Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

литeрaту´рa) drift away to an abroad which they will have to discover at a later date, just as in Soviet times they had to discover other, earlier forms of Russian émigré literature.

1.4

Illustration of register in vocabulary

The following table briefly illustrates the levels of language that have been discussed, as they are manifested in Russian lexis, by showing

some of the colloquial and high equivalents (R1 and R3 respectively) of the basic neutral words (R2) that are given in the middle column.

The table is arranged in accordance with the alphabetical order of the neutral Russian words.

18

1.5

Regional variation in Russian

R1

R2

R3

глядe´лки(pl)

глaзa´

eyes

о´чи(sg о´ко; poet)

бaшкa´

головa´

head

глaвa´

дe´вкa

дe´вушкa

girl

дeви´ цa

бa´бки(pl), кaпу´стa

дe´ньги(pl)

money

срe´дствa(pl)

кумe´кaть(impf )

ду´мaть(impf ) to think

мы´слить(impf )

хaрчи´ (pl)

eдa´

food

пи´ щa

ку´шaть(impf ),

eсть(impf )

to eat

вкушa´ть(impf )

жрaть(impf; D)

бa´бa

жeнa´

wife

супру´гa

бa´бa

жe´нщинa

woman

дa´мa

мо´рдa, ро´жa(D)

лицо´

face

лик

мa´мa, мaмa´шa(D)

мaть(f )

mother

роди´ тeльницa

колёсa(pl; sg колeсо´), мaши´ нa

car

aвтомоби´ ль(m)

тa´чкa(slang)

у´ймa

мно´го

much/a lot

мно´жeство

пa´рeнь(m)

молодо´й

young man

ю´ношa

чeловe´к

мужи´ к

муж

husband

супру´г

нaгоня´ й

нaкaзa´ниe

punishment кa´рa

нaпa´сть(f )

нeсчa´стьe

misfortune

бe´дствиe

одёжa

одe´ждa

clothes

плa´тьe

пa´пa, пaпa´шa,

отe´ц

father

роди´ тeль(m;

бa´тя(D)

parent in R2)

подмо´гa

по´мощь(f )

help

содe´йствиe

лa´пa( paw in R2)

рукa´

hand

длaнь(f )

кaю´к

смeрть(f )

death

кончи´ нa

дры´хнуть(impf )

спaть

to sleep

почивa´ть(impf )

стaрикa´н

стaри´ к

old man

стa´рeц

отдa´ть концы´∗

умирa´ть/

to die

скончa´ться(pf)

умeрe´ть

∗ The verbs околeвa´ть/околe´тьand подыхa´ть/подо´хнуть, which also mean to die and in R2 are used only of animals, may in R1 be used of humans, in which case they have a pejorative tone.

1.5

Regional variation in Russian

Account must be taken, when considering variety in a language, of the existence of geographic as well as social dialects. The higher and

neutral registers of a language (R3 and R2) are subject to little, if any, 19

1

Varieties of language and register

regional variation, but the colloquial form (R1) does vary from one

region to another, both when used by relatively uneducated speakers

and even when used by educated speakers in informal situations.

Regional features often reflect archaic usage that has died out in the standard language and infringe that language’s grammatical norms,

which the foreign learner is expected to observe.

Considering the enormous size of the territory of the Russian

Federation (which stretches over 8,000 kilometres from the border

with Belarus in the west to the Bering Strait in the east and some

3,000 kilometres from the Kola Peninsula in the north to the Caucasus in the south and covers in all an area of some 10.5 million square

kilometres) the Russian language is surprisingly uniform. The Russian spoken on the Pacific coast in Vladivost ók, for example, is easily

comprehensible to the Muscovite. This relative uniformity (compared

to the greater phonological differences in a much smaller country such as Switzerland) results from the frequent migrations of populations and the lack of major geographical barriers within the country. It has been reinforced in post-revolutionary Russia by such processes as

urbanisation and the spread of literacy. Nevertheless, there is regional variation in Russian, in pronunciation, vocabulary, morphology and

syntax.

The foreign student is not advised to use regional linguistic features, which do not belong in the standard language or higher registers and which may in any case seem out-of-place unless all the distinctive

features of a particular dialect are deployed consistently and

comprehensively. The following sections are therefore intended only to give a superficial impression of the extent of regional variation in Russian and to draw attention to a few of the salient regional features.

A number of the linguistic terms used in this section are explained in the Glossary.

1.5.1

Standard pronunciation

The regional features listed in 1.5.3 below are deviations from the standard, to which reference is made, unless otherwise indicated,

elsewhere in this book. The lexical, morphological and syntactic

features of standard Russian are examined in the following chapters, but since standard pronunciation is not dealt with elsewhere it is as well to list here a few of the phonological features of Muscovite speech on which, owing to the status of Moscow as the capital city, standard

pronunciation is based.

r a´кaньe: a and o are both pronounced as a when they occur in the syllable before the stress or in the initial syllable of a word, e.g. tr ava´