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Russian and other Slavic languages

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43 messages over 6 pages: 1 24 5 6  Next >>
William Camden
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United Kingdom
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 Message 17 of 43
22 May 2009 at 9:34pm | IP Logged 
I have heard it said that Russians find Poles easier to understand than vice versa. I have the impression Czech and Slovenian are the Slavic languages most remote from the others.

The Russian written language is influenced by Church Slavonic, which is basically Old Bulgarian. This may account for resemblances between written Russian and Bulgarian. The spoken languages seem different. I have listened to Bulgarians talking on the phone and scarcely understood a word, based on a fairly good knowledge of Russian and lesser knowledge of Polish.   
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Sennin
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Bulgaria
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 Message 18 of 43
22 May 2009 at 10:02pm | IP Logged 
William Camden wrote:
The Russian written language is influenced by Church Slavonic, which is basically Old Bulgarian. This may account for resemblances between written Russian and Bulgarian. The spoken languages seem different. I have listened to Bulgarians talking on the phone and scarcely understood a word, based on a fairly good knowledge of Russian and lesser knowledge of Polish.   


Hmm... possibly. It's easier for me to understand Russian in the written form rather than speech. I suppose it is the same for Russians. Whether or not the reason is to be found in Church Slavonic, I don't know.

Edited by Sennin on 22 May 2009 at 10:08pm

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paparaciii
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Latvia
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 Message 19 of 43
23 May 2009 at 5:55pm | IP Logged 
Too much exaggeration going on here.

Slavic languages share some similarities but not to the extent that some are advocating.
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Chung
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 Message 20 of 43
23 May 2009 at 7:16pm | IP Logged 
How do you mean?
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Nadav3
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United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name
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Studies: Ukrainian*, English

 
 Message 21 of 43
26 April 2010 at 11:19am | IP Logged 
leonidus wrote:
Being Russian, I can understand 50-70% of Ukrainian, and probably about 30-40% of Polish. It depends on the context, topic, etc. I can't speak in them, just understand since many words have the same roots as their Russian equivalents. So I can get the gist and sometimes details too.


I am Ukrainian and was wondering if you know this word:

Взагалі, я зовсім не підтримую нового Президента України. До мене, не зрозуміло чому так багато Україців би проголосовали за Януковича.

Таке змагання за президентство не відаю!
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Cherepaha
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Speaks: Russian*, English
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 Message 22 of 43
26 April 2010 at 12:55pm | IP Logged 
Russianbear wrote:

For example, a Bulgarian Wiki article on 'Растения'("Plants") is relatively transparent to me. The Bulgarian word for "plants" itself is not just close to its Russian equivalent - it is actually written exactly the same way the corresponding Russian word is. When I switch to the SCB entry for the same article, not only don't I recognize the name of the article - "Biljka" - I cannot even think of any Russian cognate that would be relevant.


Perhaps the Russian equivalent is "былинка"?

БЫЛИ́НКА, былинки, ·жен.
1. Стебелек травы. Там не растет ни былинки. (A blade of grass. Not a blade of grass grows there.)
2. перен. Молодая, стройная женщина, девушка. (Figurative: a young slender girl, woman)

Edited by Cherepaha on 28 April 2010 at 12:12am

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leonidus
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Russian Federation
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Speaks: Russian*, English, French
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 Message 23 of 43
26 April 2010 at 1:02pm | IP Logged 
Nadav3 wrote:
leonidus wrote:
Being Russian, I can understand 50-70% of Ukrainian, and probably about 30-40% of Polish. It depends on the context, topic, etc. I can't speak in them, just understand since many words have the same roots as their Russian equivalents. So I can get the gist and sometimes details too.


I am Ukrainian and was wondering if you know this word:

Взагалі, я зовсім не підтримую нового Президента України. До мене, не зрозуміло чому так багато Україців би проголосовали за Януковича.

Таке змагання за президентство не відаю!


Hello,

well, like I said I get the gist of what you said alright, some of the words have the same structure as in Russian so I get the idea, others can be guessed from the context.
Only a few words I can't figure out:

Взагалі,
Таке змагання

But I guess they don't change the meaning much :)
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Euphorion
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Czech Republic
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 Message 24 of 43
07 May 2010 at 9:59am | IP Logged 
You shouldnt forget about Slovak - it is said to be a gateway to other Slavic languages, the southest and the eastest of the western Slavic languages, it is very clear and has a relatively simple and modern grammar. Theoretically every Slav would understand Slovak.


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