I'm not sure if I'm even serious

[aciel.livejournal.com]

So last night I dropped by a Russian friend's house. Details here. Long story made short: she was arguing with her mother for a good ten minutes, and I learnd more in that ten minutes than I learn in three weeks of Russian class. It seems logical, then, that my school should hire two Russian speakers to come in and argue with eachother.

How about this method of learning by watching people argue? A year or two ago I learned my first real Russian vocabulary word, мозгосборник, by listening to the same two people argue over whether or not the younger was required to wear a helmet when snowboarding.

And two related questions: how old were you when you started speaking? Did your parents argue a lot in front of you?

Thoughts? I know it's a little off-topic. But I thought you all would find it entertaining.

Happy new year!

Comments

[gordin.livejournal.com]

My first full phrase in Russian was at the age of 1,5. In English - something just above 4 years old.
My parents never argued in my presence. :)

[ars-longa.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think I have got more knowledge from listening my parents and their friends argueing than from everything else. :)

[freedomcry.livejournal.com]

I'm Russian and I've never heard «мозгосборник» before... I live abroad, though. Google indicates it's a kind of hat, which reminds me of «умоотвод» which, during the Civil War, was used by some as a pejorative term for this (http://www.militarist.ru/parser.php?portal=rus).

[gera.livejournal.com]

I'm Russian and I've never heard «мозгосборник» before...

Neither did I.

[alamar.livejournal.com]

That's probably a thing you'll need to clean up consequences of teenager not wearing a helmet while snowboarding? :))

[aciel.livejournal.com]

Exactly. This is why it has stuck with me for so long, I think.

I even wrote it on the back of my coat in big letters. People keep asking me if I'm in a band.

[aciel.livejournal.com]

The literal translation (so I'm told) is brain collector. Very applicable for snowboarding, I think.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

It is correct: мозгосборник cannot be translated any other way, thought this is a "неологизм" - a new (probably occasional) word which is not in the dictionaries yet.

Мозгосборник sounds terrible, especially if you try to imagine its functionality, but this is definitely better than what one of my friends used to call the drainage pipe which was sticking out of his belly for several weeks after a surgery. Oh, boy. Говнопровод. Sorry for spoiling the appetite of those about to eat right now.

[aciel.livejournal.com]

How does that translate?

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Shit conductor.

[gera.livejournal.com]

Apparently it's a made-up word, kind of (dark) humor.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

Must be a неологизм. Sounds quite imaginative, though. Бр-р-р.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

>how old were you when you started speaking? Did your parents argue a lot in front of you?

1. 21 months. 2. No.

[snopova.livejournal.com]

A great idea about learning a language watching ppl argue but... any psychologist will tell you it can result in looking at your partner as a source of argument. Isn't it better to start from learning the words of something more positive?)
My parents never argued when I was a child, never. But I must admit I pick up a lot of German when my husband (he is Russian) and his German daughter are having an argument with each other, but how should I use these words??? to argue with his daughter too?......

[aciel.livejournal.com]

Well, definitely a fight seems like a bad idea. But a debate or something like that?

[snopova.livejournal.com]

Sure, very useful, but if you are in a host family, you will stay apart and won't be involved, right?)

[viata.livejournal.com]

I started speaking and walking before I was 1.
And thanx for "могосборник", I've never heard it before though living in Russia>>>

[stephenwolfe.livejournal.com]

I should hang out with my russian friends more and drink with them, they talk a lot then. LOL

[stephan-nn.livejournal.com]

Russian slang is very various.

So when I was reading антимат at one forum I learned SO many bad Russian words which I didn't hear before! But I'm Russian and live in Russia.

[aciel.livejournal.com]

Я знаю Мат, но антимат?

[stephan-nn.livejournal.com]

I mean the program at forums which find мат in posts and change it to *****, for example. So, administrator at one forum has written in антимат's dictionary so many bad words (мат) which are new for me.