Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

word

speech , e.g. свобо´дa сло´вa, freedom of speech ; прeдостa´вить кому´-н

сло´во, to call on sb to speak

совe´т

advice

soviet (i.e. council)

срeдa´

Wednesday (acc sg срe´ду)

milieu, environment (acc sg срeду´)

стол

table

bureau, office (e.g. пa´спортный стол, passport bureau ) board, cuisine (e.g. швe´дский стол, Smörg˚asbord , lit Swedish table ) тeнь(f )

shadow

shade

титa´н

titanium (chemical element)

Titan (in Greek mythology)

boiler (old-fashioned bathroom water heater)

трaвa´

grass

herb

туши´ть

to extinguish, put out (pf потуши´ть)

to braise, stew

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Problems of meaning: Russian words

тяжёлый

heavy

difficult

удa´рник

member of strike force (mil); shock-worker

firing-pin (of gun)

drummer (in pop group; R1)

учёный

scientist

scholar, learned person

шa´шкa

draught (in boardgame); игрa´ть в шa´шки, to play draughts sabre

язы´к

tongue

language

3.1.2

Homonyms with different plural forms

In a number of nouns the different meanings that the noun may have

are distinguished by use of different nominative plural forms (and, if the noun denotes an inanimate object, this form is identical with the accusative plural form).

r In many such instances one plural form has the usual ending for

masculine nouns in - ыor - иand the other has the stressed ending - a´

or - я´(see 9.1.6), e.g.

nom pl in -ы/-и

nom pl in -a´/-я´

бо´ровы

hogs, fat men

боровa´

flues

ко´рпусы

torsos, hulls

корпусa´

corps, blocks (buildings)

лa´гeри

(political) camps

лaгeря´

holiday/prison camps

мeхи´(pl only)

bellows

мeхa´

furs

о´брaзы

images

обрaзa´

icons

о´рдeны

monastic orders

ордeнa´

medals

по´ясы

geographical belts

поясa´

belts (clothing)

про´воды

send-off (no sg)

проводa´

(electrical) leads

про´пуски

omissions

пропускa´

passes, permits

со´боли

sables (animals)

соболя´

sables (furs)

счёты

abacus (no sg)

счeтa´

bills, accounts

то´ки

(electric) currents

токa´

threshing-floors ; also birds’

mating-places

то´ны

tones (sound)

тонa´

tones (colour)

то´рмозы

impediments

тормозa´

brakes (of vehicle)

хлe´бы

loaves

хлeбa´

crops

цвeты´

flowers

цвeтa´ ∗

colours

∗The sg form is цвeто´к in the meaning flower but цвeт in the meaning colour .

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3.2

Homophones and homoforms

r Some partial homonyms have other variant plural forms, e.g.

nom/acc pl

gen pl

колe´но

knee

колe´ни

колe´нeй

joint (in pipe)

колe´нья

колe´ньeв

bend (in river)

колe´нa

колe´н

generation (obs)

колe´нa

колe´н

ко´рeнь(m)

root

ко´рни

корнe´й

roots (used for

корe´нья

корe´ньeв

culinary or

medicinal purposes)

лист

leaf

ли´стья

ли´стьeв

sheet of paper

листы´

листо´в

по´вод

ground, cause (for)

по´воды

по´водов (к)

rein

пово´дья

пово´дьeв

су´дно

vessel, craft

судa´

судо´в

chamberpot

су´днa

су´дeн

3.2

Homophones and homoforms

Homophones, which may offer material for word-play and puns, are

much more widespread in English than in Russian (e.g. bare, bear; right, write ). However, even in Russian they may occur as a result, for example, of a´кaньe (see e.g. компa´ния), or и´кaньe (see e.g. лeсa´), or the devoicing of final voiced consonants (see e.g. гриб), or even the coincidence of a word and a phrase (e.g. нeмо´й, dumb and нe мой, not my ). In a given context it is most unlikely that any confusion as to the meaning of a word which sounds the same as another will arise.

Homoforms (see e.g. вожу´) arise quite frequently as a result of the morphological complexity of Russian.

A very small number of Russian examples is given here to illustrate

both these phenomena.

вожу´

I take on foot (from води´ть)

I take by transport (from вози´ть)

гриб

mushroom

грипп

influenza

груздь(m)

milk-agaric (type of mushroom)

грусть(f )

sadness, melancholy

днe

prep sg of дeнь, day

prep sg of of дно, bottom

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Problems of meaning: Russian words

дог

Great Dane

док

dock

eсть

(infin) to eat