How does the Russian language sound? Russian language through the eyes of foreigners

A PHOTO Getty Images

ROSE MARIA PANTANO. Spaniard

Russian is very different from Spanish, a lot of unfamiliar sounds! I like it by ear, I find it melodic. But it is absolutely impossible to repeat, I cannot reproduce a single word. The most striking thing in Russian is the alphabet, funny letters.

NOEMA BOER. Dutch

Russian sounds like Portuguese to me - cool and cold.

IRINA SHASTINA

A Romanian friend of mine said that when we, Russians, talk, she hears only “flea-flea, louse-flea”. However, I do not know if she understood the meaning of these words.

“The Russian language reminds me of old films about intelligence officers and spies”

Maria Liven. Digital Producer

All my foreign acquaintances are afraid of its complexity. It's hard to explain why we have so many verb forms and adjective endings have to change (my boyfriend still has a hard time understanding why I'm LOVE and he is LOVE). By the way, the sound “y” is also not easy for them (it looks like either “and” or “y” for them). The guy tried to read the sign in the museum “Please do not sign on the walls and windows”, got stuck on the third word and quit, said that there were too many letters! This is despite the fact that in his native Dutch there are words of 20-30 letters!

DARIA KISELEVA. Foreign language teacher, foreign trade specialist

I talked a lot with foreigners and asked everyone how Russian sounds to them. Many said that he was melodic, someone said that he rustled and chirped. But most of all I liked the opinion of the Irish woman: as soon as I hear it, I remember old films about intelligence officers and spies, where the “bad guys” were mostly Russian. Therefore, Russian speech for me has a taste of a spy novel.”

DMITRY MAKARCHUK

Somewhere I met the opinion that for Americans, Russian speech sounds like a constant repetition of the words “cash transaction”. I repeatedly asked Americans known to me, they laughed and ... agreed.

ANASTASIA ROGOZOVA. Student

A British acquaintance (an English teacher) called Russian "angry russian". I went to his classes, and we with other guys from Russia somehow persuaded him to say a few common phrases in Russian that he knew. He spoke, but we did not understand a word. Then he repeated, but more aggressively, as if he was swearing at someone. Surprisingly, it became clearer. And then he said that this was not the first time he noticed such a thing: Russians understand foreigners who speak Russian only if foreigners speak “angry russian”.

“A familiar Austrian considers the name “Nizhny Novgorod” to be the most pleasant combination of sounds for hearing.

ELINA STEIN

She lived in Germany most of her life. In Russia, everyone thinks that the German language sounds like falling typewriters filled with foil. So, the Germans think the same about the Russian language. To native German speakers, our language seems rather rough with all our hissing and growling sounds.

MEERY KHAN. finca

What do I think about Russian? You can't understand a word, you can't even imagine when a sentence begins and ends. I can't separate the words from each other: one big chaos. It is even difficult to determine whether they are talking about the weather or pancakes. It is very difficult to understand the intonation, so if the Russians whisper, you immediately get an unpleasant feeling that they are discussing us. In Russian, I mainly distinguish the sounds "sh", "x" and "r".

ANNA DOBROVOLSKAYA. Youth human rights movement, coordinator

I can’t speak for all foreigners, but I had an Austrian friend who considered the name “Nizhny Novgorod” to be the most pleasant combination of sounds for hearing. He said that it was just a work of art, and asked all Russian speakers to periodically repeat this phrase.

MASHA BORISOVA

I am from Nizhny Novgorod, I live in Spain, for the entire period of my stay here, not a single Spaniard has mastered to pronounce something closer to the original than “niche newkorok” (with a pained mime “God, how do you pronounce it at all?” ). In the end, I got tired of it, now, when they ask where I come from, I answer: from "near-Moscow."

ANNA SMIRNOV

As the American woman I lived with said: “Russian is very similar to Chinese. That is probably why you are here. What I hear is like the sound of a sick bird. It sounds like this: cherek-schik-chik, th-th-th-chtrbyg.

MASHA BORISOVA. Hispanist

When I was talking to a friend in Russian in the presence of a Spanish friend, it seemed to him that we were laughing at him and were simply pronouncing a meaningless set of sounds. It doesn’t fit in his head, how can you have two “sh” and what is the difference between them? I’m already used to being “Masha” here, no one can pronounce “Masha”. A friend tried to learn Russian, but his enthusiasm was crushed by the letter "s". He says the mechanism for making that sound is out of his mind. At the same time, he, a French teacher, easily mastered French nasal vowels, which are also absent in Spanish. But the damned “y” is beyond his strength.

