Change russian word with english one using new words this was

Shuba and glasnost: historical borrowings

One of the earliest borrowings from Russian was the word “sable” (from the Russian: sobol — a
carnivorous mammal of the Mustelidae family native to northern Europe and Asia). In the 12th-13th
centuries, this animal’s fur was a form of currency, and in 14th century English dictionaries the word
«sable’’ can be found. In addition to the meaning of the noun, it became an adjective for “black.”

A large number of Russian borrowings came to the English language in the 16th century, which was a
time of growing Russian-English trade and political relations. Many such words concerned traded goods:

Beluga — a type of whale or sturgeon

Starlet — a small sturgeon of the Danube basin and Caspian Sea; farmed and commercially fished for its flesh and caviar

Kvass — a fermented mildly alcoholic beverage made from rye flour or bread with malt; sometimes translated into English as “bread drink”

Shuba — a fur coat

Czar (or tsar) – Russia’s ruler until the 1917 Revolution

Ztarosta (starosta) — a title that designates an official or unofficial leader; the head of a community
(church starosta, or school starosta)

Moujik (muzhik) — a male peasant

In the 18th and 19th centuries, other Russian words originally specific to Russian history entered into
English. Nowadays, however, they mostly can be found only in historical works or books of fiction:

Ispravnik — the chief of the district police

Obrok – an annual tax formerly paid by a Russian peasant engaged in trade

Barshina — forced labor of peasants on a landlord’s land

In the 19th century, words related to the socialist and democratic movements in Russia entered into
English:

Decembrist — a participant of the uprising against Czar Nicholas I at the time of his accession in St.
Petersburg on Dec. 14, 1825

Nihilist, nihilism — a denial of the validity of traditional values and beliefs. The term spread after
publishing of the novel, Fathers and Sons (1862), by Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, where the main
character is the nihilist Bazarov.

Narodnik (from Russian “narod” — people) – a member of the 19th century rural socialist movement who
believed that political propaganda among the Russian peasantry would lead to the awakening of the
masses to challenge the czarist regime. 

Intelligentsia – society’s intellectual elite

Of course, the words “nihilist,” “decembrist,” and “intelligentsia” are not truly Russian in origin and are
borrowed from Latin. However, these words came into English from Russian.

After the 1917 Revolution many Russian words appeared in many languages. Most are used to denote
completely new things and notions specific to Russia and Russian politics.

Here is a list of some well-known Russian words from the Soviet era:

Bolshevik (from Russian for “majority”) — a member of the majority faction of the Russian Social
Democratic Party, which was renamed the Communist Party after seizing power in the October
Revolution in 1917.

Samizdat — a system in the USSR and countries within its orbit by which forbidden literature was
clandestinely printed and distributed; also such literature

Soviet — a revolutionary council of workers or peasants in Russia before the Revolution; also, an elected
local, district, or national council in the former Soviet Union.

Sputnik (originally – “a traveling companion”) — the name given to a series of Soviet-era satellites; the
first objects launched into space

Cosmonaut — a Russian astronaut

Kolkhoz (abbreviation for Russian “kollektivnoye khozyaystvo”) – a cooperative agricultural enterprise
operated on state-owned land by peasants; a collective farm

Tovarishch — a companion or fellow traveler; used as a direct form of address in the Soviet Union;
equivalent to comrade

Gulag — originally an acronym for a Soviet-era system of forced-labor camps; it now can refer to any
repressive or coercive environment or situation

Apparatchik – the name given the Communist Party machine in the former Soviet Union; also a member
of the Communist Party and an official in a large organization, typically in a political one.

American
academic and author James Billington describes one as «a man not of grand plans, but of a hundred
carefully executed details.” It’s often considered a derogatory term, with negative connotations in terms
of the quality, competence, and attitude of a person thus described.

The words “pioneer” and “brigade” had existed in English, but they got new meanings as “a member of
the children’s Communist organization” and «labour collective» after the revolution in Russia. A new political regime in the 1990s created the new words, “glasnost” and “perestroika.”

