Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

5.1.2

Recent loanwords from English

Although loanwords from English are of course particularly easy for

English-speaking learners of Russian to grasp and deploy, they do need to be studied carefully. For one thing a loanword may be used in a

much narrower sense than its equivalent in the language from which it is borrowed. Thus и´миджmeans image only in the sense of character as perceived by the public; крaйм, crime , and суици´д, suicide, denote not an individual action but only an organised social phenomenon; and

сeкс, sex , has the relatively restricted meaning of sexual activity.

Moreover, once accommodated by a language a loanword takes on a

life of its own. It may acquire new meaning and even become a false

friend (as have many of the faux amis in 3.5). English-speakers should also be aware that stress in a Russian loanword may fall on a syllable different from the one on which they would expect to find it, as in

мaркe´тинг, marketing , монито´ринг, monitoring , and пeнa´льти, penalty (sporting term).

It is also sensible to use very recent loanwords from English with

some caution, since their position in the language may still be insecure and some of them will in due course be discarded. Furthermore such

words may be perceived in different ways by different native speakers.

While in some circles use of western loanwords may give the speech

of the user an attractively cosmopolitan air, in others the alien tinge that they lend to speech may be unwelcome. It should also be

remembered that many neologisms may be incomprehensible to large

numbers of Russians, particularly to older people, who find it hard to keep abreast of the changes that are taking place, and to the poorly educated, who are unfamiliar with the Western languages and societies from which the new words and concepts are drawn.

There follows a short list of some English words and phrases that

have been recently borrowed or that have recently acquired new

meaning:

бa´ксы(pl; gen бa´ксов)

bucks (i.e. dollars )

бeбиси´ттeр

babysitter

брeнд

brand (in its commercial sense)

грaнт

grant

дeфо´лт

collapse of the rouble in August 1998

имиджмe´йкeр

image-maker

импи´чмeнт

impeachment

индикa´тор

indicator (e.g. political, sociological)

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5

Vocabulary and idiom

кa´стинг

casting ( for film , TV )

ки´ллeр

hitman

клони´ровaть(ся)

to clone/be cloned

мe´нeджeр

manager (but not the top person; the

Russian term is not so prestigious as

manager )

мe´ссeдж

( political ) message

ньюсмe´йкeр

newsmaker

олигa´рхи

oligarchs (i.e. men who have accumulated

enormous wealth as a result of

privatisation of Soviet state resources)

пиa´р

PR

пиa´рить

to promote, plug

пиa´рщик

PR man/woman, spin-doctor

сaспe´нс

suspense (of novels and films)

сèконд-хe´нд

second-hand

ток-шо´у

talk show

хe´длaйн

headline

хэ´ппeнинг

a happening (i.e. event)

эксклюзи´вноe интeрвью´

exclusive interview

5.1.3

Neologisms derived from existing Russian words

The following list contains a small number of neologisms (phrases as well as words) derived from the resources of Russian rather than

foreign languages, although some of them contain elements that were

originally borrowed (e.g. нeфтeдо´ллaры). The list includes existing words that have recently taken on new meaning in certain circles (e.g.

вмeняéмый), words formed through composition (e.g. бaнкомa´т) and phraseological calques ( рaскa´чивaниe ло´дки).

Many neologisms of this sort, particularly those that are used in an ironic or jocular way, may be classified as slang, to which the next section is devoted.

The polysemanticisation that some of the words in this section

illustrate can of course enrich a language. However, when it results in the creation of clicheś or vogue expressions with little substance, as is the case with some of the words and phrases given below, then equally polysemanticisation may lead to a certain linguistic impoverishment, the sort of inflation to which reference was made in 1.6.

бaнкомa´т

cashpoint

боeви´к

combatant, fighter , now used e.g. of

militant fundamentalists, e.g.

чeчe´нскиe боeвики´, Chechen fighters

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5.1

Neologisms

бюджe´тник

sb who is on the state payroll

включa´ть/включи´ть счётчик

to start the clock ticking (lit to switch

on the meter )

вмeняéмый

reasonable (originally a legal term

meaning responsible, of sound mind )

Bор до´лжeн сидe´ть

A thief should be in prison (said

в тюрьмe´.

about the oligarchs (see 5.1.2

above); a quotation from a popular

film).

Bосто´к – дe´ло то´нкоe.

lit The East is a delicate matter (said as

counsel of caution when dealing

with Eastern nations which

function in a way unfamiliar to

Europeans; also a quotation from a

popular film).

во´тум довe´рия/нeдовe´рия

vote of confidence/no confidence

грaждa´нскоe нeповиновe´ниe

civil disobedience

гумaнитa´рнaя по´мощь

humanitarian aid

дaвa´ть/дaть зeлёный свeт

to give the green light

зaбивa´ть/зaби´ть гол в свои´

to score an own goal

воро´тa

зa дeржa´ву оби´дно.

I feel for my country (i.e. because it is

suffering or being humiliated;

another quotation from a popular

film).

зaшкa´ливaть/зaшкa´лить

to send off the scale ( he went through

(eго´ зaшкa´лило)

the ceiling/went ballistic )

знa´ковоe собы´тиe

meaningful event , i.e. sign of the

times