{"id":7761,"date":"2015-04-22T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2015-04-22T06:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=7761"},"modified":"2018-08-15T18:23:26","modified_gmt":"2018-08-15T18:23:26","slug":"these-six-english-words-dont-mean-what-you-think-in-russian","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/these-six-english-words-dont-mean-what-you-think-in-russian\/","title":{"rendered":"These Six English Loanwords Don\u2019t Mean What You Think in Russian"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

The fact that loan words are present in nearly every language is well-known to most people. It is fairly clear that Russian language has been affected by this practice more than some other languages. Whether certain rulers of the past, certain technologies of the present, or globalization are to blame is a topic of a separate conversation. In this post I would like to focus on seven pesky American\/English words that might play tricks on you if you don\u2019t use them properly in Russian.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> 1. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0414\u0436\u0438\u043f<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> <\/b>(from American Jeep) \u2013 If you think this words means a certain SUV brand, think again. \u0414\u0436\u0438\u043f <\/span><\/a>is what Russians collectively call any and all SUVs. The word Kleenex, which is commonly used in the States to describe any brand of tissue can be used as an analogy. Just like Kleenex, the word Jeep wasn\u2019t just borrowed, it underwent a lexical change in the process.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> 2. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0421\u043a\u043e\u0442\u0447 <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>(from American Scotch tape) \u2013 in American English you would say Scotch tape, or tape, if you are in fact talking about general-purpose tape; in Russian, all general-purpose tape (small, medium, or large) is called \u0441\u043a\u043e\u0442\u0447 <\/span><\/a>regardless of the brand. What we observe here is another lexical change.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> 3. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u041a\u043e\u0442\u0442\u0435\u0434\u0436<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> (from English cottage) \u2013 I am not sure how this English word got its Russian flare but one thing is clear: \u043a\u043e\u0442\u0442\u0435\u0434\u0436 <\/span><\/a>in Russian is a large well-built house located in suburban or urban area, it is a house that belongs to someone who is well-to-do.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> 4. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0421\u0442\u0440<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0438<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u043d\u0433\u0438<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> (from American G-string) \u2013 somehow the \u201cG\u201d part of the word got lost in translation while the rest of the word settled into a perpetual plural form: Russians say <\/span><\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0433-\u0438 <\/span><\/span><\/span>(plural), perhaps by analogy with <\/span><\/span>\u0442\u0440\u0443\u0441\u044b <\/span><\/span><\/span>(underwear in Russian, which is also always plural).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

5. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u041a\u043b\u0438\u043f <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>(from English clip or video clip) \u2013 while the word \u043a\u043b\u0438\u043f <\/span><\/a>in Russian has a pretty wide application, one case of its usage is certainly language specific. In Russian, if you are referring to the official video for a song, you would call it \u043a\u043b\u0438\u043f<\/span>, or \u0432\u0438\u0434\u0435\u043e\u043a\u043b\u0438\u043f<\/span> but not video.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a> 6. <\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u041c<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0438<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0433<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> (from English meeting) \u2013 while in English this word simply means a gathering of two or more people for any reason whatsoever, in Russian,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u043c\u0438\u0442\u0438\u043d\u0433 <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a>has a distinctive political color to it. <\/span><\/span>\u041c\u0438\u0442\u0438\u0440\u0433 <\/span><\/span><\/span>in Russian means a gathering of a large group of people, usually outside<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span><\/span> with the purpose of discussing or defending certain political ideas or interests.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, hundreds of English words made it into the Russian language but most of them managed to preserve their original meaning. If you know of any other words you would like to add to this list, be my guest. This American fellow certainly feels pretty strongly about the use of certain English words in Russian. If nothing else, he is pretty entertaining –\u00a0J<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=t2CCJ7ShptU<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

The fact that loan words are present in nearly every language is well-known to most people. It is fairly clear that Russian language has been affected by this practice more than some other languages. Whether certain rulers of the past, certain technologies of the present, or globalization are to blame is a topic of…<\/p>\n

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