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(Tacoma News Tribune)   Don't give up, but maybe do learn to speak Russian   (thenewstribune.com) divider line
    More: PSA, Donald Trump, Meryl Streep, irritate Trump, Trump's example, Melania Trump, new president, White House, famous jewelry store  
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4364 clicks; posted to Main » on 21 Jan 2017 at 2:15 PM (7 years ago)   |   Favorite    |   share:  Copy Link



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edmo [TotalFark] [OhFark]  
Smartest (4)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 10:58:57 AM  
That was entirely reasonable.
 
Delta1212  
Smartest (2)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 2:20:30 PM  
Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.
 
lordargent  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 2:22:14 PM  
Modern Warfare 2: "No Russian" HD (Airport mission)
Youtube BvHvYZNtbQQ
 
stuffy  
Smartest (2)   Funniest (2)  
2017-01-21 2:23:06 PM  
Planning to learn Martian. Maybe the only safe place.
 
2017-01-21 2:25:12 PM  

Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.


I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.
 
worlddan  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 2:25:15 PM  
tl;dr version of story

(1) Don't worry, be happy
(2) if you are not happy fake it to you make it.
(3) if you honestly sincerely tried to fake it but you just can't do it
(4) learn Russian, build a bomb shelter, and come out of it after WW III is over.
 
2017-01-21 2:29:11 PM  
Don't you just talk in a deep voice and say things like:

You think this is tough neighborhood, this is not tough neighborhood.

Use fewer contractions.
 
Korzine  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 2:29:49 PM  

Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.


When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board or white erase board can be very helpful. Basically something to write on over and over again without creating a mound of trash.
 
maxx2112  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 2:35:15 PM  
Sergeant, I hope you like vodka.

Yes, sir. I just hope they don't make me eat none of them damn fish eggs.
 
noitsnot  
Smartest (3)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 2:37:41 PM  
Wtf was that ass-rag of a newspaper?
Jesus what a waste of time.
 
noitsnot  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 2:41:30 PM  

Circusdog320: Don't you just talk in a deep voice and say things like:

You think this is tough neighborhood, this is not tough neighborhood.

Use fewer contractions.


The verb "to be" is often omitted. Pa russki you just say "I farmer" rather than "I am a farmer".
 
BravadoGT  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 2:49:45 PM  

Korzine: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board or white erase board can be very helpful. Basically something to write on over and over again without creating a mound of trash.


Cyrillic is easy--half the letters are the same as English.  And there's only a couple that have no real English equivalent.  Now all the various cases, prefixes and suffixes-that's where the pain begins :)
 
2017-01-21 2:55:04 PM  

Korzine: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board or white erase board can be very helpful. Basically something to write on over and over again without creating a mound of trash.


I'll keep that in mind, thanks!
 
70Ford  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (4)  
2017-01-21 2:56:34 PM  

Korzine: When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board ...can be very helpful.

Fark user imageView Full Size
 
randomjsa  
Smartest (3)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:04:35 PM  
"so you're among the half of Americans aghast that Donald Trump is now president."

Oh you're so cute, inflating your numbers like that.

Sorry, but the screaming whiners comprise a minority, sure there are plenty of people who didn't like the rest, but they're adults who've accepted it and moved forward.

Not petulant children who are screaming because they didn't have their way and are in need of 'grief counseling'
 
Fissile  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:11:03 PM  

BravadoGT: Korzine: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board or white erase board can be very helpful. Basically something to write on over and over again without creating a mound of trash.

Cyrillic is easy--half the letters are the same as English.  And there's only a couple that have no real English equivalent.  Now all the various cases, prefixes and suffixes-that's where the pain begins :)


Yes. I speak Serbo-Croatian, a Slavic language.  It's very difficult for an English speaker to lean any Slavic language unless they start young....no later than teens or early twenties.  You'll never be any good at it.  I took two semesters of Russian in college and it was a slog, even though I had a head start with a conversational ability in another Slavic language.
 
2017-01-21 3:13:58 PM  
 
Korzine  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:13:59 PM  

BravadoGT: Korzine: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

When learning new writing systems, something like a boogie board or white erase board can be very helpful. Basically something to write on over and over again without creating a mound of trash.

