI-XVII centuries. Borrowed words from this language are also called polonisms. Lad, fatherland, scoundrel, permit, bully, lieutenant. The particle “allegedly”, the conjunctions “if”, “so” come to the Russian language.
- Influence of the Dutch and German languages. The flow of this foreign language vocabulary refers to the reign of Peter I, through which there was a significant contribution to the Russian language, among other things. Previously unknown concepts appear in technology, science, maritime trade, military definitions, handicraft, names of household items. Words: rent, general, globe, algebra, optics, fleet, sailor, harbor and others. This period well explains why a language cannot do without borrowing words from another language. Because the thing itself or the phenomenon is new, respectively, there is no suitable word in the native language.
- French influence of the 19th century. In our language came: coat, boots, stained glass, wardrobe, compliment, favorite, mayonnaise.
- XX century to the present day. There is a huge influence of the English language on Russian vocabulary. It is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world.
Apparently, as history shows, it is unlikely that a language can do without borrowing. According to the existing relations, no language system can exist in isolation.
Why is this happening
Factors that play a significant role in the occurrence of foreign words:
- historical relationship between states;
- the need to define new concepts;
- discoveries and achievements of a certain nation in any field;
- accessibility of tourism;
- World Wide Web Internet;
- word popularity.
Linguistic reasons. They include:
- the absence of an identical word in the language;
- economy of language means when they try to use one word instead of a phrase (sprint - a short distance, or reception - a registration, reception and clearance room in hotels, companies);
- the need for detail (piloting, local).
Windows and entry doors
The channels through which foreign words enter the Russian language can be oral and written. First of all, it is professional, scientific and technical terminology. Words formerly used by a small circle of people, through media coverage, come into mass use. For example, marketing or devaluation. In such cases, can the Russian language do without borrowing? Unlikely.
Public speeches of famous people and politicians play a significant role. Translations of artistic and journalistic works. As well as movies, music, television.
The movement of a word from language to language can be not only direct, but also indirect. For example, the word "shop", Arabic in origin (means "warehouse, collect"), first came to French, and then through it got into Russian and other languages.
Phases of word acquisition
The process of borrowing a word occurs in several stages. Sometimes it can be very fast, or it can take a long time.
The first stage is when a foreign word is used in its original form, without any changes. Then the word is adapted to and submitted to transliteration - given the pronunciation of the word, it is written using the means of the national alphabet. At the third stage, the word loses its strangeness and is actively used along with the native words of the language. The last step of assimilation, when the word goes into general speech and gets registered in the explanatory dictionary of the Russian language.
Borrowed words, having gone through all the stages of implementation and received “adoption”, differ from foreign words that have not changed, retaining the status of a stranger.
Signs of borrowed words
Foreign words, getting into the Russian language, as they adapt, may lose their original appearance. But there are some features by which they can be calculated.
- The letter "a" at the beginning of a word.
- The presence of the letter "f".
- At the root of the word is the letter "e".
- At the root of the word is a combination of vowels.
- At the root of the word is a combination of consonants - “gb”, “kg”, “kd”, “kz”.
- At the root of the word - "ge", "ke", "he", "byu", "vu", "kyu", "mu".
- Indestructible words.
Influence on language
As a result of the foregoing, we can conclude that it is impossible for a language to do without borrowed words.
Can foreign vocabulary somehow infringe or become a threat to native speech? There is a lot of public noise about this, although not so many works have been devoted to the study of this issue.
The point of view of many researchers on this matter is ambiguous, but some recognize that through the borrowing of words, the language is significantly enriched, replenished and expanded. Experts say that post-Soviet Russia can be compared with the period of Peter's reign in its openness to foreign languages.
The increased infusion of alien logos is not as critical as it might seem. Borrowings both replenish the language and leave it. It is enough to compare dictionaries of foreign words of different periods. Some foreign words replace others, something takes root, and something goes away: slang “pushes back” jargon, and the image is increasingly replacing the image.
