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Russian language

M

Mr.QuakQuak

Jan 23, 2003
1,767
2
New Jersey, USA
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#1
I need certain courses in my fall semester to start satisfying certain areas (They call them A-F)

Do to my schedule I can't really take anything to my interest but there is a night course from 7-10 pm called Elementry Russian. I'm prodominitley polish and russian so taking russian does interest me. I was wodnering if anyone knows or has taken this language and get give me some insight like its difficulty etc.
 
#2
I've taken a course or two. Getting to know the cyrillic alphabet is important. It's also something you can mostly teach yourself. After that it gets easier.

Some courses attempt to teach language before you can properly manage the cyrillics, which I think is very difficult way of doing things - it's hard to try to find correct way of phrasing if you cannot read the word from a paper. Otherwise, russian as a language is a bit coarse, so there are not million different forms from a single word and it's quite easy to form sentences after you get the idea.
 
#6
If you decide take it and need some help later on I can help you. I am not terribly good with writing (its not only English I am bad at, it’s all writing). But I can be of some help as it is my first language.

On difficulty I can’t really speak.
 
#8
Вы были хорошим мальчиком и можете иметь немного сыра теперь.

That means that you have been a good boy and may have some cheese now.

Russian is such a cool sounding language. Especially when you argue in it. Kinda like Klingon.:D

Rock on
Eric
 
#9
If you need the course, take it. I took a women's studies course and an ancient chinese civilization course in the winter to satisfy general education requirements. If it turns out that the masters courses I'm taking at UMDNJ don't transfer towards my undergraduate degree, I'll end up taking even more random courses. College is just a stepping stone.
 
#12
Eric Cameron said:
Вы были хорошим мальчиком и можете иметь немного сыра теперь.

That means that you have been a good boy and may have some cheese now.
....
Eric
Click to expand...

Been more than 15 years since I've actively conversed in Russian, but I still got most of that. :D :D

I'm thinking Cblpa (pronounced "sirra") = cheese, since I can interpret all the other words.

Peace,

James
 
#13
Eric Cameron said:
Вы были хорошим мальчиком и можете иметь немного сыра теперь.

That means that you have been a good boy and may have some cheese now.

Russian is such a cool sounding language. Especially when you argue in it. Kinda like Klingon.:D

Rock on
Eric
Click to expand...

Yes... we have swear words/fraises that you guys would not dream of. :)

Sad, my bro got married and his wife can't stand swearing. I do nothing but. This is going to be very hard.


That sentance has a funny sound to it. "Вы" is either a formal way of saying "you" or to more then 1 person. Some words in that sentance is directed to more then 1 person and some are not. If its to multiple persons then "хорошим мальчиком" which means "good boy" would be "хорошими мальчикоми".

If its to a single person it is unlikely that someone would address a kid in Formal "you". Un-formal way of saying it is "ты" (ti) so more likely a person will use "ты" instead. "были" will become "был" and "можете" will become "можеш".

Also the end of the sentance has this funny sound to it. I would take "иметь" and replace it with "вэять" which means "take" but is close to what you mean, "иметь" means more like "to own". Also теперь will go after "и".

So if its to more then 1 person i would say:

"Вы были хорошими мальчикоми и теперь можете вэять немного сыра."

Sounds like:

"Vi bili horoshumu mal`chikomi i teper` mojete vzyat` hemnogo sira"

(note that` is soft sign so letter before it sounds softer, it is the same as "ь", also "ы" is simular to i but harder i guess, its a cross of i and u in english, as concept i dont think english have either one of those. Same goes for "Ъ" which is a letter that makes letter before it harder (hehe) but not in use in any of these words).

If it is to single person then:

"ты был хорошим мальчиком и теперь можеш вэять немного сыра."

Sounds like:

"Ti bil horoshim mal`chikom i teper` mojesh vzyat` nemnogo sira"

I still might have done some mistake there, i am rusty:) Have i scared anyone away from learning it yet? :)
 
#15
Tsal said:
I've taken a course or two. Getting to know the cyrillic alphabet is important. It's also something you can mostly teach yourself. After that it gets easier.

Some courses attempt to teach language before you can properly manage the cyrillics, which I think is very difficult way of doing things - it's hard to try to find correct way of phrasing if you cannot read the word from a paper. Otherwise, russian as a language is a bit coarse, so there are not million different forms from a single word and it's quite easy to form sentences after you get the idea.
Click to expand...


I'd agree with this. Russian was my high school language, and I got back to it when I was doing business in Russia in the mid-90s. Once you get the alphabet down, which you can do in an hour or so, then you can learn a lot yourself. Just read, and when you speak, think of Boris Badanoff ... kind of chew the words ... you'll be speaking like a native in a semester.
 
#18
ehm, they have logograms, no alphabet. It's a system based on the meaning of symbols, not their phonological representation in spoken language. For instance [I'm making this up, but you catch the drift]: a vertical line might mean 'water', a vertical line with one horizontal line across might mean 'river', two horizontal lines on the vertical one might mean 'rain', etc...

Problem is that this is not a discrete combinatoric (sp) system. In western languages you can make any word with a combination of something like 25 signs, and the relation between sign and sound is rather strict (not so much in English; think of 'tought and 'tough' for instance, this is also why dyslexia is very hard to solve in English speaking countries). Chinese requires you to learn a ****load of characters by heart, with no connection between pronounciation and appearance of character.
 
#19
Vorago said:
ehm, they have logograms, no alphabet. It's a system based on the meaning of symbols, not their phonological representation in spoken language. For instance [I'm making this up, but you catch the drift]: a vertical line might mean 'water', a vertical line with one horizontal line across might mean 'river', two horizontal lines on the vertical one might mean 'rain', etc...

Problem is that this is not a discrete combinatoric (sp) system. In western languages you can make any word with a combination of something like 25 signs, and the relation between sign and sound is rather strict (not so much in English; think of 'tought and 'tough' for instance, this is also why dyslexia is very hard to solve in English speaking countries). Chinese requires you to learn a ****load of characters by heart, with no connection between pronounciation and appearance of character.
Click to expand...

I know this. Except for the lolograms part. I just thought it was called an alphabet. But yeah I knew that they all meant basically words.
 

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