Glasnost — an official policy in the former Soviet Union (especially associated with Mikhail Gorbachev)
emphasizing openness with regard to discussion of social problems and shortcomings.

Perestroika — a reform of the political and economic system of the former Soviet Union, first proposed
by Leonid Brezhnev at the 26th Communist Party Congress in 1979, and later actively promoted
by Mikhail Gorbachev starting in 1985.

Borscht and kazachoc: cultural borrowings

Other borrowings relate to Russian cultural and gastronomic traits.

Pelmeni — an Eastern European dumpling filled with minced meat, especially beef and pork, wrapped in
thin dough, and then boiled

Borscht (Borshch) — a beet soup served hot or cold, usually with sour cream

Kissel — a viscous fruit dish, popular as a dessert and as a drink

Vodka (barely needs to be introduced) — a distilled beverage composed primarily of water and ethanol,
sometimes with traces of impurities and flavorings, 40 percent alcohol by volume ABV (80 US proof).

Medovukha — a Russian honey-based alcoholic beverage similar to mead

Molotov cocktail — a makeshift bomb made of a breakable container filled with flammable liquid and
with a rag wick that is lighted just before being hurled. “Cocktail” named after Vyacheslav Molotov:
while dropping bombs on Helsinki, Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov claimed the Soviets were
only dropping food and drink to their comrades.

Russian roulette — a very dangerous game of chance where each player points at their own head with
a gun that has one bullet in it and five empty chambers

Kazachoc (literally translated it means «Little Cossack») — A Slavic dance, chiefly Russian and Ukrainian,
with a fast tempo featuring a step in which a squatting dancer kicks out each leg alternately to the front.

Sambo — a Soviet martial art originally developed in the former Soviet Union. The word «SAMBO» is
an acronym for SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya, which literally translates as «self-defense without
weapons.»

You definitely have heard the Russian word “babushka.” When it entered into the English language, in
addition to its original meaning “grandmother,” it got another one: a type of scarf commonly worn by
babushkas.

After 1991, there were some new words such as “gopnik” or “silovik” still coming to other languages.

Gopnik — a pejorative term to describe a particular subculture in Russia and other Slavic countries that
refers to aggressive young men or women of the lower-class from families of poor education and
income, somewhat similar to American “white trash.”

Silovik — a word for state officials from the security or military services, often officers of the former KGB,
GRU, FSB, SVR, the Federal Drug Control or other security services who wield enormous political and
state power.

Some linguists even claim that one of the most popular verbs in modern English, “to talk,” has
Scandinavian roots — “tolk,” which is originally from the Russian “tolk,” “tolkovat”. And the word «milk»
was borrowed from Slavic tribes as «meolk,» and then as «milk.» There’s a similar story for other words
such as «honey» (Old English — meodu, Russian — mjod).

Try to guess the meaning of these words of Russian origin:

Shapka

Pirozhki (also piroshki)

Spetsnaz (or Specnaz)

Zek

Which Russian words have you met in other languages? Share your comments!

If using any of Russia Beyond’s content, partly or in full, always provide an active hyperlink to the original material.

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09.04.2019

Исследовательская работа по английскому языку «Английские заимствования в русском языке»

Having analyzed a lot of materials about English borrowings in the modern Russian language I came to the following conclusion that English borrowings can be found in various spheres of life, such as economic, political, cultural, sports and social spheres. The usage of English words in the modern Russian language in most cases is justified (this group includes economic, political, sports and computer terms, the names of some household appliances).