Can a language do without borrowings?
The arguments against this assertion are put forward by history itself. The rich vocabulary of today's Russian language has evolved over the centuries. Words coming from outside, with certain events and phenomena, were inevitable in their use. And even if the native speech had an analogue, the new word brought a new shade or could give a clarification in one area or another, the ability to be more specific.
Now they are trying to introduce restrictions on the use of foreign words at the legislative level. But any interference in the language processes will lead to nothing, according to Professor Anatoly Baranov, Dr.
At one time, they also actively opposed the foreign vocabulary of I.S. Aksakov (publicist, leader of the Slavic movement) and N.S. Leskov (writer). They proposed to establish appropriate fines and supervision, but "evacuation" and "extradition" today "feel good" in the Russian language.
Denoting the realities of a rapidly changing world, it is unlikely that a language can do without borrowing. This is all its uniqueness. As long as the interpenetration of cultures and the progress of mankind continues, this process cannot be stopped in any way.
Language dynamics in the world is changing. Whereas in 1997 English and Russian were ranked first and second in terms of usage, respectively, now Chinese has taken the first place in the list.
English is in second place, and Spanish is third.
The Russian language occupies only the 7th line in the list of popularity on the planet.
At the beginning of the 20th century, about 150 million people spoke Russian - mostly subjects of the Russian Empire. Over the next 90 years, the number of Russian speakers (active or passive) more than doubled to about 350 million people, of which 286 million lived in a country where Russian was the state language and for most of its inhabitants was relatives.
More than 70 million people (mainly in the Soviet Union republics of Eastern Europe, the Balkans and a number of Asian countries) knew the Russian language to one degree or another. Fourteen years after the collapse of the USSR, by 2005, the number of Russian speakers to varying degrees had dropped to 278 million, including 140 million in the Russian Federation itself.
At present, the Russian language is native for 130 million citizens of the Russian Federation, for 26.4 million residents of the CIS and Baltic republics, and for almost 7.4 million residents of non-CIS countries (primarily Germany and other European countries, the USA and Israel), then there is a total of 163.8 million people.
More than 114 million people speak Russian as a second language (mainly in the CIS and Baltic countries) or know it as a foreign language (in non-CIS countries). In 10 years, by 2015, the number of those for whom Russian is their native language will decrease, according to our estimates, to 144 million (including 120 million in Russia itself). In addition, another 68 million people will speak it as a second or foreign language.
At present, the degree of prevalence of the Russian language still ranks fourth in the world. leading the way English language(an estimated 500 million people use it as their first or second language, and over 1 billion more speak it as a foreign language) and Chinese(it is spoken - almost exclusively as a native language - by over 1350 million people (including Mandarin - over 900 million people). The third place is occupied by Spanish language(it is owned by about 360 million people, including an estimated 335 million - as a native).
The states of Eastern Europe have traditionally been the second most important region in terms of the prevalence of the Russian language outside of Russia. The peak of interest in the Russian language and culture in the countries of Western Europe was the end of the 1980s, which was associated with the so-called perestroika and certain expectations from it.
Maintaining interest in the Russian language and culture in the countries of Western Europe, to a certain extent, can be facilitated by the Russian-speaking community, which was formed from several waves of emigration. Its population is, according to our calculations, 4.3 million people, the largest part of which lives in Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Portugal, Spain
Are borrowings necessary in Russian?Clarity, intelligibility of speech also depend on the correct use of foreign words in it. It is often asked whether foreign words should be used or whether it is better to do without them. The question of the use of foreign words in our speech is not accidental. Foreign words have long been the subject of discussion by scientists, public figures, writers, lovers of the Russian language, from which languages the most words are borrowed, what is the reason for borrowing, whether foreign words clog the native language. Even attempts were made to replace words that came from other languages with Russian ones. V. I. Dal included few borrowed words in his famous dictionary, believing that they should be replaced by regional, colloquial or newly created ones, for example,automatic machine - self-engine, self-propelled, lively; instinct - wake-up call, wake-up call; coquette - good-looking, pretty, pretty.Making some concession in favor of common vernacular words such ashorizon, atmosphere,IN AND. Dal, however, was not averse to replacing them with colloquial synonyms. He wrote: “Why “curtain” and “shut”, as they say in the Caspian Sea, is worse than the horizon.”
