Linguist : pourquoi le polonais t'inspire-t-il des sentiments négatifs aussi vifs ?
what's your favourite Slavic language?
I grew up speaking Serbian as my second language, and personally I also found it a little harsh, compared to other Slavic languages (Croatian is almost the same, but it is somewhat softer and more palatal, at least some of its dialects). At the same time, maybe I like the Bosnian accent the most. Slovenian sounds rather interesting to me, it is has a sing-song accent, a little like Russian.
Of the other Slavic languages, I especially like Slovak and Polish. If I must give a reason, it is maybe that these sound closest to what Old Slavic must have sounded like, they have some definitely archaic features which have been lost from their other Slavic languages (like Slovak "veda", meaning "knowledge" or "knowing", and the verb "vediet'", "to know", which has become "знать" or "znati" in most sister languages). Czech has also a lot in common with them, but I find it something of a tongue-twister.
Finally, I like Russian for its palatal quality and balanced rhythm, and hearing it usually conjures an image of the endless Russian plains or the taygas. I had this experience when watching films of Andrei Tarkovsky, especially "Zerkalo" (of course, there are several long shots of woods, fields, lakes or other natural imagery in it, so this is no wonder at all).
Of the other Slavic languages, I especially like Slovak and Polish. If I must give a reason, it is maybe that these sound closest to what Old Slavic must have sounded like, they have some definitely archaic features which have been lost from their other Slavic languages (like Slovak "veda", meaning "knowledge" or "knowing", and the verb "vediet'", "to know", which has become "знать" or "znati" in most sister languages). Czech has also a lot in common with them, but I find it something of a tongue-twister.
Finally, I like Russian for its palatal quality and balanced rhythm, and hearing it usually conjures an image of the endless Russian plains or the taygas. I had this experience when watching films of Andrei Tarkovsky, especially "Zerkalo" (of course, there are several long shots of woods, fields, lakes or other natural imagery in it, so this is no wonder at all).
@Travis - колхоз kolkhoz is part of soviet culture which is always associated with poverty, stupiduty, only negative things, also this word draws an image of the soviet peasant which is beleive me also unpleasant. On the one hand Russian looks like Ukrainian, i can understand it, but at the same time there's a feeling that it s an inferior language, funny and stupid. This is just general opinion among most Russian people and mine as well.
@greg - le polonais a assez beaucoup de Ch, sh, zh, z et de leur doux equivalents, ça me pareille drolle et dégoûtant, je ne l'aime pas simplement.
I agree that Czech can be a tongue-twister, but it's cool because of the soft ž which reminds me french and this is one more language which i really like:)
@greg - le polonais a assez beaucoup de Ch, sh, zh, z et de leur doux equivalents, ça me pareille drolle et dégoûtant, je ne l'aime pas simplement.
I agree that Czech can be a tongue-twister, but it's cool because of the soft ž which reminds me french and this is one more language which i really like:)
Greg, if you don't mind me butting in, the thing I don't like Polish is pretty much why Linguist doesn't like it - too much (soft sounding) fricatives. To me it sounds that they have a lisp when they talk.
While I don't think Ukrainian is in any way inferior to Russian, it also sounds somewhat funny to me (especially some of its vowel sounds).
By the way, Ukraine is a rather unique country in itself, because many of its inhabitants identify themselves as Ukrainians, yet they normally speak Russian. This happens especially in the eastern half of the country, including Kiyev, the capital (I am not speaking of ehnic Russians in the easternmost industrial district, around Doneck and other large cities, they are a different group). Speaking Ukrainian is regarded as part of a national identity mostly in the central and western parts, and seems to be used nowadays as a vehicle to distance the country from Russia.
On the other hand, Ruthenian, also a Western Ukrainian language, is not officially recognised as a separate language, although it is rather distinct from Ukrainian. Ironically, the only place where it is recognised as such is Vojvodina, the multi-lingual northern province of Serbia, where there is a splinter group of Ruthenians, numbering several thousand people (there are hundreds of thousands of them in the Ruthenian part of Ukraine).
By the way, Ukraine is a rather unique country in itself, because many of its inhabitants identify themselves as Ukrainians, yet they normally speak Russian. This happens especially in the eastern half of the country, including Kiyev, the capital (I am not speaking of ehnic Russians in the easternmost industrial district, around Doneck and other large cities, they are a different group). Speaking Ukrainian is regarded as part of a national identity mostly in the central and western parts, and seems to be used nowadays as a vehicle to distance the country from Russia.
On the other hand, Ruthenian, also a Western Ukrainian language, is not officially recognised as a separate language, although it is rather distinct from Ukrainian. Ironically, the only place where it is recognised as such is Vojvodina, the multi-lingual northern province of Serbia, where there is a splinter group of Ruthenians, numbering several thousand people (there are hundreds of thousands of them in the Ruthenian part of Ukraine).
Linguist : en tout cas j'ai une préférence pour la langue polonaise mais j'adore le russe aussi — j'avais même commencé à l'apprendre il y a quelques années (l'alphabet cyrillique est magnifique). Et bien sûr j'ai une admiration sans borne pour la littérature russe.
I personally can't stand those Western Slavic languages. I'm kind of used to Polish, but Czech and Slovak are plain weird to me. Russian I understand to a certain extent and I like it. Ukranian is very hard for me to understand. Serbo-Croatian sounds like Italian to me and that's not a compliment - I hate it when they drawl those vowels. Slovenian is like Serbo-Croatian to me, but I don't understand it at all, and Macedonian is like my language (Bulgarian), only that it's like a "kolkhoz" version.
@greg - les gouts sont differents, mais ce quoi concerne la litterature est vrai;) je lis en français Henri Troyat, il est russe mais apres la revolution sa famille a immigré à France et il s'est assimilé très bien en changeant même son nom, mais en tout cas il est russe, je te conseille de lire les travails.