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1.Она пришла в магазин, чтобы купить новую обувь.2.Он вошел в класс и спросил: «Полли Дейл отсутствует (снова)?»3.Roombo последовал за Джимми.4.Они услышали (какой-то) шум (сверху).5.Он не был Африканцем (вообще).6.Дед Мороз скользил (спускался) по дымоходу.7.Мальчик посмотрел в камин.8.Девушка посмотрела на стену.9.Сочельник пришел (наконец), и Джимми повесил свой замок (на) решетку.10.Утром его чулок был наполнен подарками.11.- Я так рада тебя видеть, — воскликнула миссис Дейл.12.Вы (все еще)сердитесь (на) меня?13.Хватит плакать!(Позор вам! Ты теперь большая девочка.14.Помогите ему почистить сажу (C) его шляпу.15.Спасибо, дорогой, (достаточно), моя шляпа (довольно) чистая.16.Поцелуй меня в щеку и иди спать.17.Он положил свой перочинный нож в карман.18.Подождите (меня)!Я буду готов через пять минут.19.Приходите к нам (среда),мы будем (дома).20.Идите (домой), щенок (будет следовать за вами).21.Кто не может ответить (на мой вопрос)?(Потому что) это очень сложно.22.Когда она увидела змею, она (побледнела).23.Он повиновался ей (немедленно).24.Все пошло (вверх ногами).25.Врач очень (осторожно) продемонстрировал грудь.26.Было два мальчика (среди) его друзей (кто) говорил по-английски (немного).

Municipal Autonomous Educational Institution

“Mathematical Lyceum”

Research work

English borrowings in modern Russian

English language section

Teacher:

Boyarinova Aleksandra Aleskandrovna

English language teacher

Made by:

Bibchenko Polina Andreyevna

Form 10 «B»

Khabarovsk,

2018­­

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction…………………………………………………….………….…………3

1. The origins of the process of borrowing…………………………………………5

2. Types of loanwords based on the spheres of their use……………………………6

2.1. Information Technology.………………………………………………………6

2.2. TV and media………….………………………………………………………6

2.3. Sports……………………..………………………………………………………7

2.4. Music……………………………………………………………………………7

2.5. Jobs…………………… ………………………………………………………8

2.6. Food…………………….………………………………………………………8

2.7. Imitating the American lifestyle.………………………………………………9

3. Types of English loanwords based on the way of perception……………………11

4. My research…………………………………………………………………….12

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………14

List of used literature………………………………………………………………16

Appendix………………………………………………………………………….17

INTRODUCTION

It is common knowledge that the Russian language is the treasure of our nation and can really be called one of the most expressive languages that ever existed. It perfectly reflects the nature of Russia, its customs and true beauty. However, as any language is a dynamic system, it can be changed due to particular factors. That is the reason why some traditions of using certain words may be put to rest while new words and word combinations appear in the blink of an eye.

In the «Explanatory Dictionary of the Russian Language» created by S.I. Ozhegov there is the definition of the term “Anglicism”. The author explained it as a word or a word combination borrowed from the English language or based on the example of an English word [1]. The Russian linguist L.P.Krysin, who dedicated his whole life to learning his country’s language, described the process of borrowing as transporting one language to the other [4].

A lot of English words are used in the Russian language today, for example “Имидж” (Image), “Пиар” (PR), and so on. Some Russian people consider such anglicisation as a harmless phenomenon. Their use of English words may even take on a chic aspect. In contrast, others see it much more negatively, and there are efforts by public-interest groups and governments to reverse the trend [2]. Now comes the question: can the process of borrowing English words make the Russian language thrive and prosper or it is just the road that will lead it to extinction?

In my research both theoretical and practical methods will be used. I am going to categorize English borrowings in order to reveal the spheres of life where they are used the most often and classify the most widely-spread borrowings based on the way of perception. I will conduct a survey and make a conclusion based on the received data. The results of my research will prove or disprove my hypothesis.

The hypothesis of the investigation: Most of the English borrowings are used in the Russian language due to the development of certain spheres of life, but not because of the desire of Russian people to follow the foreign fashion.

The problem of the investigation: The significance of English in modern Russia.

The objects of my research are English words and their derivatives.

The subjects are English loanwords in modern Russian.

The aim of my research work is to classify English borrowings used in the Russian language based on different factors and reveal the spheres of live where the use of loanwords is the most active nowadays.

The tasks or my research work:

1) To get general information about borrowing English words and using them in modern Russian.