Borrowing is a normal, natural phenomenon for any language. For example, in the dictionary of the English language, borrowings make up more than half of it, there are many of them in German, French and other languages. This phenomenon was not alien to the ancient languages either: there are more than 7,000 borrowed words in Latin.
Borrowed words in the language appear as a result of the connections of some peoples with others, as a result of political, economic and cultural ties between them.
For example, from the Greek language, words related to everyday life entered the Russian language (boiler, bed, bath), scientific terms (philosophy, mathematics, history, grammar, logic), terms of art ( poetry, comedy), etc.
Latin has given us a range of political terms:republic, proletariat, dictatorship. The Turkic languages brought us the words:idol, treasury, pearls, beads, money, bazaar, basin, iron, arshin, stockingetc. Words came from Western Europe:clover, workbench (German); coat, horizon, cutlet (French); dumplings, snowstorm (French); guitar, tomato (Spanish); tenor, aria, pasta (Italian); sailor, umbrella, flag, tie (Holland) and many more. others
In our time, old and new types of ties between Russians and other peoples are being revived. Therefore, the modern Russian language is constantly replenished with words borrowed from other languages, and in turn enriches the various languages \u200b\u200bof the world with words.
The place of foreign words in the Russian language, their further fate is not the same and is determined by their purpose. Borrowings according to the degree of their penetration into the vocabulary of the Russian language can be divided into three groups.
The first of them is made up of foreign words that have firmly entered the Russian language.They have been borrowed for a long time, assimilated by all the people and are not perceived as foreign languages. These words are the only names for vital concepts. This group includes not only everyday wordsbed, sugar, cabbage, beets, lantern, plate, stocking, heel, doll, barn, bazaar, but also words related to production, education:mine, shop, factory, class, notebook. pencil, etc.From many of these words, derivative words arose in Russian:newspaper, (Italian) - newspaper, newsboy, novel-newspaper, wall newspaper; culture - culture, lack of culture, physical culture, sportsman, cultural campaign, cultural front, cultural, non-cultural, cultural and everyday, cultural and educational.
The second group is made up of words that are widespread in the Russian language and are also the only names for the designated concepts, but are recognized as foreign:sidewalk, pajamas, service, lampshade, radio, stand, trolleybus, container, liner, etc.
The third group includes foreign words that are not widely used. These include words that have Russian parallels, but differ from them in volume, shade of meaning or scope of use.Compare, for example, the wordsrevise, contract, conservative, constant, punctual, exaggeratewith synonymous Russian words:check, contract, stagnant, stable, accurate, exaggerate. auditoften means checking material values, monetary documents. Therefore, one cannot say: "To audit the work of teachers at school." borrowed word Contract unlike the Russian treaty only a written agreement is called, and conservative in comparison with its synonymous word inert does not simply mean: "gravitating towards the old, familiar, not receptive to the new, progressive", but "hostile to the new and actively, by conviction defending the old." Otherwise, a relationship develops between synonymscontact and steady, punctual and precise, exaggerate and exaggerate.Foreign words differ in the scope of use, they are mainly used in book speech.
Consider what errors occur in speech when using foreign words. Incorrect use of foreign words is most often associated with ignorance of their exact meaning. For example, "He was presented as a kind of polyglot: he is a physicist, a mathematician, and a poet" It is known that polyglot- this is a person who speaks many languages, so the use of the word polyglot in this case is not appropriate.
Some interpret the word a priority (primacy in the opening) as "respect" (he enjoyed special priority in the team). You can hear the phrase "This idea harmonizes with me", in which the concepts of "harmonize" "impress" are confused. Not everyone distinguishes the words repatriation( return of emigrants or prisoners of war to their homeland) and reparation( compensation for the damage caused by the war).
