More corrections of Russian English

The original is in mauve print with mistakes in blue. The corrected version follows in black print with specific corrections in red.

It is a good idea to read a mauve passage and think of a possible correct replacement for each word or expression in blue. Notes come at the end of a passage to explain particular points [marked by numbers or *]

A conversation

Funny story

Y2K

A conversation

I

Maybe I am wrong, but I'll never use this word in my practice and never used it before. Why? First of all because * my opinion it is a jargon of teenagers or * very young people.

S

Yes, it's a jargon but it's not a teenager's jargon. It's common one.

I

Since this word is not regular, it is difficult to find it in the dictionaries.

S

Not the word is irregular, but this particular meaning (you can find the ordinary meaning in every dictionary).

I

By this reason the understanding of such words very depends of meaning etc.

S

Correct, but when such words become a part of everyday life (like with Mr. Putin, who promised to "motchit'" terrorists - another word, but the same situation), this new meaning becomes common for everyone (or almost everyone).

I

I* heard that only in the student groups and some movie criminal scripts.

S

Yes, this word appeared among youngsters for the first time about 15 - 20 years ago (as far as I remember), the first movie with it was "Little Vera" ("ja taschus' kak udav po patchke dusta"), but since then it become much more widely spread, though IMHO it is still slang.

Maybe I am wrong, but I'll never actually use this word and have never used it. Why? First of all because in my opinion it is teenage [1] jargon or is used only by very young people.

Yes, it's a jargon but it's not teenage jargon. It's common one.

Since this word is not standard[2], it is difficult to find it in the dictionaries.

It is not the word that is [3] irregular, but this particular meaning (you can find the ordinary meaning in every dictionary).

For this reason the understanding of such words depends very much [4] on usage etc.

Correct, but when such words become a part of everyday life (like with Mr. Putin, who promised to "motchit'" terrorists - another word, but the same situation), this new usage becomes common for everyone (or almost everyone).

I have [5] heard it only in the student groups and some criminal movie [6] scripts.

Yes, this word appeared among youngsters for the first time about 15 - 20 years ago (as far as I remember), the first movie with it was "Little Vera" ("ja taschus' kak udav po patchke dusta"), but since then it has become [7] much more widespread[8], though IMHO it is still slang.

[1] teenage is used here as an adjective.

[2] regular, when used about words, usually refers to grammatical regularity as in 'a regular verb'.

[3] In normal spoken English 'it' is often used in this way to start a phrase. It is called a 'pleonistic it' but I think that is rather unnecessary information <g>

[4] To depend on. This, if you analyse it, is linguistically illogical but 'on' is always the preposition to use with 'depend'. And the use of 'very much' here is because 'very' alone cannot be an adverb and so cannot qualify 'depends'.

[5] Present perfect because no time or time limit is mentioned or implied. In such a sentence the whole of one's life up to the moment of speaking is implied.

[6] Word order because the movies are 'criminal movies' ie. films about criminals. It is not the scripts that are criminal.

[7] Present perfect because 'since' implies an open-ended period up to moment of speaking.

[8] widespread ia actually an adjective.

By this reasons I'll never use it. Even if I have wrong opinion, I hope to find the better ways to express my thoughts than using the word "taschit'sya". I am sure that all my friends will be very surprised to hear that from me.

Nevertheless I am still interesting of * opinion of our native Russian speakers about age of using this word and his acceptable using in secular speech, because now I * not recommend to our native English speakers * use it in the jargon meaning.

If I see that other native Russian speakers disagree with me, I'll get my words back, but it is not possible to forced me to use it (my Russian language is practically not changeable already <g>).

My personal opinion is the following:

Each language is developing and incorporates new words and new meanings of common words, but Russian has become a sort of scrap-heap for words taken from another languages (even when there is an equivalent in Russian), for "blatnoy" and criminal slang, etc. If you listen to announcers on certain TV channels, sometimes you will not believe your own ears - what stylistic howlers are there! It seems that they simply don't know their native language! And since teenagers listen to such persons, they absorb all this nonsense.

I am trying to do my best not to use any slang in my speech and in my work, and also not to use any new loan words if there is an older Russian equivalent, but since a lot of people around use them, I had to know what this new word means.

In other words, I am for the integrity of * Russian language, but I am also trying not to be living in the past!