2) To divide the loanwords into groups based on the sphere of their use.

3) To classify the most often-used borrowings based on the way of perception.

4) To find out in which spheres of life people of my age group are the most likely to come across loanwords;

5) To identify the most commonly used borrowings;

6) To prove or to disprove the hypothesis I formed;

The methods of my research:

1) Theoretical – learning and summing up some of the information on the topic;

2) Practical – conducting a survey and analyzing its results.

1. THE ORIGINS OF THE PROCESS OF BORROWING

Borrowing foreign words is one of the ways of the language development. Language quickly reacts to the social needs. It is essential to point out that some loanwords became widely-spread back in ancient times. Throughout thousands of years, foreign words have been contributing to the enrichment of our country’s language. Nevertheless, the most dramatic changes took place in the 21st century.

Borrowings (or loanwords) appear as a result of different relations between nations and countries. English is currently the language of international communication even for people who learn it as the second one. It can be explained by the domination of the USA in the world’s economy and politics, the tourism growth, the invention of cutting-edge technologies and the creation of the Internet. Technology-related English words like “internet” and “computer” are particularly common across the globe because there are no pre-existing words for them. Therefore, the amount of English loanwords we use in our everyday speech has increased swiftly in the past few years.

If new notions are introduced into our lives and brand-new traditions become commonplace it means that we are likely to have more foreign words at our disposal. Of course when people come across loanwords for the first time they think of them as neologisms (this term is used to describe the words that were introduced to a language and viewed as something unfamiliar). However, when the time passes, people get used to the notion and can even forget that the word hadn’t existed before.

2.TYPES OF LOANWORDS BASED ON THE SPHERE OF THEIR USE

Today the use of English words in the Russian speech is rising, and the amounts of them are stupendous. Therefore, they are usually divided into several groups in order to make it simpler to analyze the issue. I picked out the spheres of life where borrowings are used the most often and classified the loanwords based on the obtained data. [3]

2.1. Information Technology

The growing popularity of social media and computer technology in Russia, especially among teenagers and young people, has a profound impact on the language structure. Terms having something to do with Information Technology have been entering our lives for years.

Юзер – user – a person who uses a computer service;

Онлайн – online – connected to a network;

Спам – spam – irrelevant messages sent over the Internet for the advertising purposes;

Логин – login – username;

Геймер – gamer – a computer player;

2.2. TV and media

It is a well – known fact that media can affect people significantly because every day we are surrounded by various TV shows, newspaper articles, celebrity gossip spread all over the country through tabloids and the Internet that I have already mentioned. Media plays a huge role in building a person’s character, and, what’s more, reforms our language. And it is also worth mentioning that journalism is a complex sphere where you can’t do without particular words that describe a specialty or other professional notions.

Прайм-тайм – prime-time — the time at which a radio or television audience is expected to be at its highest;

Имиджмейкер – image-maker — a person who creates an appealing public image for something;

Ток-шоу – talk-show — a chat show in which listeners, viewers, or the studio audience participate in the discussion;

Таблоид – tabloid — a type of popular newspaper with small pages that has many pictures and short, simple reports;

Плагиат – plagiarism — stealing and publishing another author’s work.

2.3. Sports

Types of sport may have a literal meaning that is either challenging or completely impossible to translate into Russian.

Футбол – football – the game in which it is required to kick the ball with one’s foot;

Баскетбол – basketball — a game for two teams where points are scored by tossing the ball through the opponent’s basket;

Волейбол – volleyball — a game for two teams, in which a large ball is hit by hand over a high net, the aim being to score points by making the ball reach the ground on the opponent’s side of the court;

Фитнес – fitness – getting fit by exercising;

Бодибилдинг -bodybuilding — a sport involving physical exercise in order to strengthen and shape the body muscles.

2.4. Music

It is frequently claimed that today Russian teenagers listen mostly to music made by foreign artists, and as I am a representative of this age group I can say that it may be true. Nevertheless, even if a person likes Russian music they can’t escape from English loanwords, because the whole process of listening to music has already been modernized all over the world.