Easterner, if you were Russian you laughed at Ukrainian much more, coz any vulgar slang Russian word is absolutely normal in Ukraine, that's make the language increadibly funny.
Those people who live in east of Ukraine feel themselves Russians moreover authorities of Crimea penisulla announced that Russia has the right to take it back, as all people speak Russian there in spite of multinational population.
Fired Ukrainian prime-minister Julia Timishenko during "orange" revolution spoke only Ukrainian, now when she is in opposition, it's appeared to be that she speaks Russian perfectly. It's sad that language has become part of politics.....
Easterner, if you were Russian you laughed at Ukrainian much more, coz any vulgar slang Russian word is absolutely normal in Ukraine, that's make the language increadibly funny.
Those people who live in east of Ukraine feel themselves Russians moreover authorities of Crimea penisulla announced that Russia has the right to take it back, as all people speak Russian there in spite of multinational population.
Fired Ukrainian prime-minister Julia Timishenko during "orange" revolution spoke only Ukrainian, now when she is in opposition, it's appeared to be that she speaks Russian perfectly. It's sad that language has become part of politics.....
Linguist : si tu lis Troyat en français alors tu peux t'attaquer à toute œuvre rédigée en français. Malheureusement je ne puis lire en russe...
"Ed Saturday, July 31, 2004, 04:24 GMT
Laura:
Hi there. Ed I guess that we have had the same roots. :)
Well, not really, because I'm not ethnically Bulgarian."
Laura:
Hi there. Ed I guess that we have had the same roots. :)
Well, not really, because I'm not ethnically Bulgarian."
>>Sanja - its a hard question to be asked if you speak a Slavic language. It would be better if we got asked about a Latin or Germanic language...<<
Exactly. It's hard to think about it clearly and be "neutral".
>>At the same time, maybe I like the Bosnian accent the most.<<
That's nice to hear, Easterner. Well, there are different accents in Bosnia & Herzegovina as well, and Bosnian accent is actually different from the one in Herzegovina where I live, so I guess I don't have that typical Bosnian accent... LOL, you probably know the way people speak in Mostar, a lot of people actually find it a bit funny... LOL :))
>>Serbo-Croatian sounds like Italian to me and that's not a compliment - I hate it when they drawl those vowels.<<
Actually, that sounds like a compliment to me, since I like Italian :))
Exactly. It's hard to think about it clearly and be "neutral".
>>At the same time, maybe I like the Bosnian accent the most.<<
That's nice to hear, Easterner. Well, there are different accents in Bosnia & Herzegovina as well, and Bosnian accent is actually different from the one in Herzegovina where I live, so I guess I don't have that typical Bosnian accent... LOL, you probably know the way people speak in Mostar, a lot of people actually find it a bit funny... LOL :))
>>Serbo-Croatian sounds like Italian to me and that's not a compliment - I hate it when they drawl those vowels.<<
Actually, that sounds like a compliment to me, since I like Italian :))
So I have someone who is not even Bulgarian (or Slavic) telling me that Macedonian is a hash langauge and doesn't even exist? Is it your business what goes on in the Balkans in politics and identity?
Last I heard, Armenians are nothing but a rebel province of Turkey :P
Last I heard, Armenians are nothing but a rebel province of Turkey :P
<<So I have someone who is not even Bulgarian (or Slavic) telling me that Macedonian is a hash langauge and doesn't even exist? Is it your business what goes on in the Balkans in politics and identity?
Last I heard, Armenians are nothing but a rebel province of Turkey :P >>
1. No, I'm not Slavic by blood, but I was born and raised in Bulgaria (fourth generation or so). Maybe that's not good enough for you, but I absolutely cannot believe the nerv and shallow-mindedess it takes to tell me that I cannot give an opinion on a Bulgarian issue because of my ethnicity. Believe me, I speak Bulgarian a million times better than the Slavic language you claim to have learned in Australia.
2. Yes, it's VERY much MY business what's going on in the Balkans, and most certainly and positively I have more of a right to an opinion than you do, because I have lived there almost all my life. How long have you spent in that region, madam? If you can't measure it in years don't even bother telling me.
3. Get your facts straight. "Armenians" is not a province, they're a people. "Armenia" is an independent country, and used to be part of the USSR, definitely everything but a province of Turkey. Of course, back in the day, it was part of the Ottoman empire, as were much of the Balkans, but maybe you refer to those sovereign countries as provinces of Turkey, as well. Do you?
And next time you want to be a smarty-pants, please do it someplace else. Clowns belong at the county fair.
Last I heard, Armenians are nothing but a rebel province of Turkey :P >>
1. No, I'm not Slavic by blood, but I was born and raised in Bulgaria (fourth generation or so). Maybe that's not good enough for you, but I absolutely cannot believe the nerv and shallow-mindedess it takes to tell me that I cannot give an opinion on a Bulgarian issue because of my ethnicity. Believe me, I speak Bulgarian a million times better than the Slavic language you claim to have learned in Australia.
2. Yes, it's VERY much MY business what's going on in the Balkans, and most certainly and positively I have more of a right to an opinion than you do, because I have lived there almost all my life. How long have you spent in that region, madam? If you can't measure it in years don't even bother telling me.
3. Get your facts straight. "Armenians" is not a province, they're a people. "Armenia" is an independent country, and used to be part of the USSR, definitely everything but a province of Turkey. Of course, back in the day, it was part of the Ottoman empire, as were much of the Balkans, but maybe you refer to those sovereign countries as provinces of Turkey, as well. Do you?
And next time you want to be a smarty-pants, please do it someplace else. Clowns belong at the county fair.