Misunderstanding the meanings of foreign words can lead to tautological expressions in our speech. So, in a lecture on the latest achievements of science and technology, it was said: "Scientists, engineers, innovators, inventors are called upon to move forward scientific and technological progress." Word progress means moving forward, so it's wrong to saymove forward progress. A similar mistake was made in the sentence "All this makes it extremely difficult to predict an accurate forecast for Putin. Forecast means foresight, prediction based on certain data. "It should have been said:" All this makes an accurate forecast extremely difficult.
You can often hear a combinationstrange paradox. But a paradox is a strange opinion that differs from generally accepted opinions. Word " strange » in the given combination is superfluous. Sometimes they say:there is a vacancy, forgetting that the vacancy means a free, unprotected position. Such expressions are also considered incorrect.- first debut, memorable souvenirs, old veteran, own autobiography, biography of life.
When using foreign words, one should take into account their ambiguity. At the same time, it must be borne in mind that a word in one meaning is more commonly used and known than in another. So, one speaker, sharing his impressions of the meeting with the conference delegates, said "P.'s speech was especially piquant." These words did not elicit the reaction that the speaker expected. The point is that the word spicy has several meanings. In the literal sense, it means "sharp in taste, spicy" (for example, sauce, gravy, etc.). The figurative meaning of the wordpiquant - "exciting keen interest, curiosity with its unusualness, sensationalism, etc."It was in this sense that the speaker used the word spicy in the given example, but he did not take into account that this word has a connotation: "not quite decent, exciting sensuality, seductive - indifferent, correction-correction, ignore - do not notice, etc.
When using foreign words, one must be sure that they are understood by the listener. Therefore, it is important to skillfully introduce a foreign word into your speech. Appropriate explanations of the meanings of the words used should be given.
Great help in mastering terms and foreign words can be provided by constant work with a dictionary.
The famous American D. Steinbeck tells about the novel "The Winter of Our Anxiety" about the method by which the aunt forced the hero to understand new words.
She always tried to interest me in an incomprehensible word, - recalls the hero of the novel, Ethan Hawley, and then forced me to independently search for its meaning, leafing through the dictionary. “If I tell you,” she remarked, “it will go in one ear and go out the other.” In order to understand a dictionary entry, one had to look for the meanings of a number of other words used in it.
One word set fire to a dozen others, like crackers strung on a string, Ethan said.
The method is very true and valid. Take, for example, the words version and compromise. When and explaining, we come across such concepts as hypotenuse, potential, adequacy, etc. Thus, by clarifying the meaning of the word we need, we can get acquainted with a number of new words.
In the process of addressing, people often have to explain how to understand what is being discussed, to clarify what meaning this or that word or expression has.Speech practice has developed several ways of explaining words.They are used by lexicographers when compiling dictionaries; politicians, diplomats, lawyers, interpreting the meaning of documents, laws. Everyone should master the methods of explaining words, if he responsibly treats his speeches, his speech, is interested in raising its culture. Are borrowings necessary in speech? Undoubtedly. But we need to be careful about the language of which we are the bearer, not to clog it with words that only “decorate speech”, duplicating many that are already in the language. The correctness of our speech, the accuracy of the language, the clarity of formulations, the skillful use of terms, foreign words, the successful use of pictorial and expressive means of the language increase the effectiveness of communication, enhance the effectiveness of the spoken word.
We think in Russian. We read books and watch films where the characters speak Russian. We are so accustomed to the Russian language that we even believe in some common misconceptions about it.
Russian language is dying
The Russian language has died many times already. The death of the Russian language was discussed at the beginning of the 19th century. It is significant that the dialogue was often conducted in French.
The death of the Russian language has been spoken of practically since its birth, since theoretically the modern Russian language was born only together with the Grammar of 1755 by Mikhail Lomonosov. Prior to this, the term "Russian language" was not widely used in scientific terminology. There was Old Russian, Old Russian and Great Russian languages.