Плейлист – playlist – a list used for organizing a digital music collection;

Подкаст – podcast — a series of digital audio files;

Релиз – release — making a product available to the public;

Ремейк – remake — a piece of music recorded again;

Мэшап – mashup – two or more songs combined into one;

2.5. Jobs

The professional diversity is growing and the system of job terminology is getting more complicated as well. Nowadays it is sometimes necessary to look for a definition for a job’s name just because of how incomprehensible it is if you don’t know English.

Брокер – broker — an agent who buys or sells for a principal on a commission basis without having title to the property;

Маркетинг – marketing — the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including advertising and market research;

Менеджер – manager — person who has control or direction of an institution, business, etc.;

Промоутер – promoter — a person who helps finance and organize an event;

Фрилансер – freelancer – a person who works as a writer, performer, designer, selling work or services by the hour, day, job, etc., rather than working on a regular salary basis for one employer.

2.6. Food

With the increasing number of fast food chains all over the world, Russian food culture is always changing. This tendency has started back in the 1990-s when first fast service shops were introduced. And at the same time some additions were made to our language.

Чизбургер – cheeseburger – a beefburger with a slice of cheese on it, served in a bread roll;

Чикенбургер –chicken burger — A hot sandwich made of a patty of chicken in a bun, often with other ingredients;

Фаст-фуд – fast food – easily prepared processed food served in snack bars and restaurants as a quick meal or to be taken away;

Хот-дог — hot-dog – a frankfurter, especially one served hot in a long, soft roll and topped with various condiments;

Милкшейк – milkshake — a cold drink made of milk, a sweet flavouring such as fruit or chocolate, and typically ice cream, whisked until it is frothy;

2.7. Imitating the American lifestyle

Some Russian young people tend to follow the American fashion and that is the reason why they might use more loanwords in their speech. Some of these words are fairly normal and we don’t view them as something special anymore. This group of borrowings is actually the most manifold. This variety can be explained by the fact that these words mainly mean subjects, notions, events, etc. that we come across in our daily lives.

Окей – okay – all right;

Го – go — to move to another place;

Лузер – loser — a person that loses especially consistently;

Бойфренд – boyfriend – a male friend;

Пати — party — a social gathering of invited guests, typically involving eating, drinking, and entertainment.

I should point out that this list is based mostly on the information I used during my research and I have no right to claim that no more variations are possible. However, later on the survey I conducted proved my way of classification.

3. TYPES OF ENGLISH LOANWORDS BASED ON THE WAY OF PERSEPTION

The population of Russia consists of people belonging to a lot of age groups. What is more, all people have different English levels. All English borrowings can be divided into four separate groups based on these factors.

1. Words that are understandable for people of all ages and English levels:

Файл – file;

Лифт – lift;

1. Words that require some knowledge of English:

Имиджмейкер – image-maker;

Менеджер – manager;

Онлайн – online;

1. Words that are understandable mostly for teenagers and young people:

Пати – party;
Уикэнд – weekend; 

Хайп – hype;

1. Words that are understandable mostly for people of older generations:

Промоутер – promoter;

Пейджер – pager;

Брокер – broker.

4. MY RESEARCH

On March, 17^th, 2018, I conducted an online survey among 60 people of my age group. Its results showed that loanwords are actually very widely-used today.

According to the data plotted on the (Chart 1), the classification of loanwords that I had made turned out to be quite reasonable. The graph shows that most people do meet English borrowings in the spheres I have already mentioned. 1 respondent, however, stated that it was also possible to come across English borrowings in the medical sphere. One of the most frequently chosen options was “Music”. The percentage of people who picked it slightly exceeds 50%. The sphere of technology got the 2^nd place with 58,3%. The majority of respondents (60%) stated that most of the loanwords they come across are used by people who try to imitate the American way of life.

