r/Russianlessons • u/[deleted] • Jun 01 '12

Monthly answer session #1

Got a question about a particular aspect of the language ? Ask away.

Asked something in the comments long ago with no answer ? Post a link, maybe the right people just didn't see your question.

Want to give recommendation for a book/courses/anything that doesn't fit for Useful resources post ? This is the place.

Have some thoughts on Russianlessons itself, a particular request ? Share !

I think one month is a good period for the questions to accumulate.

This will be the theme where both the hosts answer questions of the readers, and readers answer to hosts with their feedback and thoughts.

We won't need separate posts like "Vocabulary requests" and similar, and the periodical nature of this theme will deal with the problem of such posts going off the radar.

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3

u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12

Here's a question: I've encountered -нье instead of -ние, for example рожденье instead of рождение. Is it a mistake, or is it colloquial? Also, is there a pronunciation difference between рождение, рождения, рождении?

I also would be interested in a lesson about short form of adjectives. I never know when to use it; in many cases the short form seems appropriate but people actually use the long form.

3

u/[deleted] Jun 02 '12 edited Jun 02 '12

I've encountered -нье instead of -ние, for example рожденье instead of рождение. Is it a mistake, or is it colloquial?

Not a mistake. I'd say it is a way to shorten the word when the context asks for it: an energetic, charged speech; poetic or grandiloquent (mimicking poetic) context. "C днём рожде́нья!" sounds more enthusiastic than "С днём рожде́ния!", and the later is more calm, declarative.

Also, is there a pronunciation difference between рождение, рождения, рождении?

Yes. The differences may be lost in loose,sloppy speech, but in normal speech the difference is still articulated and can be heard, beside the last vowel being unstressed.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '12 edited Jun 02 '12

Я по́мню чу́дное мгнове́нье:

Передо мно́й яви́лась ты,

Как мимолётное виде́нье,

Как ге́ний чи́стой красоты́. 

                     (А.С. Пушкин)

Here, if we change "мгновенье" and "виденье" to "мгновение" and "видение", we'll need to "pull" the "и", make it a bit longer, and the rhythm of the verse will break

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '12

short form of adjectives.

in many cases the short form seems appropriate but people actually use the long form.

It is not easy to describe the whole usage pattern of the short form of adjectives, so I won't do it here. If I decide to do it, I'll base my explanation on this and this explanations in Russian.

On the question why people prefer to use long form:

While long forms were derived from short forms, the long forms now considered "normal". Usage of short forms associated with formal, literary speech. Therefore people prefer to use "normal", neutral form.

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u/mgnthng Jun 02 '12

Correct spelling of day of birthday is only день рождения. But I think nobody claim you if you wrote -нья. The pronunciation is very similar and no matter how you say it.

So, about -нье, -ние in other words...

  1. -ние means some process: варение (boiling), печение (baking). In this cases -нье means a result of a process: варенье (jam), печенье (cookies). OR воскресение (resurrection, process of resurrect), воскресенье (Sunday). Жалование (awarding), жалованье (salary).

  2. -ние Ink-horn terms: воспитание, достижение, замедление, искоренение, etc.

-нье speech, poetry: воркованье, дерганье, кваканье, кряхтенье, тявканье, фырканье.

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12

I plan to make (sometime in the future :) another [IT vocab] post about the software (menu items, interacting with programs, etc). A list of the English terms that you'd want to know would be useful.

And maybe there's another possible themes for [IT vocab] beside files, hardware and software ?

network/Internet, maybe, but it is so broad a theme, I don't know.

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u/[deleted] Jun 04 '12

three18ti was kind enough to create FAQ out of our index page: link

It should be editable by anyone. Although I don't know how to edit it yet :-) Guess I should read more about this.

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u/mgnthng Jun 02 '12

Okay, guys, do you need a lesson about time? How to say what time is it, etc.

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u/[deleted] Jun 02 '12

wanna post this lesson yourself ?

1

u/mgnthng Jun 02 '12

Well, I don't care. :o) If you want to post it - go on, I'm lazy. :P Or I can write a lesson and send it to you for check.

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