A great contribution to the birth of the Russian language was made by Peter the Great, who simplified the Old Russian language.
Lomonosov commented on this as follows: “Under Peter the Great, not only boyars and boyars, but also letters, threw off their wide fur coats and dressed up in summer clothes.”
As soon as the language began to be codified, talk immediately began that it was dying. They continue today. And the language lives and develops.
The Russian language suffers from the dominance of foreign words
The Russian language does not suffer and did not suffer from the dominance of foreign words. A large percentage of the words we use daily are of foreign origin. The tea is Chinese, the pot is French, the guitar is Italian, the flag is Dutch.
Russia's main allies are the army and navy. One word is of French origin, the other is of Dutch origin. Are you really suffering from it?
Russian language is richer in words
Every language has a passive and an active lexicon. If the first can be very large, then the second is always less than it, at best, ten times. 
The vocabulary of the Russian language according to the dictionary of Vladimir Dahl is about 200,000 words, English - according to the Oxford Dictionary - also 200,000 words. However, not all words are included in the active lexicon.
Pushkin has the largest dictionary of the language of the Russian people. It includes approximately 25,000 lexemes. Shakespeare possessed approximately the same vocabulary (in English). At the same time, Shakespeare is also the author of 1700 neologisms that have taken root in the language.
The Big Academic Dictionary, the so-called BAS, contains 131,257 words. It is impossible to say that at least one-fifth of this "reserve" is included in our active lexicon.
In the bottom line, the average person needs 6,000 words to communicate.
We do not speak the language of Pushkin
Another common misconception: we speak the language of Pushkin. In fact, Pushkin spoke, that is, communicated in society, for the most part in French. No wonder he was still called "Frenchman" in the Tsarskoye Selo Lyceum. Of course, he communicated with his serfs in Russian, but we cannot establish exactly how this happened.
It is impossible not to note Pushkin's amazing language in correspondence, which is closer to living speech than the language of literary works. Judging by it, we can say that Pushkin's language is very figurative and rich. This is an excerpt from Pushkin's letter to Alexander Turgenev: “I am very sorry that I did not say goodbye to either you or both Mirabeau. Here is a message to Orlov as a keepsake; take it into your paternal pocket, print it in your own printing house and give one copy to the fiery pet of Bellona, at the throne to a loyal citizen.
Pushkin's letters come out with comments, because for us, native speakers of the modern language, they are not always clear. Pushkin's language is occasional, so one cannot say that modern language is Pushkin's language. It can be recognized that we speak a completely different language, less rich and vibrant.
The Russian language developed independently
No language develops on its own. If we are talking about the Russian literary language, then it has undergone the influence of other languages throughout its history. So, among the most famous influences, one can name the strongest French influence that the Russian language experienced in the 19th century.
Nikolai Karamzin changed the syntax of the Russian language in the manner of French, Leo Tolstoy wrote in French almost a quarter of the volume of his famous novel. The Gallic influence on the Russian language was recorded even in the segment of the vernacular (from the vernacular "sharomyzhnik" to the "car" and "machine gun" familiar to us today). Many in Russian and borrowings from other languages.
However, speaking about the influence of other languages on Russian, one should speak not so much about the borrowing of words, but about the influence in terms of syntax, the internal structure of the text. If we talk about times closer, then Russian literature already in the 20th century was influenced by such Anglo-lovers as Joseph Brodsky and Vladimir Nabokov. Almost all poets have been influenced by Brodsky's poetics since the late 1980s. And not everyone benefited from this influence.
About thirty-five years ago, a drama nearly occurred in Literaturnaya Gazeta, fraught with scandal, embarrassment, if not disgrace. But the incident ended with general merriment and tenderness.
Readers receive "LG" on Wednesday. On Tuesday morning, advance copies were already on the desks of all the editorial and publishing staff. Including on the table of the watchman Berta Naumovna - in the lobby by the elevator.
