Ivanthenotsoterrible

“Hey pal, do you know the Russian word for yes?”

“Да” (pron. “Duh”)

“Okay, what’s that?”

“Да”

I’m really hungry

And I’m sitting and watching a video about the Hungarian language

My subconscious’ response on basic corporal needs through the prism of linguistics

I have accidentally noticed a funny fact about time machines — it’s not that I ever used one for time traveling or any other purposes but still.

You see, in the Russian language we have the word “machine” that is spelled «машина» (singular. Pronunciation — [mɑ.ʃi.ˈnɑ], IPA) which is actually the same word derived from the very same Latin language through French. But. There’s a slight difference in meaning – you see, in Russian this word’s main definition is not “mechanism” (it’s a secondary meaning though) but “car”! Don’t we have another word? We do! «Автомобиль», pronounced [ɐftəmɐbʲˈilʲ], and it means... Automobile! What a surprise! However, the usage of this word is somehow limited in comparison with «машина», the same way as “car” and “automobile” in English.

Back to time machines. You see, Russian equivalent for “time machine” is «машина времени», [mä.ʃi.ˈnä ˈvrʲemʲɪnʲɪ], quite the same, isn’t it? However, remembering the fact that the main meaning of the word “machine” in Russian is “car” we can easily translate it as “car of time”! Will it be incorrect? Yes, of course, but still quite possible!

And now we’re remembering the classic Robert Zemekis’ trilogy “Back to the Future”, in which a time machine actually is a car! So, watching this movie for us Russians is even a bit more funnier than to anyone else! :)

Русский: Как называется то чувство, когда в человеке поражает то, что должно раздражать?

English: What is the name of a feeling you get when you meet a new person and get excited over something that should annoy you?

Deutsch: Wie nennt man das Gefühl, wenn man jemandem Neuen trifft und sich von etwas beeindruckt, dass normalweise ärgern soll?

Меня часто спрашивают, что делает русских русскими? Что определяет нас как нацию? Ответ — делать то, что считается странным или невозможным.

I’m often asked what makes Russians Russian? What determines us as a nation? The answer is — to do something what is considered crazy or impossible.

Man fragt mich oft ob was Russen Russisch macht? Was bestimmt uns als eine Nation? Die Antwort ist — tun etwas, woran man denkt, dass das verrückt oder unmöglich ist.

Some of you may know that in the Russian language we differentiate between the two shades of blue which we percept as two different colors — light blue (голубой — gah-loo-boi) and darker shades of blue (синий — see-nii).

But the thing many of you may not be familiar with is that the word "голубой" may also mean "male homosexual" — so the song "I'm blue" by Eiffel 65 actually sounds like a really long coming out to us. And the phrase "I'm blue" meaning "I'm sad" should NEVER be translated into Russian word by word unless you want to come out. That is why this word’s usage in its main meaning, the light blue color, has been in a serious decline for some years recently.

There're some stable constructions though, like "голубое небо", the "blue sky", in which nobody notices the changing meaning but still. We also have the word "гей" to describe a male homosexual person (unlike in English, a girl can't say that she's "gay" — there's only one word for it, "лесбиянка" (les-bee-yahn-kuh), "lesbian". The word "розовая" (roh-zah-vuh-ya), "pink", may be used for describing a lesbian but mostly as a joke, there's no "official" connotation for it)

This caricature is not meant to offend anyone it just portrays how the public perception of a certain word has changed over time 🏳️‍🌈🇷🇺

So, fingers’ names in the Russian language are nothing special except for the ring finger – we call it “nameless” (безымянный). Yes, we also wear a ring on that finger (albeit on the right hand but still) but the finger itself does not basically have a name!

The other ones are:

Thumb – Большой (Bolshoi, like the theater) (“big” – even though it’s the smallest one)

Index – Указательный (Ukazatel’nyi – Oo-kuh-zuh-tyel’-nyi) (“pointing” – well, nothing much different)

Middle – Средний (“middle” – and we borrowed the gesture from the West so it could be used exactly the same way)

Ring – Безымянный (bezymyannyi) (“nameless” – nuff said)

Pinkie – Мизинец (mizinets) (can’t translate it but the word shares its root with the word «мизер» meaning “small”, “insignificant”)

Sedert 2005 leer ek Engels — soos elke kind van my skool, wat in Europese deel van Rusland was, die middel-Wolga gebied, Uljanowsk is die stad. My eerste Wes-Germaanse taal. Die taal, wat ek in hierdie boodskap nie gebruik sal nie.

In 2009 het ek om Duits te leer begin — die tweede buitelandse taal van my lewe. Hierdie taal leer ek nou op Universiteit maar nog steeds ek is nie baie vlot nie. En dit sal ek ook nie gebruik nie. Want hierdie boodskap is nie oor hierdie tale nie. Dit is oor my taalrys na Afrikaans en Nederlands.

Baie dinge in my lewe het my toe Afrikaanse taal gelei. In 2012 het ek oor Die Antwoord geleer. Ek het ook geleer wat die taal, dié hulle gebruik het, Afrikaans was. In 2013 amper alle liedjies in my playlist was Die Antwoord.

In 2014 het ek 'n paar Nederlandse flieks gesien. Hulle was dom maar baie snaaks. Destyds het ek baie gedrink (ek het baie partijies met my vriende gehad en ons het daar baie alkohol) en hierdie dome flieks was wat ons nodig het. Ek het die taal, wat karakters gepraat het, baie interessant gevind maar ek kon nooit gedink nie om dit te leer.

In 2015 was ek in 'n verkeers ophoping en natuurlik was ek baie verveeld. Ek het begin om oor Suid-Afrika te lees en dit se driede hoofstad naam was ongeleesbaar vir my (Bloemfontein — ja, ek het hierdie woord baie moeilik gevind). Dan het ek verstaan wat hierdie naam in Afrikaans was en wat hierdie taal amper soos Engels was. Ek het 'n app afgelaai en begin om oor die Afrikaanse taal te lees. Die frase vir "good night" — "goeie nag" — het ek baie snaaks gevind want ek Russies is (hierdie frase klink soos sommige Russiese swaarwoorde). Destyds het ek verstaan dat dit was wat ek om leer te wou was.

In 2017, want ek baie dinge in die Nederlandse taal gesien het en amper niks in Afrikaans nie, het ek gedink om Nederlands te leer. Nou praat ek nie baie vlot Afrikaans nie en heel sleg Nederlands maar nog steeds — amper die hele 2010de het ek met hierdie tale spandeer.

Baie jammer vir alle foute wat ek gemaak het — ek het amper geen tyd vir Afrikaans nie en daarom meestal verkies ek Engels gebruik.