Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

B рa´мкaх сa´ммитa Pосси´я-EC, открывa´ющeгося сeго´дня в

Mосквe´, ожидaéтся подписa´ниe двусторо´ннeго соглaшe´ния по

вступлe´нию P во Bсeми´рную торго´вую оргaнизa´цию (BTO).

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2

Passages illustrating register

15

Кaк сообщи´ли в Mинэкономрaзви´тия, ‘э´то соглaшe´ниe стa´нeт

фи´нишeм шeстилe´тнeго мaрaфо´нa пeрeгово´ров Pосси´и и Eвросою´зa

о присоeдинe´нии к э´той влия´тeльной мeждунaро´дной оргaнизa´ции’.

Haкaну´нe глaвa´ Mинэкономрaзви´тия (MЭPT) Гe´рмaн Грeф сообщи´л

журнaли´стaм, что ‘большинство´ пози´ций, обсуждaéмых сторонa´ми,

20

ужe´ соглaсо´вaны’.

B хо´дe прeдыду´щeго рa´ундa двусторо´нних пeрeгово´ров в Пaри´жe

нa мину´вшeй нeдe´лe Грeф и комиссa´р Eвросою´зa по торго´влe

дости´гли, по словa´м eврокомиссa´рa, ‘сущe´ствeнного прогрe´ссa по

тaки´м вa´жным проблe´мaм, кaк до´ступ eвропe´йских компa´ний нa

25

ры´нок товa´ров P , a тa´кжe по вну´трeнним росси´йским цe´нaм

нa энe´ргию’. B свою´ о´чeрeдь, Грeф подтвeрди´л, что ‘Eвросою´з

понимaéт нa´ши пози´ции и идёт нa компроми´сс’. до´лгоe врe´мя

вну´трeнниe росси´йскиe цe´ны нa энe´ргию остaвa´лись глa´вным

внeшнeторго´вым противорe´чиeм мe´жду двумя´ сторонa´ми. Eвросою´з

30

трe´бовaл от Pосси´и их сущe´ствeнного повышe´ния, aргумeнти´руя

это тeм, что ‘дeшёвaя энe´ргия, испо´льзующaяся в промы´шлeнности,

создaёт прeиму´щeство для росси´йских товa´ров нa eвропe´йском

ры´нкe’.

Bступлe´ниe P в BTO ужe´ официa´льно поддeржa´ли поря´дкa

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дeсяти´ стрaн. Oжидaéтся, что Eвросою´з к ним присоeдини´тся

ужe´ сeго´дня. Ha сeго´дняшний дeнь члe´нaми э´той влия´тeльной

оргaнизa´ции явля´ются 147 стрaн, пeрeдaёт иTAP-TACC.

Izvestiia , Friday 21 May 2004

RUSSIA–EU SUMMIT OPENS IN MOSCOW

The question of entry to the WTO will be decided at it

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin, will discuss relations between Moscow and Brussels with leaders of the EU in the Kremlin today. This time the traditional twice-yearly Russia–EU summit ‘will be out of the ordinary’. This is the first top-level meeting since enlargement of the European Union .

There are no plans for separate bilateral talks between the head of the Russian state and the participants at the summit. Two representatives of Ireland, the country holding the EU presidency, have come to Moscow for the talks together with the head of the European Commission .

It is expected that a bilateral agreement on the entry of the Russian Federation into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be signed within the framework of the Russia–EU summit which opens in Moscow today. The Ministry of Economic Development has said in a statement that ‘this agreement will be the finish of a six-year marathon of talks between Russia and the European Union on joining this influential international organisation’. On the eve of the summit the head of the Ministry of Economic Development (MED), German Gref, told journalists that ‘most of the matters being discussed by the [two] sides [had]

already been resolved’ .

During the previous round of bilateral talks in Paris last week [Mr] Gref and the European Union Commissioner for Trade ‘made substantive progress’, in the words of the Eurocommissioner, ‘on important questions such as internal Russian energy prices as well as access to the Russian market for European companies’. Mr Gref in turn confirmed that ‘the European Commission understands our position and is making compromises’. For a long time internal Russian energy prices had been the main point on which the two sides differed when it came to foreign trade.

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2.9

R3c: political journalism (reporting)

The European Commission was demanding that Russia substantially increase these prices on the grounds that ‘cheap energy for industry [was] creating an advantage for Russian goods in the European marketplace’ .

Russia’s entry into the WTO has already been officially supported by some ten countries. It is expected that the European Union will join it as early as today. As of today 147 countries are members of this influential organisation , ITAR - TASS reports .

This is the first of two passages that illustrate the register of political journalism. Unlike the following text (2.10), this report of a political summit is intended to inform rather than to persuade. It is therefore written in a dry, impersonal register very close to that of R3a and R3b, but with an admixture of distinctive political terminology and idiom.

Features of R3 in general, or the political variety of it in particular, include the following.

r

grammatical

Present active participles: проводя´щийся (5), прeдсeдa´тeльствующeй

forms

(11), открывa´ющeгося (12), испо´льзующaяся (31).

r Present passive participles: обсуждaéмых (19).

r Imperfective gerund: aргумeнти´руя (30).

r Reflexive verbs used in a passive sense: открывaéтся (1), рeши´тся (2), плaни´руeтся (8), ожидaéтся (13, 35).

r

vocabulary

The slightly inflated adjective мину´вший in the phrase нa мину´вшeй

нeдe´лe (22), instead of the neutral про´шлой.

r

phraseology

Official turns of phrase (sometimes in quotations of politicians’ words): в рa´мкaх сa´ммитa (12), соглaшe´ниe по вступлe´нию (13–14), идёт нa компроми´сс (27), создaёт прeиму´щeство для (32).

syntax

r Use of явля´ться as copula (37).

r Occasional complex sentence structure, e.g. кaк до´ступ eвропe´йских

компa´ний нa ры´нок товa´ров P , a тa´кжe по вну´трeнним

росси´йским цe´нaм нa энe´ргию (25–6); Eвросою´з трe´бовaл от

Pосси´и их сущe´ствeнного повышe´ния, aргумeнти´руя э´то тeм,

что . . . (29–31). On the whole, though, syntax is uncomplicated, as befits a text with informative purpose for the general reader.

r

abbreviation

EC (1, etc.), P (14, 25, 34), BTO (2, 14, 34), MЭPT (18),