Archive for the year 2010
On the Border: на границе Европы-Азии! Posted by josefina on Apr 25, 2010
«Монумент на границе Европы–Азии» [the (new) monument on the border between Europe and Asia] «на московском тракте» [on the highway to Moscow (from Siberia)]. Have you ever dreamed of being in two places at one and the same time? «На Урале» [in the Ural Mountains] all your dreams can come true – including this one!…
Love Me Russian! or a little something about the diminutive [Part I: Introduction] Posted by josefina on Apr 22, 2010
In English language the grammatical term ‘diminutive’ translates as a diminutive word or suffix word indicating small size (such as “booklet”, etc.), a shortened form of a name or a name indicating fondness and that it can also be used to describe a very small person or a very small thing. In Russian language this…
I Love Volgograd Posted by yelena on Apr 20, 2010
Volgograd, my hometown, is relatively obscure in the West. Most Americans ask me where in Russia I am from and look seemingly lost when I say I’m from Volgograd. The notable exceptions are these three categories: «Знатоки Второй Мировой войны» [WWII history buffs] – «Сталинградская битва» [Battle of Stalingrad] was one of the major battles…
A Russian Post-modern Classic: Венедикт Ерофеев’s «Москва-Петушки» Posted by josefina on Apr 16, 2010
The post-modern pseudo-autobiographical classic «”Москва–Петушки” Венедикта Ерофеева» [“Moscow-Petushki” by Venedikt Yerofeev] has been translated into English as “Moscow to the End of the Line”, “Moscow Stations” and “Moscow Circles” (all of the above are very correct titles). But it should of course be read «в подлиннике» [in the original] – as should all other «произведения…
Real Poetry for Real Russians – Part II Posted by yelena on Apr 14, 2010
Remember the Real Poetry for Real Russians post? At the end of it I promised to tell you whether having to memorize, as children, lots and lots of poems helps Russians in practical daily life. I was all fired up to write the Part II of this post when something quite unexpected happened – I…
All Good Things Come In… Plural! Posted by josefina on Apr 11, 2010
A little something about the most interesting phenopluralia tantum in Russian language.
The Instrumental Case Continued: «стать и становиться» Posted by josefina on Apr 9, 2010
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