Russian
Collin
Posts: 4,931
I thought this was pretty interesting. Mainly because I study a Slavic language, although a West Slavic one and I truly want to study Russian someday.
But it's also interesting in light of another current event viz. the missile defense situation of a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=168829
Russia promotes language as symbol of resurgence
Moscow, July 1 Russia has launched a campaign to promote the national language after almost two decades of retreat -- to match the country's increasing economic and political confidence.
The Kremlin believes it can start rebuilding the credibility of Russian as a means of communication outside its own borders, with business and not communist ideology driving the revival.
One recruitment expert has advised expats that if they want a top management job they should learn Russian. In Moscow this week, ministers announced a series of plans, such as expansion of an international cultural foundation comparable with Germany's Goethe Institute or the Alliance Francaise.
"Russian was the first language spoken in space," said Education Minister Andrei Fursenko referring to the first cosmonauts and their Cold War-era space race against English-speaking US astronauts.
Once the common language across most of the communist world, Russian has been sidelined, especially in Eastern Europe where English has replaced it as the favoured second language.
Russian also suffers from an image problem there, with Czechs, Poles and other former Warsaw Pact member states resentful at being forced to study a language linked with an occupying foreign power.
Across former states of the Soviet Union, only Belarus still recognises Russian as a state language. In many others, notably Turkmenistan, the post-Soviet leadership has sought to erase all traces of Russian. The number of mother-tongue Russian speakers also continues to decline. Russia's population is falling by 700,000 every year and now stands at 142 million.
Spearheading the campaign, President Vladimir Putin linked the country's linguistic fate to its morals and values. "Looking after the Russian language and expanding the influence of Russian culture are crucial social and political issues," he told Russian parliamentarians in his annual address. Putin said he backed proposals to develop "the Russian language at home, support Russian language study programmes abroad and generally promote Russian language and literature around the world".
The Russian government has launched a website in both Russian and English to promote Russian, www.russian2007.ru. It provides details on more than 100 international festivals and events, as well as publications and plans to build libraries. Russian is one of six official languages at the United Nations and is still used widely in many former Soviet states.
"In the mid-90s we could put up with people not speaking Russian, because they had other experience and expertise. Now, Russians are catching up," said Anton Derlyatka, a partner with executive search consultants Ward Howell International.
"The complexities of the Russian market have increased so much that you can't work without understanding the mentality of the people and the Russian context. In order to do that, you have to speak Russian." The image of Russian can benefit from Russia's current economic and political resurgence, said culture minister Alexei Sokolov.
"The evolution of the Chinese society was the reason behind the changes in attitudes to language," he said. "Russia is also currently on the brink of a significant breakthrough in the areas of nanotechnology, science and culture, and that is why it should be expected that the language will benefit."
—Reuters
But it's also interesting in light of another current event viz. the missile defense situation of a couple of weeks ago.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=168829
Russia promotes language as symbol of resurgence
Moscow, July 1 Russia has launched a campaign to promote the national language after almost two decades of retreat -- to match the country's increasing economic and political confidence.
The Kremlin believes it can start rebuilding the credibility of Russian as a means of communication outside its own borders, with business and not communist ideology driving the revival.
One recruitment expert has advised expats that if they want a top management job they should learn Russian. In Moscow this week, ministers announced a series of plans, such as expansion of an international cultural foundation comparable with Germany's Goethe Institute or the Alliance Francaise.
"Russian was the first language spoken in space," said Education Minister Andrei Fursenko referring to the first cosmonauts and their Cold War-era space race against English-speaking US astronauts.
Once the common language across most of the communist world, Russian has been sidelined, especially in Eastern Europe where English has replaced it as the favoured second language.
Russian also suffers from an image problem there, with Czechs, Poles and other former Warsaw Pact member states resentful at being forced to study a language linked with an occupying foreign power.
Across former states of the Soviet Union, only Belarus still recognises Russian as a state language. In many others, notably Turkmenistan, the post-Soviet leadership has sought to erase all traces of Russian. The number of mother-tongue Russian speakers also continues to decline. Russia's population is falling by 700,000 every year and now stands at 142 million.
Spearheading the campaign, President Vladimir Putin linked the country's linguistic fate to its morals and values. "Looking after the Russian language and expanding the influence of Russian culture are crucial social and political issues," he told Russian parliamentarians in his annual address. Putin said he backed proposals to develop "the Russian language at home, support Russian language study programmes abroad and generally promote Russian language and literature around the world".
The Russian government has launched a website in both Russian and English to promote Russian, www.russian2007.ru. It provides details on more than 100 international festivals and events, as well as publications and plans to build libraries. Russian is one of six official languages at the United Nations and is still used widely in many former Soviet states.
"In the mid-90s we could put up with people not speaking Russian, because they had other experience and expertise. Now, Russians are catching up," said Anton Derlyatka, a partner with executive search consultants Ward Howell International.
"The complexities of the Russian market have increased so much that you can't work without understanding the mentality of the people and the Russian context. In order to do that, you have to speak Russian." The image of Russian can benefit from Russia's current economic and political resurgence, said culture minister Alexei Sokolov.
"The evolution of the Chinese society was the reason behind the changes in attitudes to language," he said. "Russia is also currently on the brink of a significant breakthrough in the areas of nanotechnology, science and culture, and that is why it should be expected that the language will benefit."
—Reuters
THANK YOU, LOSTDAWG!
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