Russian is a native language for millions of people in Russia and abroad. This language is famous for its emotionality, huge number of epithets and synonyms and high complexity for foreigners.
But how did it come to be? Why does it have so many rules? And what makes it special? Let's break it down in order.
Where the Russian language came from
All Indo-European languages originate from a single primordial language, which existed about 5-6 thousand years ago. About 2-3 thousand years ago, the Slavic group separated from one of its branches. By the 6th century A.D., the Proto-Slavic language, united for all Slavic tribes, was formed.
In the ninth century, the brothers Cyril and Methodius created the Slavic alphabet based on the Greek alphabet - Glagolitic. Later, based on their work, the Cyrillic alphabet appeared. So the Cyrillic alphabet appeared. Thanks to it they began to write down laws, annals and prayers. The first books in Russia were in Church Slavonic, a special book language.
When Rus broke up into separate principalities, the single language began to change in different regions. Thus, three new languages gradually emerged: Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian. What we today call the Russian language was finally formed by the XV-XVII centuries.
The origin of the Russian language is a journey from a common Slavic root to an independent language through centuries of communication, writing and historical change.
How the Russian language changed
The Russian language has never stood still.
In the 18th century, Peter the Great simplified the alphabet and introduced the civil font - so the printing style we are accustomed to appeared. And in the 19th century, Alexander Pushkin made the Russian language truly alive. He combined folk speech, book words and foreign expressions into one beautiful and understandable system. It is with Pushkin that the modern literary Russian language begins.
In the 20th century, dictionaries and rules appeared that helped everyone to speak and write in the same way. For example, a uniform order of accents and spelling of words was approved. At this time, new words entered the language. It was at this time. because of the acceleration of progress, new words began to appear especially actively. Many of them came from technology, science, or other languages.
So the history of the Russian language is not a boring list of dates, but a living story of how people learned to understand each other better, adapting speech to new times.
What makes the Russian language different from others
Why does Russian seem so difficult and interesting?
First of all, it has as many as six cases. This helps to explain exactly who does what and with what: book (nominative), no book (genitive), glad book (dative), etc. In English, for example, there are almost no cases - everything is conveyed through word order and prepositions.
Secondly, verbs come in perfect and imperfect forms: I read (process) - I will read (result). This allows us to subtly convey the meaning: what exactly we mean - the action as a whole or its completion.
Thirdly, the Russian language has a mobile accent. It can stand on any syllable when changing a word: gorod - gorod. This is difficult for foreigners, but it makes speech lively and expressive.
Also, the Russian language has a rich system of word formation: from one root you can make dozens of words. For example, to write → write down, rewrite, dopisat, subscription, writer, written.
Another important feature is the peculiarities of communication in Russian in different situations: request, joke, sympathy, sarcasm.
For example, we might say, «Excuse me, can I ask you to...?». This would be a rather formal style.
«Can I ask you a question?» - neutral style. «Look, how do...?» - informal style. Knowing how to choose the right tone is part of the culture.
Russian language study takes time, but it's worth it. It opens access to the vast world of Russian literature, movies, music. And to people who speak it sincerely and emotionally.
The peculiarities of the Russian language are not just rules, but a reflection of the thinking, feelings and history of the people.
