Archive for January, 2015
Russian Outback? Posted by Jenya on Jan 28, 2015
What do you call the area of Russia that stretches between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean from east to west? It reaches as far south as northern Kazakhstan and as far north as the Arctic Ocean. It also borders with Mongolia and China and makes up about 77 percent of Russia’s total landmass…
How Dare You Speak a Foreign Language! Posted by Jenya on Jan 27, 2015
Lets imagine that you get invited to dinner at the home of a Russian couple and you don’t speak Russian. Would you find it rude if they occasionally spoke Russian in front of you? How about if they translated it so you could understand it? We all know what it feels like to be around…
Bags and Shoes — Russian Words for Everyday Items Posted by Maria on Jan 26, 2015
When I taught Russian, I noticed many learners without much exposure to the language would often get confused when choosing the right word for the most mundane objects. Perhaps textbooks are partly to blame, if they simply list the native/English word and its “equivalent” in Russian without defining or describing the Russian word in detail…
Top Five Russian Pasta Dishes Posted by Jenya on Jan 21, 2015
Last weekend I asked my husband and son to help me prepare a Russian dish for dinner. After I told them that the process was going to take about four hours, the genuine desire to help they might have had up to that point went right out the window. Nevertheless, I persevered; I proceeded to…
Information Equals Power? Posted by Jenya on Jan 20, 2015
It was reported a while ago in the Business Insider that in America, six corporations control about 90 percent of everything Americans read, watch, and listen to. The news they get from television, radio, and print all come through these six corporation. Even movies and music that they love pass through the six giants. These…
Etymology of Russian Fruit and Vegetable Names Posted by Maria on Jan 19, 2015
I have recently read an article about different words for oranges in Spanish. According to the article, the word for an orange in the Dominican Republic is china because Spanish settlers of the country were aware of its Chinese origins. This made me think about the Russian word for “orange” which reflects the same thing. I…
Heart of Russia? Posted by Jenya on Jan 13, 2015
What’s shaped like a triangle, considered by many to be the largest medieval structure ever built, is located in Moscow, and houses the largest bell in the world? Another hint, in Russian the word means “fortress.” We could only be talking about the Kremlin. Arguably the Kremlin is Russia’s most famous structure – perhaps on…