The numbers plotted on the (Chart 2) are surprising too. The spheres in which the respondents use borrowings the most are “Technology” and “Imitating the American lifestyle”, but then again the amount of votes given to the latter is more significant.

The aim of the next part of my survey was to check whether teenagers could understand some of the English borrowings I gave to them as an example. Unsurprisingly, respondents were familiar with most of the words (Chart 3). The loanwords that were chosen as the least understandable are “Мэшап”, “Прайм-тайм”, and “Имиджмейкер”. This can be explained by the fact that all of these three words are used mostly in their original spheres which are familiar only to certain people. On the other hand, all these words can be translated from English into Russian by parts (be morphemes) so that their meanings become clear, for example “Имиджмейкер = image + make + er”. Therefore, the results might have shown that a lot of respondents have some lack of English knowledge.

In the final part of my research respondents had to give examples of the loanwords they use on a regular basis. Just as I had predicted, the borrowings that were mentioned the most often were “О`кей” and “Лол (LOL – laughing out loud)”. Other popular words were “Вау”, “Бро”, “Го”, “Хай”, “Топ”, “Изи”, etc.

CONCLUSION

The question whether using borrowings in our speech is justified or unjustified is truly concerning. Numerous words that can be done without appear regularly. This process might lead to the clogging of Russian.

Our language is actually changing. A lot of English words become commonplace and are used by people on a daily basis. The most common spheres of their use are Information Technology, TV and mass media, sports, music, jobs and food. One, should, however, not forget that in some cases using English borrowings is just the way to follow the fashion.

Some loanwords are understandable for people of all ages because they are used regularly and aren’t viewed as neologisms anymore, but others require some background knowledge and might seem unfamiliar to different age groups. And sometimes advanced English skills are likely to help you understand the meaning of a borrowing.

Teenagers tend to use loanwords a lot mainly because they come across them everywhere. Some words are recognized by them easily, while others remain unknown due to the lack of knowledge of English or the sphere that the word belongs to.

In order to do my research, I used theoretical and practical researching methods. While doing it I managed to get general information about borrowing English words for using them in modern Russian, divide the loanwords into groups based on the sphere of their use, classify the most often-used borrowings based on the way of perception. I found out in which spheres of life people of my age group were the most likely to come across loanwords, identified the most commonly used borrowings.

I successfully classified English borrowings used in the Russian language based on different factors and revealed the spheres of live where the use of loanwords is the most active nowadays.

Nevertheless, the hypothesis I had made before doing this researched proved to be incorrect. According to the survey most teenagers use the English borrowings that can easily be replaced. Of course there are many spheres of life like music and sports in which you can’t do without certain terms, and respondents do use them, but still the most commonly-used loanwords are those which have a proper Russian equivalent. Therefore, there is a tendency of imitating the lifestyle of foreign people in Russian speech.

In the foreseeable future I am planning to do a deeper research into the topic. I will reveal the reasons why the borrowings appear in such vast amounts. The opinions of more age groups will be taken into consideration while analyzing the issue. Furthermore, I will identify the impact that the growing amount of English loanwords has on the Russian language.

To draw a conclusion, I want to say that although in some cases the use of foreign words may be inevitable, we should do our best to reduce it. I would like to cite Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin — a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist, “As a material of literature, the Slavic-Russian language has an undeniable superiority over all European languages” [5]. It is essential to recognize the significance of Russian language and to avoid polluting it with words that mean nothing.

LIST OF USED LITERATURE

1. http://slovar-ojegova.888news.name/a/1858-%C0%CD%C3%CB%C8%D6%C8%C7%CC.html

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anglicism

3. https://www.englishdom.com/blog/anglijskie-zaimstvovannye-slova-v-russkom-yazyke/

4. Крысин Л.П. «Иноязычные слова в современной жизни»//Русский язык конца XX столетия. — М.,1996.

5. О предисловии г-на Лемонте к переводу басен И. А. Крылова. — Московский телеграф. 1825. Ч. V. №XVII. С. 40—46.

APPENDIX Chart 1

most often?

Chart 2

most often?

Chart 3