(no subject)

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

When/how to use "так", especially as (part of) a colloquial expression? I had a teacher in Vladimir who would use the word a lot as sort of a filler in transitioning to a different topic, or maybe she meant something else and I misinterpreted. Also, how about expressions like "я так думаю" (or is that another American-ism?)?

Comments

[gera.livejournal.com]

I had a teacher in Vladimir who would use the word a lot as sort of a filler in transitioning to a different topic, or maybe she meant something else and I misinterpreted.

You understood it correctly. But we call stuff like that слова-паразиты (word parasites). They don't carry any meaning, just fill in the pause.

Also, how about expressions like "я так думаю" (or is that another American-ism?)?

It's actually a Russian expression and it's means the obvious - "I think so".

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

and would "я так думаю" be used in the same way...or perhaps rather, the same frequency as it in English? or maybe, is it just people like me who aren't really ever certain of something that say "I think so" to be safe, and thus upping the frequency of usage?

[gera.livejournal.com]

It will be ok as far as language, except... There was a movie character, an Armenian, actually, meaning that Russian was his second language, who would use this expression excessively to a considerable comic effect.
So beware of that association :)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

In order to be associated with that character, one has to put an unbelieveably strong stress on так - "я ТАК думаю" :)))

[branwen.livejournal.com]

Yeah, in English (as used in America, anyways) we use word parasites (which is what I do call them, as well) "like" (not when comparing something, but in this way "he was like" and "and I thought, like, whatever") and also "know what I mean?".

[gera.livejournal.com]

In Russian it's "так", "вот" - between sentences, "значит", "так сказать" - every few words (those are the most common ones).

[yozhevich.livejournal.com]

Is скажем used in this way, too? and if so, how is it different from the others?

[gera.livejournal.com]

Но, I don't remember скажем being abused like that.

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

I've never heard "значит", "так сказать" used "every few words". Could you give some examples just so it'll be easier for me to catch if someone does actually say it in conversation?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Ну я ему звоню, значит, а он мне, значит, говорит - ты, говорит, дурак, так сказать. Я, значит, подумал, что он, так сказать, сильно пьян :))

Well, I kinda called him, and he's going like, y'know, you're a fool. I kinda thought that he was, like, quite drunk :)

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Can you give an example of what a Russian "Valley Girl" would say? I remember once someone had provided an example, with a lot of такs and какs, and it make me laugh so much! Something along the lines of "And like, I was TOTALLY like, you know, amazed and like, it was SO omg, like omg, you wouldn't BELIEVE!"

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Well, concerning this exact text (provided that it's a girl speaking - there is some difference :)) :
- Ну и я, в общем, я саааааааавершенно офигела вообще, и я это, ну типа подумала, значит, что это, ну это просто офигеть, короче! :))

[temcat.livejournal.com]

We have a very similar parasite word "типа": "А он мне типа говорит..."

A funny text in Russian about this word can be found here: http://www.rusf.ru/lukin/books/tipa_artikl.htm

[malaya-zemlya.livejournal.com]

Sometimes it stands for something like "So..."

Так. Переходим к следующей теме
So.. Let's move onto the next subject

It also might mean "Yes", "It is so", "Right"
- Ты вчера был весь день дома, так?
- Так
- You were at home all day yesterday, right?
- Right

Or it could be an exclamation of surprise, an attention grabber. something like "Hey, waitasec! What's up with that?!"

(Haunted house. *A muffled thud is heard*)
- Так! что это было?!
- Wait! What was that?

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

ah...how enlightening. thank ye.

[branwen.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!! I could hear all those usages in the Russian that I hear all the time and never knew what exactly it meant! It all makes so much more sense now. I'll remember this.

[constpd.livejournal.com]

Note that “я так думаю” in Russian means “I'm quite certain” opposed to English meaning “I'm not so certain”.
“Так” is literally “so”. And AFAIK it is also used as a sort of filler in English...

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

haha, pardon my ignorance:

and AFAIK stands for?

[solito.livejournal.com]

as far as I know

[solito.livejournal.com]

I would say that it is a feature of many teachers to start every chunk of speech with Так. When I worked as a teacher I noticed the same defect in my speech and had to spend some time getting rid of it.

Так, садитесь пожалуйста... Так, начинаем урок... - I would use Ok to translate it here.
Ok, take your seats... Ok, let's start our lesson...

The reason behind it is that this usage gives a flavor of directing others what to do or even patronizing them - and this is how a teacher usually behaves in the school towards students.

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

ah. well...почему бы и нет (now that the phrase -why not- has been officially 'sanctified' by the learn_russian community from my last post, it's time to give it a trial run. ha.)

[ashalynd.livejournal.com]

Actually, you are quite right. My father who is living there is also using "так" all the time. And I can assure you he'd forgotten his school English lessons way before I was born, so it is not an Americanism in his speech. It is just a colloquial thing for the area. I myself am using the same word, albeit not that frequently because I left Vladimir when I finished the school and lived in Moscow ever since. BTW did you happen to notice that Muscovites speak differently than the fellows from Vladimir?

[hopeinagpa.livejournal.com]

A day and a half in Moscow with an English guide and a hotel full of foreigners, I guess I really couldn't tell...