Russian language

Introduction

Russian is an East Slavic language from the Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is spoken by the Russian people and was the main language of the former Soviet Union. Today, it is an official language in several countries including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. Many people also use it in places like Ukraine, Moldova, and Central Asia.

Usage

With many speakers worldwide, Russian is the most spoken native language in Europe and the most widespread language in Eurasia. It is also one of the official languages of the United Nations and the International Space Station. People use Russian on the Internet and in many parts of the world.

Writing System and Features

Russian uses the Cyrillic script, which includes the Russian alphabet. One special feature of the language is how sounds change depending on their position in a word. Russian also uses many prefixes and suffixes to create new words and can combine words in interesting ways.

Classification

Russian is an East Slavic language that belongs to the bigger Indo-European family. It is closely related to other languages like Belarusian, Rusyn, and Ukrainian. In some parts of Ukraine and Belarus, people often switch between these languages.

Russian shares many words with Bulgarian because both were influenced by Church Slavonic. Over time, Russian also borrowed words from many other languages, including Latin, Polish, Dutch, German, French, Italian, and English.

Standard Russian

Main article: Moscow dialect

Before Russia was one country, people in different places spoke in their own ways. This made it hard to share ideas. As Russia grew stronger, leaders wanted one main way to speak so everyone could understand each other, especially for important work.

In the 1700s, a leader named Peter the Great helped create this standard way of speaking Russian. He thought it was important for learning and growing. Over time, writers and teachers helped shape this standard Russian, making it easier for everyone to use.

Geographic distribution

Main article: Geographical distribution of Russian speakers

Russian is spoken by many people around the world. Most of these speakers live in Russia, with others in nearby countries and some in places like Europe, Asia, and North America.

Russian is one of the official languages of the United Nations. It is a popular language to learn in schools, especially in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union. Many children learn Russian in these places.

As an international language

See also: Russophone, List of official languages by institution, and Internet in Russian

Russian is an important language around the world. It is an official language at many big groups, like the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the World Health Organization.

Russian is also used on the International Space Station. Astronauts from many countries learn Russian to work with Russian space travelers. This started with the Apollo–Soyuz mission in 1975.

In 2013, Russian was the second-most used language on the internet, after English. Many websites in countries that were once part of the Soviet Union use Russian.

Dialects

Main articles: Russian dialects, Moscow dialect, and Pomor dialects

Even after 1900, many ways of speaking Russian are found across the country. Some experts group these into two main areas, "Northern" and "Southern", with Moscow in between them. Others split them into three areas: Northern, Central (or Middle), and Southern, with Moscow in the Central area.

In the north, such as near the Volga River, people often say the sound "o" clearly even when it is not stressed — this is called okanye (оканье). In the south, people say certain sounds a bit differently, like turning "e" and "a" into "a" in some places — this is called yakanye (яканье).

Comparison with other Slavic languages

Long ago, all Slavic people spoke a similar language. Today, people who speak Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian can easily understand each other. Other Slavic languages also share some understanding, especially when talking about everyday things.

Derived languages

Some languages and dialects have borrowed words or ideas from Russian. For example, Esperanto includes some Russian words and grammar features. Fenya is a special way of speaking used by some groups, with Russian grammar but very different words. Medny Aleut language was a mix of Russian and another language.

Other examples include Runglish, a mix of Russian and English, and Surzhyk, a mix of Russian and Ukrainian spoken in parts of Ukraine. There are many more such examples, each showing how Russian has influenced other languages.

Alphabet

Main articles: Russian alphabet and Russian Braille

Russian uses a special alphabet called Cyrillic. This alphabet changed from an older one called Old Church Slavonic. There have been a few changes to how Russian is written over time. The most recent big change happened in 1917–1918.

The Russian alphabet has 33 letters. Some older letters are no longer used but might appear in special cases.

Transliteration

Further information: Romanization of Russian

Sometimes, Russian words are written using the regular Latin alphabet (like the one we use in English) because not everyone has a keyboard that can type Cyrillic letters. For example, the Russian word for "frost" is written as moroz using Latin letters.

Computing

Main article: History of computing in the Soviet Union

People started using Russian in computers after some early machines were made in 1951.

Orthography

Main article: Russian orthography

Sometimes, a special mark called an acute accent is used in Russian to show which part of a word is stressed. This mark is often used in dictionaries and books for children learning Russian.

Phonology

Main article: Russian phonology

The Russian language has a complex way of forming syllables. Words can have many consonant sounds before and after the main vowel sound.

Russian consonants are special because they can change based on how the tongue is positioned. This change is called palatalization, where the tongue lifts toward the roof of the mouth while making the sound. Some sounds are made with the tip of the tongue near the teeth.

Russian has several vowel sounds. When a vowel sound is stressed, there are five or six different sounds. When a vowel sound is not stressed, it often sounds similar to just a few sounds.

Grammar

Main article: Russian grammar

Russian changes words in a special way to show meaning. This helps people change the order of words in a sentence. Usually, Russian speakers put the subject, then the verb, and then the object. But they can change the order to stress different parts.

Russian words change based on their role in the sentence and their gender — masculine, feminine, or neuter. There are six ways to change nouns and adjectives to show things like ownership or location. Verbs in Russian have past, present, and future tenses. They can also show if an action is finished or still happening.

The language mixes everyday speaking with older styles from Church Slavonic and Western Europe. This makes its vocabulary rich and always changing.

Vocabulary

The number of listed words in important dictionaries over the past two hundred years is shown here.

History and literary language

Main article: History of the Russian language

See also: Reforms of Russian orthography and Russian literature

The Russian language has a long and interesting history. Some people divide its history into different periods. One way is to call the early years "Old Russian," from about the 11th to the 17th century, and then "Modern Russian" after that. Another way looks at three periods: Old Russian until the 13th–14th centuries, Middle Russian from the 14th to the 17th centuries, and Modern Russian from the 17th century onward.

Writing in Russian began around the year 1000, after a special language called Old Church Slavonic was brought in for religious services. At first, Old Church Slavonic and Old Russian were very similar, but they were used in different ways. Old Church Slavonic was used for important, formal writing, while Old Russian was used in everyday life. Over time, Old Church Slavonic changed to become more like Russian.

Important early books, like the Ostomir Gospels from 1056–1057, show the beginning of Russian writing mixing with Old Church Slavonic. Birch bark writings from the 11th to 15th centuries give us a closer look at everyday Old Russian.

As Moscow grew in power from the 14th to the 16th centuries, its dialect became the basis for standard Russian. During this time, Russian started to change with influences from other areas. By the 18th century, changes made by leaders like Peter the Great helped make Russian writing more like how people spoke. A writer named Mikhail Lomonosov suggested three styles for writing: a formal style for serious topics, a middle style for literature and science, and a simple style for everyday letters and comedy. The modern Russian language was shaped by writers like Alexander Pushkin in the early 1800s, who used everyday speech in his stories instead of old, fancy words.

During the time of the Soviet Union, Russian was the main language used across many countries. After the Soviet Union ended in 1991, some countries started using their own languages more, but Russian is still important in many places.

Sample text

Here is Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights written in Russian:

Все люди рождаются свободными и равными в своём достоинстве и правах. Они наделены разумом и совестью и должны поступать в отношении друг друга в духе братства.

This is the same idea written using the Latin alphabet:

Vse lyudi rozhdayutsya svobodnymi i ravnymi v svoyom dostoinstve i pravakh. Oni nadeleny razumom i sovest'yu i dolzhny postupat' v otnoshenii drug druga v dukhe bratstva.

And here is what it means in English:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.