For this reason I'll never use it. Even if I am wrong, I hope to find better ways to express my thoughts than using the word "taschit'sya". I am sure that all my friends will be very surprised to hear that from me.

Nevertheless I am still interested in[1] the opinion of our native Russian speakers about the age at which this word is used and its [2] acceptable use in secular [3] speech, because now I do [4] not recommend our native English speakers to [5] use it with its slang [6] meaning.

If I see that other native Russian speakers disagree with me, I'll take [7] my words back, but it is not possible to force [8] me to use it (my Russian language is more or less set already <g>).

My personal opinion is as follows:

Each language develops and incorporates new words and new meanings of common words, but Russian has become a sort of scrap-heap for words taken from other [9] languages (even when there is an equivalent in Russian), for "blatnoy" and criminal slang, etc. If you listen to announcers on certain TV channels, sometimes you will not believe your own ears - what stylistic howlers are there! It seems that they simply don't know their native language! And since teenagers listen to such people [people like this][10], they absorb all this nonsense.

I am trying to do my best not to use any slang in my speech or [11] in my work, and also not to use any new loan words if there is an older Russian equivalent, but since a lot of people around use them, I have to know what these new words mean.

In other words, I am for the integrity of the Russian language, but I am

also trying not to live [12] in the past!

 notes

[1] It is a very frequent mistake to confuse interested and interesting. To be interested in = интересоваться

Interesting = интересный

[2] One cannot use 'his' for innanimate or abstract objects in English.

[3]I'm a bit puzzled by this. It's nor grammatically wrong but secular means not pertaining to religion.

[4]The negative of the simple present requires 'do'.

[5] To recommend sth. to s.o. but to recommend someone to do sth.

[6] Jargon is a particular slang belonging to a single profession or subject. Generally use the word slang in the wider context.

[7] To take sth. or one's words back. This is a particular phrasal verb with this precise meaning. To get something back would be to receive it back after having lent it or after it had been stolen etc.

[8] 'It is not possible to' sounds rather un-English. If one does use it, then the following verb must be in the infinitive. We would be more likely to say, 'No one can force me to . . ' or 'No one can make me . . ' NB force s.o. to do sth. but make s.o. do sth.

[9] another is singular countable. Plural requires other and uncountable things usually need an extended phrase such as 'another kind of' sugar, jam etc.

[10] People is the normal plural of 'person'. Persons tends to be police jargon.

[11] Two negatives would normally be linked by 'or' not 'and'.

[12] As a rule of thumb -- trying not to do sth. rather than not to be doing sth.

 Funny story

This awkward accident remembered me funny story that happened 2 years ago with me and my first American English teacher. Since she can't speak in Russian at all and she didn't permit us to use any English-Russian dictionaries, we often had a problem with understanding the new English words. By this reason, she taught us to ask the questions like these:

This awkward incident reminded me of a funny story that happened 2 years ago with me and my first American English teacher. Since she couldn't speak Russian at all and she didn't permit us to use any English-Russian dictionaries, we often had a problem with understanding the new English words. For this reason, she taught us to ask {the} questions like these:

What does this word mean ?

or

Can you say it by different way?

Can you say it a different way?

and if she was not able to do that, then we were need use the last tool like this one:

and if she was not able to do that, than we needed to [or had to] use the last tool like this one:

Can you show me that (by gesture) ?

Once upon a time, when I came to her class, I noticed the word "naked" written on the blackboard in some sentence about Adam and Eve. Since this word was absolutely new for me , I asked her about the meaning.

When I saw the red pigment on her face, I understood I some very difficult question for her and I decided to help her by regular way that she trained us every day:

When she blushed, I realised I had asked* a question that was very difficult for her and I decided to help her in the regular way that she trained us every day:

Can you show me that ?...

She became completely scarlet and loudly said me:

She became completely scarlet and said loudly to me:

Stan, go to the next room (my wife studied English in the next room) and ask Irina to do that!!!

Stan, go to the next room (my wife was studying English in the next room) and ask Irina to do that!!!

I began to understand a little the meaning of this word, but completely I understood it at home when I open the dictionary. (See correct word order below. It's a pity one can't just put arrows as one would with a pen.)

I began to understand the meaning of this word a little , but I understood it completely at home when I open[ed] the dictionary.

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