Cyrillic is easy--half the letters are the same as English.  And there's only a couple that have no real English equivalent.  Now all the various cases, prefixes and suffixes-that's where the pain begins :)


For me, beyond learning the alphabet, writing a word is a lot more helpful to learn its spelling than just typing it in a program or repeating the letters mentally.

I've been using the board to learn Japanese (kanji + stroke order) which never ends.
 
brantgoose [TotalFark] [OhFark]  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:17:14 PM  
Build on what you know. Glasnost, perestroika, Babushka, Samovar, Baba Yaga.

Compromat.
The word of the day, week, month, year and decade.
 
brantgoose [TotalFark] [OhFark]  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (3)  
2017-01-21 3:21:42 PM  
Wodka.

Say it, say it.

A wessel of wodka for the wassail states.

Wat a wot of wascally wascals. It is the year of the metal cock.

The steel claw.Goosing you forever.


Tina Turner sings:

It's just a television wonderland
It's one more fairytale about a rich biatch
Lying by the swimming pool
Life is so cool
Easy living when you make the rules
Last Friday was the first time
It only took about a half a minute
On the stairway
It was child's play
The odds turn out even when you give up believing in the
Cold law, steel claw
Try to get on board you find the lock is on the door
Well I say no way, no way
Don't try to keep me out or there'll be hell to pay
I don't know who's right or who's wrong
It doesn't really matter when you're lying in the gutter
It's a see saw
A long hot battle with the cold law
Is what you get for messing with the steel claw
The politicians have forgotten this place
Except for a flying visit in a black Mercedes
No election time
 
Fissile  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (2)  
2017-01-21 3:27:56 PM  

brantgoose: Build on what you know. Glasnost, perestroika, Babushka, Samovar, Baba Yaga.

Compromat. The word of the day, week, month, year and decade.


Or watch Clockwork Orange.  Real horror-show, my little droogies.
 
Betep  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:31:27 PM  
Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.
 
Betep  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:35:53 PM  
Almost forgot the most important: где лоси и белки
DON'T say Wodka, you'll look like an idiot. They make the "V" sound. B=V
 
Korzine  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 3:35:59 PM  

Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.


So is your name pronounced Peter then?
 
Korzine  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 3:36:52 PM  

Korzine: Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.

So is your name pronounced Peter then?


Er Veter.
 
EdgeRunner [OhFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 3:42:23 PM  
I've been practicing with the "Speaking Russian Wery Good" audio series by Walter Koenig. So far I've got the pronunciation of "wessel" and "wodka" down pat, and will be working on "Shatner was Cossack waginal cleanser" next week.
 
Betep  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 3:54:08 PM  

Korzine: Korzine: Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.

So is your name pronounced Peter then?

Er Veter.


Vyeter. "e"=yeh. Means "wind". My summer employees call me "Mat", Means "Mother. Both meanings.
 
Fissile  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 4:04:05 PM  

Betep: Korzine: Korzine: Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.

So is your name pronounced Peter then?

Er Veter.

Vyeter. "e"=yeh. Means "wind". My summer employees call me "Mat", Means "Mother. Both meanings.


Croatian:

Wind = Vjetar ('j' is pronouced as a 'y') Practically the same as Russian.

Mother = Majka  A bit different than Russian

I think Russian and Serbo-Croatian are like 65%-70% common vocabulary.  Croats use the Latin alphabet and Serbs use the Cyrillic.  Croats pretend not to know Cyrillic and Serbs pretend not to know the Latin alphabet  ;)
 
Arkanaut  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 4:07:29 PM  
Even better, learn to think in Russian:

Firefox (1982) - Must Think in Russian
Youtube ky-uzsw0kqw


stuffy: Planning to learn Martian. Maybe the only safe place.


It ain't the kind of place to raise your kids.
 
RottenEggs [BareFark]  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 4:10:53 PM  

Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.


I've been working on it a little at a time for awhile now . Can't cram too much info into my brain all at once .
 
Delta1212  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 7:30:49 PM  

Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.


Yeah, I love Duolingo. I'm doing the Spanish course for German speakers at the moment. I'm going to start Russian later this week.

I would have already, but I'm already halfway through six other courses and always feel like I should finish off one of the one's I've already started before starting a new one, but I recently got an offer from a fluent Russian speaker to help me with it, so that's as good an impetus as anything.
 