Every year the first June issue of "Litgazeta" dedicated to Pushkin. For his birthday. In the issue I am talking about, the entire front page was occupied by a photograph of a monument to the poet on Tverskoy Boulevard in Moscow. And the inscription in large letters: "I dedicated the lyre to my people."
Watchman Berta Naumovna looked and said: "But Nekrasov wrote this ..."
Panic set in. The printing presses were immediately stopped, and the front page was retyped. The general condition at the beginning is horror mixed with relief. After all, this would be a monstrous blow to the reputation of Literaturnaya Gazeta, the most authoritative publication in the country. Especially - in the circles of the intelligentsia, in literary circles. But soon tenderness and fun reigned in the corridors of the building at 32 Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Affection, because Berta Naumovna was immediately issued a prize. Savior! And fun - because it's Pushkin. In his era, he was credited with everything loud, cheerful, scandalous, interesting, including the poems of his contemporaries. So what happened, we can assume, was in the spirit and in the traditions of great Russian literature.
Which went on and on. When the song from the movie "Five Evenings" was called a folk song in one of the radio programs, Yuli Kim's phone was heated from congratulatory calls. He picked up the phone and said: "The Russian people are listening!" With songwriters, although rarely, this happens - people raise their creations to the highest Olympus, call them folk. But in those same years, another incident happened to Yuli Kim - an exceptional one. One of the Moscow newspapers either quoted a stanza from his poem, attributing it to Pushkin, or printed the entire poem under Pushkin's name.
On the threshold of our days
Inevitably we meet
We recognize and embrace
Our true friends.
Hello proud time
Ardent oaths and long meetings!
Holy friendly flame
Don't just save.
Everyone would live like in those days -
Everyone would live easily and boldly,
Don't calculate the limit
For fearlessness and love.
And, like lyceum students,
Gather around the fire
In purplish-leaved October
Nineteenth day.
I don't know if Kim said then, picking up the phone: "Pushkin is listening!"
I remembered this in connection with the fact that the International Day of the Russian Language is timed to coincide with Pushkin's birthday. Pushkin is not just "our everything", he is the joy of the mind and heart, of life. "Our memory keeps a cheerful name from childhood: Pushkin," said Alexander Blok.
A survey by Moskovskaya Pravda and Maxpark these days was quite appropriately formulated as follows: "June 6, the birthday of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, was celebrated as the International Day of the Russian Language. Can it today be a means of international communication?"
Alexander Mitryushov reacted without hesitation: "The Russian language is the means of international communication."
“And he already appears!” Evgenia Frenkel supported him. “A scene from life. Tel Aviv. Bus station. Sorry, toilet. The Negro does not understand where to put the shekel so that the turnstile works. The girl explains to him in Hebrew, English .. "He doesn't understand. And suddenly she says in Russian: "But put it in him..." "Understood," the Negro answers in Russian. And there are no problems."
A discussion participant under the nickname Argimenes Aertus said: "Russian is now the second language on the Internet after English in all respects, including the dynamics of development. Well, as a language of interethnic communication, it is also the second."
Comrade No. 87 inquired: "Where can I look at the statistics?"
"They have their own, home Internet)))", - cool cool quipped.
"You are right - the Russian language is now the second language on the Internet, but our deputies are already successfully fighting this," Dmitry Nesterenko joined the conversation in his tone.
"Yes, because it is the most ancient language on the planet, - said Oleg Brichkin. - The time will come when the entire population of the planet will speak Russian. Mankind will return to its origins."
Wiktor Romanow admired: "Oh, yes! Prophetic Oleg!"
However, Andrew Mazur objected: "The oldest one is Ukrainian, the ancient Egyptians used it to chant."
"Let's start with the fact that on the territory of the former USSR only Russian is the language of international communication," Leonid Shestakov turned the discussion into a serious direction. "Those republics and governments that exclude Russian from school curricula are doing stupid things."
