Cognate Madness

[yurodivy84.livejournal.com]

What is the most "direct" term for a linguist in Russian? Лингвист is like an interpreter, but does that mean that a linguist is a филолог? --because linguistics is really not philology... but then... an interpreter is really not a linguist!

...and does the "professional" translation of историческое языкознание translate "historical linguistics" well?

P.S. Does бабушка really conjure up the same stereotypical image in Russian as it does in English (according to an irritated Russian friend)? If so, how on Earth does one talk about one's grandmum in Russian?!?

Спасибо

Comments

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

I don't think "babushka" in English means anything at all. At least, when I do a poll of my non-Russian-speaking American friends, they all think it means "head scarf," or else they say they have no idea.

[miconazole.livejournal.com]

Really? I've never heard the "headscarf" meaning but I always knew the "old lady" one.

Maybe it's a regional thing.

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

All my friends in NYC, or Seattle, or San Francisco are sure that бабУшка (they pronounce it with a stress on U, instead of 1st A) is a "traditional Russian headscarf or kerchief." And they are quite proud of themselves that they know such an exotic word :))

[yurodivy84.livejournal.com]

I grew up speaking American English and I've known of the word babushka (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=babushka). Maybe your friends are just ignorant.

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

I also grew up speaking American English, as I'm American.

It's not really an English word. If you look at the link you included, it lists "scarf" as the first definition, although that's not what it actually means. Also, it lists the pronunciation as "ba-BOOSH-ka," not "BA-bush-ka." The dictionaries have listed it that way because that's how people use it - but that doesn't mean it's actually a "real" English word an English speaker should know.

[yurodivy84.livejournal.com]

Which "really" English words (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=oxter) should a person know? Do words borrowed ~400 years ago (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/chair) count?

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

Look, if you want to argue about this because you're bored, we can do that. But I think that if you ask the average English speaker, "Is babushka an English word?" most of them would say no.

The way it is used in English (as "headscarf") is completely limited to talking about the headscarves of Russian peasant women - no one would say, "Oh, it's windy outside, let me run back in for my babushka." Or, "Oh, did you see the babushkas they're selling at Macy's? They are sooooo cute."

It's in the dictionary because if you're reading a book and come across the word printed in English (as will happen if you like to read Russian literature in translation), with no explanation or hints from context of what it is, you need to be able to look it up. But the fact that it's in the dictionary does not mean it's "valid" English. That would be like say "glasnost" and "perestroika" are valid English words because you can find them on dictionary.com...but the truth is, we use them only when referring to Gorbachev's reform policies. In English, you wouldn't say about your American company, "Yeah, we're having a perestroike - they're firing all the middle management," because we already have the word "restructuring."

[yurodivy84.livejournal.com]

Sorry; wow. Point is that perhaps to you and/or your area it's not a used word.

Cheers-- I'm off to finish my vindaloo (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=vindaloo) now and get to work on the lorry (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/lorry).

[lovimoment.livejournal.com]

The point is, you could have put it some other way (such as "your area it's not a used word") rather than saying my friends "are just ignorant."

And I know what vindaloos and lorries are...the links aren't really necessary.