2017-01-21 7:35:20 PM  
Do pray the Holy Spirit...

stoppedreadingthere.jpg
 
2017-01-21 7:59:14 PM  

Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.


Russian is very phonetic, and Cyrillic isn't that hard if you work at it.  Writing it helps with the memorization.  I practiced enough when I took Russian that my cursive Cyrillic is better than my English handwriting.
 
2017-01-21 8:00:56 PM  

noitsnot: Circusdog320: Don't you just talk in a deep voice and say things like:

You think this is tough neighborhood, this is not tough neighborhood.

Use fewer contractions.

The verb "to be" is often omitted. Pa russki you just say "I farmer" rather than "I am a farmer".


Boit, ili nye boit.  Eta voproz.
 
2017-01-21 8:02:49 PM  

brantgoose: Build on what you know. Glasnost, perestroika, Babushka, Samovar, Baba Yaga.

Compromat. The word of the day, week, month, year and decade.


Except that report was dezinformatsiya.
 
2017-01-21 8:05:07 PM  

Betep: Korzine: Korzine: Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.

So is your name pronounced Peter then?

Er Veter.

Vyeter. "e"=yeh. Means "wind". My summer employees call me "Mat", Means "Mother. Both meanings.


Yob tvoyu...
 
Snotnose  
Smartest (1)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 8:30:03 PM  
Back in '90 I took a 3 week river boat trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.  They gave a 1 hour/day lesson on Russian.  Turns out, I don't remember what it's called but you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word.  Words like toilet, tourist, and subway were obvious.

/ only thing I remember is the bell shaped letter is a d
// if you go hit the subways
/// great art in the subway stations, plus the escalators are an E ticket ride
 
2017-01-21 8:31:31 PM  

dittybopper: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

Russian is very phonetic, and Cyrillic isn't that hard if you work at it.  Writing it helps with the memorization.  I practiced enough when I took Russian that my cursive Cyrillic is better than my English handwriting.


My English handwriting evolved into a mishmash of both alphabets, it'd be hard to forge my signature because of that.
I found Russian to be easier than the other languages I've learned (except for Spanish) because it was a different alphabet.
 
Korzine  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (1)  
2017-01-21 8:47:12 PM  

dittybopper: Arachnophobe: Delta1212: Planning on starting Russian soon, actually.

I've been trying, too. Cyrillic evades me still, but I'm going to see if I can get down to Brighton Beach and pick up some children's books. In the meantime, I'm really liking Duolingo.

Russian is very phonetic, and Cyrillic isn't that hard if you work at it.  Writing it helps with the memorization.  I practiced enough when I took Russian that my cursive Cyrillic is better than my English handwriting.


My biggest problem with Russian phonetics is when dealing stress vs unstressed. If you're going to make o sound like a when unstressed, why not just use an a?

Can't complain to much though since English pronunciations of letters are dictated by the deep ones, laced in madness and sprinkled in the screams of the damned.
 
Delta1212  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 9:01:06 PM  

Snotnose: Back in '90 I took a 3 week river boat trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.  They gave a 1 hour/day lesson on Russian.  Turns out, I don't remember what it's called but you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word.  Words like toilet, tourist, and subway were obvious.

/ only thing I remember is the bell shaped letter is a d
// if you go hit the subways
/// great art in the subway stations, plus the escalators are an E ticket ride


That's called an alphabet.
 
lordargent  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 9:17:14 PM  

Snotnose: you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word. Words like toilet, tourist, and subway


It's a very versatile alphabet.

Ч : toilet
Оо : tourist
Ш : subway

Bonus

Ю  : Enterprise
 
Snotnose  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 9:19:33 PM  

Delta1212: Snotnose: Back in '90 I took a 3 week river boat trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.  They gave a 1 hour/day lesson on Russian.  Turns out, I don't remember what it's called but you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word.  Words like toilet, tourist, and subway were obvious.

/ only thing I remember is the bell shaped letter is a d
// if you go hit the subways
/// great art in the subway stations, plus the escalators are an E ticket ride

That's called an alphabet.


Phonetic is what it's called.  Unlike English, if you learn the sound of each letter you can sound out the word.  A lot of Russian words are english if you learn the sound of each letter.  Grammar and older words, not so much.