"Let's end by saying that we are not talking about the territory of the former USSR, but about global significance," Vladimir Potapov continued the topic. "And even then, young people both in the former republics of the Union and in the countries of the former people's democracy no longer know the Russian language."
"Russian goes into oblivion in the countries of the USSR," Nilkolait summed up the subtotal.
"Nonsense. In all the republics of the former Soviet Union, tutors are hired to study Russian," Alexander Yakovlev objected to them. "By the way, I'm not very Russian."
Here it should be noted that the remark of Leonid Shestakov: "The stupidity is done by those republics and governments that exclude the Russian language from school curricula" - an echo (out of ignorance) of the unkind propaganda actions of some of our TV journalists and petty but aggressive politicians. In neighboring countries, such statements are perceived with at least bewilderment. They do not increase sympathy for the Russians. After all, no one there thought "to exclude the Russian language from school programs." For example, in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Russian in grades 5-9 is 3 hours a week. National languages - 4 hours a week.
“The Russian language still retains its Soviet status as the language of interethnic communication in the post-Soviet space,” says Vladislav Kiryanov. “Educated speakers of Turkic languages - Azerbaijanis, Turkmens, Uzbeks, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz - will most likely communicate in Russian if chance brings them together. .. In 1979, in the international holiday home for journalists in Varna, I observed a Bulgarian, a Czech, a German and a Hungarian talking in Russian. They discussed serious things related to politics. I was then struck by their command of the Russian language. Perhaps they studied in Moscow. At the time of the Warsaw Pact, this was a common occurrence. Of course, not only the journalists of the socialist camp knew Russian, but also specialists from other industries. Then there was close cooperation and, accordingly, the Russian language was used for communication."
"Its prevalence in the world is now falling, - Dmitry Nesterenko responded. - It has decreased from 350 million to 270 million."
“It’s not worth reflecting on the temporary reduction in the range of the Russian language,” Boris Epshtein answered him. “As Russia strengthens as a state, everything will return to normal. state - there is such a bill in parliament. In Central Asia and China, there is again a demand for Russian engineers and teachers, including teachers of the Russian language."
“Recently, the Russian language has begun to deteriorate intensively,” Vladislav Yelagin shared his concern. “The language has undergone an increased attack of thieves give a damn about it. Then an avalanche of Anglicisms fell upon it. Now they are used even where there are beautiful and long-known Russian words. editors to cross out all these "short stories" (and for this they, of course, must know the Russian language well)".
“Yes, of course,” Semyon Bersenev supported him. “Russian with an admixture of English is the modern means of interethnic communication.”
In general, the answers to the question: can the Russian language today be a means of international communication, were distributed as follows:
"Of course, especially since it is one of the six official languages in the UN" - 64 percent.
"Yes, especially in the service sector: Russians do not want to learn other languages, but travel all over the world" - 11 percent.
"The means of international communication is Russian classical literature, not the modern language" - 7 percent.
"The Russian language is degrading, however, like most others" - 10 percent.
"Russian mat is understood by everyone - why not a means of communication!" - 8 percent.
We conclude the discussion with two statements.
"In the post-Soviet space, he is such," Sergei Ktorov wrote. "But in a wider area, when the ruble becomes the world's reserve currency and Mosfilm will make world blockbusters."
"In order to expand, it is necessary to gain respect and establish good relations. Russia is tense with this," Yury Rzyanin summed up.
In the modern world, language is spreading at the level of civilization. Yes, many and many will learn Russian if we become leaders in the sciences (if you don’t want to be left behind - find out about the latest serious research in Russian scientific and technical journals, learn Russian), if our books and films will be read and watched everywhere, from China to Canada, if Russian technologies are introduced at factories from Detroit to Yokohama. That is, if we become advanced, rich, interesting, benevolent, an example for everyone and in all areas.
And, as Alexander Blok said: "In these cheerful truths of common sense, before which we are so sinful, one can swear by the cheerful name of Pushkin."