An Overview of the Russian Language
The Russian language is considered a Slavic language and is spoken mainly in Russia and the surrounding countries of Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Its influence spreads throughout Eurasia, with many of the local languages having sprouted from similar dialects over the centuries.
Russian has over 140 million native speakers and is recognised as one of the six official languages of the UN.
The History of Russian
Different dialects of the Russian language emerged in the "European" region of Russia in the 15th century. In Russia, Old Church Slavonic remained the written language until the middle of the 18th Century. During this period, Russians decided that they needed to develop a written language which was closely tied to the educated spoken norm.
During the period of Peter the Great, there was a reformation of the official alphabet and many other languages were allowed to penetrate the Russian tongue, including Dutch and German. However, in the 19th Century, an increased popularity in Slavic culture and language saw a return of more traditional Russian vocabulary.
During the time of the Soviet Union, there was a huge shift in the nature of the Russian language. The politeness of the pre-Revolution years was dispensed with, and Russian was spread throughout Eastern Europe as the USSR took hold of the region.
Interesting Russian Language Facts:
Russian is the most widely spoken native tongue in Europe.
The famous writer and thinker Leo Tolstoy was a Russian.
Russian is the second most used language on the internet.
There are 500,000 words in Russian, but only approximately 2,500 are used frequently.
Learning Russian
Dormition and Annunciation Cathedrals in Kremlin, Moscow, Russia.
Russian is a popular language to learn for students living in mainland Europe especially. However, Russian has one of the most complicated grammars. Challenging, but not impossible! If you have an experience of learning Italian, French, or German, these languages might come in more handy than you'd think - as many Russian words are loaned from a mixture of these influences.
With Russian, once you manage to learn the alphabet, you should be able to pronounce almost all words fairly accurately, as the pronunciation is similar to the written form. The Russian language is also extremely direct, and native speakers take far fewer words to complete a sentence than in English for example.
Learning Russian with Overpass Apps
We love learning new languages, and we want to help others do the same. Our range of apps for learning Russian are designed to make sure that you have fun whilst learning. Coupled with other learning material, our language learning games are extremely helpful for learners at many different levels. Our games rise in difficulty as you get better at learning Russian, ensuring that they remain challenging but enjoyable. Learning shouldn't be a chore, and we are proud of our selection of Russian learning apps.
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