I was actually amazed by how much Russian I learned with so little effort on my part.  It was mostly learning the sound of each letter, plus common phrases like "please" and "thank you".

/ Spasiba
 
2017-01-21 9:27:28 PM  

Snotnose: Back in '90 I took a 3 week river boat trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.  They gave a 1 hour/day lesson on Russian.  Turns out, I don't remember what it's called but you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word.  Words like toilet, tourist, and subway were obvious.

/ only thing I remember is the bell shaped letter is a d
// if you go hit the subways
/// great art in the subway stations, plus the escalators are an E ticket ride


E's got a ticket to ride,
E's got a ticket to ride ride ride...

/I'll show myself out
 
Snotnose  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 9:37:11 PM  
lindalouwho:
E's got a ticket to ride,
E's got a ticket to ride ride ride...


You sound old enough to know what an E ticket ride is

/ I'll allow it
// Just this once
/// Love me a monorail ride over the I-5 tho
 
Delta1212  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-21 10:10:35 PM  

Snotnose: Delta1212: Snotnose: Back in '90 I took a 3 week river boat trip from Saint Petersburg to Moscow.  They gave a 1 hour/day lesson on Russian.  Turns out, I don't remember what it's called but you can look at the cyrillic, sound it out, and get the word.  Words like toilet, tourist, and subway were obvious.

/ only thing I remember is the bell shaped letter is a d
// if you go hit the subways
/// great art in the subway stations, plus the escalators are an E ticket ride

That's called an alphabet.

Phonetic is what it's called.  Unlike English, if you learn the sound of each letter you can sound out the word.  A lot of Russian words are english if you learn the sound of each letter.  Grammar and older words, not so much.

I was actually amazed by how much Russian I learned with so little effort on my part.  It was mostly learning the sound of each letter, plus common phrases like "please" and "thank you".

/ Spasiba


I don't know if it's just that America doesn't do a particularly good job at teaching languages, but learning languages, especially in the early going, is not nearly as difficult as most people seem to assume it is.

I had an absolutely amazing German teacher in high school, and there was still a bunch of stuff about case that didn't click for me until I started studying it on my own.
 
2017-01-21 10:11:03 PM  

Snotnose: lindalouwho:
E's got a ticket to ride,
E's got a ticket to ride ride ride...

You sound old enough to know what an E ticket ride is


Yep. And lived in our St. Pete in the mid '70s, when Disney World tix were called that.
 
noitsnot  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-22 1:00:50 AM  

dittybopper: Betep: Korzine: Korzine: Betep: Небо падает
I'm not fluent by any stretch but I can communicate with my housekeepers and I did OK when I visited Russia.

So is your name pronounced Peter then?

Er Veter.

Vyeter. "e"=yeh. Means "wind". My summer employees call me "Mat", Means "Mother. Both meanings.

Yob tvoyu...


Apparently the filters aren't sophisticated enough to catch that one!
 
CoysOdie  
Smartest (0)   Funniest (0)  
2017-01-22 4:00:32 AM  
vignette4.wikia.nocookie.netView Full Size
 
2017-01-22 7:18:49 AM  

lindalouwho: Snotnose: lindalouwho:
E's got a ticket to ride,
E's got a ticket to ride ride ride...

You sound old enough to know what an E ticket ride is

Yep. And lived in our St. Pete in the mid '70s, when Disney World tix were called that.


It wasn't just the ticket, there used to be a whole ticket book.

Fark user imageView Full Size


E tickets got you onto the big rides: Matterhorn, Space Mountain

D tickets got you onto the ride along rides: Jungle Cruise, PotC, 20000 Leagues (if your old enough, the sub ride), Haunted Mansion

C got you on things like the Mark Twain Steamboat or the war canoes or the Swiss Family Treehouse, or (shudder) It's a Small World

B got you onto stuff like the Monorail or the train that circled the park or the teacups.

A tickets were worthless for everything but the carousel or Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

/the worst was getting through all the mastodons and saber-toothed tigers to get to the rides
//had scads of ticket books with only the A tickets left
///stupid, useless A tickets
 
2017-01-22 11:55:27 AM  
I was told there would be no мать.
 
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