Why?

[cheaffa.livejournal.com]

Hi!
I was still in school when I realized why one should study English - it's a language of international communication. I wonder why people started to learn Russian, such a grammatically and stylistically complicated language? Please tell me why, for what reason did you make this choice?

(thank, Gordin!)

Здравствуйте!
Еще в школе я поняла почему нужно учить английский, он интернациональный. Мне интересно, почему люди стали учить русский, такой грамматически и стилистически сложный язык? Расскажите, пожалуйста, зачем, почему, для чего?

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Please note that the working language of this community is English. It is OK to post in Russian but then you must provide a translation (see the community rules).

[wordchick.livejournal.com]

I started to study Russian because it was more interesting than French and at 11, I was less easily intimidated than I am now. I also thought it made more sense of the two, which I find mysterious in retrospect. I had studied French as a child, but somehow, Russian called me.

[gordin.livejournal.com]

For those who have difficulties understanding the post - here's a translation:

Hi!
I was still in school when I realized why one should study English - it's a language of international communication. I wonder why people started to learn Russian, such a grammatically and stylistically complicated language? Please tell me why, for what reason did you make this choice?

[oryx_and_crake]

Thank you for providing the translation. However, if the OP does not include it in the original post, I will have to delete the entire thing. There are community rules, you know.

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

I've decided to take up Russian, because it is the common language of all Eastern Europe, and most of Asia as well as parts of the Middle East. Even here at home in the USA, I can find people that I can speak to in Russian. It's a very useful language. I think less people speak German and French. The only other languages worth considering as far as number of speakers is concerned, would be Spanish and Mandarin. I have no interest in those languages, Russian has a much more appealing sound! Also, I get to study Bulgakov, Tolstoy! What am I going to read in Spanish or Mandarin that comes close to that?

[dair-spb.livejournal.com]

de Cervantes, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jorge Luis Borges — Spanish.
Confucius — Mandarin

;-)

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

Russian is also an international language! It's no less important than English!

[gordin.livejournal.com]

Well, in terms of number ro native speakers, number of people knowing it and number of countries having it as an official language, Russian is not that 'important', compared to English.

[http://users.livejournal.com/_christine/]

It's an international language to the generation that grew up in the Cold War. Now everyone learns English as a second language - In Asia, in Africa, and in Russia herself. All air travel, for instance, is in the native language, then English as per international regulations. When I asked Russian students (while I was in Russia) why they are learning English, they told me "Because it is the international language". They would not need to do this if Russian were (part of the many reasons Americans are so lousy at learning second languages - they speak everyone's second language natively).

[pigmeich.livejournal.com]

Don't feed the troll, I say.

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

Excuse me? I'm not a troll. =/

[archaicos.livejournal.com]

It's exotic, but not to the point of being too hard (compare to tonal languages and the myriads of Chinese glyphs). Then, some still view us, Russians, as enemy. I believe that was the same reasoning behind us almost predominantly learning German at school in the USSR.

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

Yeah, same old bullshit. Well, they can't do that to us forever. We can talk to each other via internet and make up our own minds now. So... I prefer to greet you as a friend until you've proven otherwise. Anyway, the enemy isn't necessarily abroad. We've got plenty of those right here in the USA.

[crimeanelf.livejournal.com]

>predominantly learning German at school in the USSR

Before or after WW2? ;) After it was not quite an enemy.

[alon_68]

I suppose Russian is very important language for anybody who wants to study/work in the area of classic music, ballet, figure skating, space flights... Some interest in these topics can also bring one to the decision to learn Russian.

[alon_68]

Oh, there is another good example - flamingspear. A person sharing socialist/communist visions can also be interested in learning Russian as language of best experienced country in this field.

[dair-spb.livejournal.com]

Well, best example is China. Russia is not Communist or Socialist anymore, China is.

[cassandraclue.livejournal.com]

I began studying Russian because it's my mother's first language and she didn't want to teach me, and then it sort of became this Very Big Part of my life :))

[adrian-ilo.livejournal.com]

другой язык, другой взглядь. Видно здесь из комментарив что через новости, привычки, и.т.д., не найдется обше язык. Я учила Русский, потому что я хотела понять другых людей, НО очень сложный язык... это точно

Yes, it's a difficult language, no question, I can't even put two sentences together sometimes BUT, a different language represents a different point of view- it's interesting to REALLY, TRULY, try to understand another culture and point of view.Everyone on this community knows the problems in translation- and by learning Russian- I can watch Russian news and see what they are actually SAYING, rather than getting second-hand reports or translations.

The language is also like a puzzle to non-native speakers, every time you think you got the pieces in place, one is oddly shaped and you have to go searching for the right piece again. That makes it interesting.

[satanjesus.livejournal.com]

The goal for most students of this tricky language is to successfully speak to Russian women. Personally, I think the alphabet is much neater looking than English, and I like Russian novelists... especially Gogol!

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

I thought Gogol was Ukrainian. ;)

[wondershot.livejournal.com]

It was for a girl.

[fiachasorcha.livejournal.com]

I find Russian politics interesting, and the culture interested me more and more after I became conversational (I could watch television, movies, and actually talk to Russians). I also grew up in a city that has many Russians and Ukrainians, so I grew up hearing Russian at school...so I wanted to learn it.

(also, it's helping me find a job, I'm a librarian and language skills are VERY important)

[fallingstar12.livejournal.com]

I am a third generation american, with russian/belarussian heritage. It makes me feel closer to my ancestors. I find the culture very interesting. And there are many russian immigrants in my city so it is very useful to know the language to communicate with these people.

[flamingspear.livejournal.com]

Have you heard of the band Stary Olsa? You should check them out. Awesome Belarus music... Killer band.

[dekarmi.livejournal.com]

"Я русский бы выучил только за то, что им разговаривал Ленин"
V.V. Mayakovsky, great Soviet poet

[maug-li.livejournal.com]

гы)))

[dekarmi.livejournal.com]

I've never felt Russian as a difficult language. I just open my mouth and speak. Or open my eyes and read. Try to follow me!

[cheaffa.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your answers! It was very intresting. I saw many new different opinion about our country, languange, nation, history. At the same time I practiced my English)))