(no subject)

[lollydoll.livejournal.com]

Oooh, Hello again ^^
I'm in a bit of a puddle here. Next week I will be headed to Moscow, and well.. My language skills still aren't at a good level. I know how to speak a few basics "Hello, my name is ___, Do you speak English, I know a little Russian, I am American" etc, and a few other sayings and questions, but that is about all. Teaching myself with audio cds and books dosen't get very far even with a few months practice. Story goes I will be meeting someone. He knows how to speak and understand English pretty fluently, but his friends and parents do not (atleast not as well) What worries me is my pronounciation and if I will be able to understand hearing something actually spoken. Has anyone ever been to Russia before, or lives there? Also, do many people know English in Russia? I'm curious to know how well someone in my position will be able to get by and if so, how well you got by :)

Comments

[wretched-girl.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't tell them you were American...say you are from England or something..

[svl.livejournal.com]

Oh, this won`t work. You walk like American, talk like American and look like American, so you're American no matter what do you say about being British:)
Believe, we can detect you, Americans, easily:)

[quem98.livejournal.com]

Hell, by the end of my trip I started picking out the foreigners on the street by the end of my stay.

[svl.livejournal.com]

Hehe:)
And, on the smiles: there is simply a psychological effect. Russians smile when they are happy, when they are glad to see someone, etc. So for us smile is a sign of some specific emotions. Americans "wear" their smiles, just like they wear their clothes, so Russians instinctively think that Americans "lie" with these smiles (i.e. they are giving a fake sign of happiness). That`s why smiling all the way is not recommended here, IMHO.

[quem98.livejournal.com]

I completely agree with you.
There is an emphasis here on keeping up appearances. Regardless of what's going on, you should always look like everything is peachy.

The Russian's I talked to just don't get that.

For more on this topic, Ilf and Petrov wrote a hystarically funny memoir on the subject called "Odnoetazhnaya America". It was written in the 30's but much of it is still quite relevant. If it's still in print, it's very much worth the read.

[svl.livejournal.com]

I know about that book, there is another one...wait a second, I've got it here, near my notebook..."America sprava i sleva" by Strelnikov and Shatunovskii, 1972. These two guys took the way that Ilf and Petrov. took back in 1930s.
Of course, some things in this book are just propaganda, but not all.

[lollydoll.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I wouldn't know how to go about pretending I was from England or elsewhere without running into some sort of trouble eventually or with questions. But, I hope people don't mind Americans that much for me to say I am of a different nationality.