NATALYA PUZDYREVA. Sommelier & Wine Tourist

Argentine friends said that they heard Russian soft and melodic. Always try to repeat the words. But they get a set of consonant letters - this characterizes Russian in their view. However, from Europeans I hear the opposite opinion. But everyone agrees that this is a very complex and completely incomprehensible language.

SIMON MATERRA. Italian

It is difficult to explain how I perceive Russian. When, for example, Italian is spoken, it seems that people are singing. I can't think of such an analogy with Russian. But I know that Russians are crazy and the strangest people in the world! And sometimes in Russia minus 30!

Read the original article on the website of TheQuestion service.

Each of us perceives foreign speech in our own way, and each of us has our own associations associated with the sound of a particular language. But have you ever thought about how foreigners perceive and associate with our native and familiar Russian language? Here's what they say:..

Australia:

Russian sounds very brutal, masculine. This is the language of real machos.
(Will, financial analyst, Australia)

Czech Republic:

Russian sounds exactly like Polish to me. The same intonation, the same “feminine” pronunciation, especially compared to Czech.
(Jakub, financial analyst, Czech Republic)

United Kingdom:

For me, Russian speech is something between the roar of a walrus and the melody of Brahms.
(Abe, accountant, UK)

Ireland:

Before I began to study Russian, and some time after the start of the Slavic lessons, it seemed to me the more it looked like a record of any other world language, started up backwards.
(Gethin, scout, Ireland)

Mongolia:

The most amazing thing is that the Russian language can sound completely different: it all depends on the speaker, and on what exactly is being said. In principle, if you wish, you can achieve an angelic sound from the Russian language. True true! The Russian is plasticine, from which the place can mold whatever he wants.
(Batyr, photographer, Mongolia)

New Zealand:

As if someone did not really cough up, got a mouthful of saliva and at the same time tries to talk.
(Dean, retired, New Zealand)

Netherlands:

The Russian language is the sounds that a cat would make if you put it in a box full of marbles: squeaking, squealing and complete confusion.
(William-Jan, designer, Netherlands)

It always seemed to me that Russian is a mixture of Spanish with a rounded “r”, French, in which “zh” was added, and German rough sounds.
(Jeremy, teacher, USA)

Italy:

It's like an invitation to a desperate flirt. And especially when Russian girls pronounce their “PACHIMA?” with an incredibly sweet voice. Publish me please.
(Alessio, journalist, Italy)

Corsica:

Highly emotional language - Russians put a lot of feeling and passion into intonation. Example: "Wow!"
(Chris, consultant, Corsica)

Germany:

The Russian language is a pair of familiar words, lost in a complete linguistic chaos of sounds that are unpleasant to the ear.
(Albertina, infectious disease specialist, Germany)

United Kingdom:

Like the sound of sandpaper scratching a rough surface covered with a thin layer of varnish. And if we talk about the provincials, then their Russian is a scraping of sandpaper over a rough surface without any varnishing at all.
(Mark, teacher, UK)

Israel:

It's like the roar of a bus stuck in a traffic jam. "Yes, yes, yes, yes." And so - on the rise.

France:

The Russian language is like a very poorly adjusted radio: full of unnecessary rustles, cod and squeak
(Maria, translator, France)

The unusual sound of foreign speech is most often the cause of culture shock. In China or Vietnam, the sound of the local language, similar to "xiao-miao-liao", may well drive us crazy. German speech in the style of "Rosenkleitz Rotenbergschmacher Steinblumenrichtenstadt" in timbre and intensity sometimes resembles Hitler's election speech. But how does our Russian, so native and understandable, language sound for foreigners?
Please answer below.

Australia:
Russian sounds very brutal, masculine. This is the language of real machos.
(Will, financial analyst, Australia)

Czech Republic:
Russian sounds exactly like Polish to me. The same intonation, the same “feminine” pronunciation, especially compared to Czech.
(Jakub, financial analyst, Czech Republic)

United Kingdom:
For me, Russian speech is something between the roar of a walrus and the melody of Brahms.
(Abe, accountant, UK)

Ireland:
Before I began to study Russian, and some time after the start of the Slavic lessons, it seemed to me the more it looked like a record of any other world language, started up backwards.
(Gethin, scout, Ireland)

Mongolia:
The most amazing thing is that the Russian language can sound completely different: it all depends on the speaker, and on what exactly is being said. In principle, if you wish, you can achieve an angelic sound from the Russian language. True true! Russian is plasticine, from which the place can mold whatever you want.
(Batyr, photographer, Mongolia)

New Zealand:
As if someone did not really cough up, got a mouthful of saliva and at the same time tries to talk.
(Dean, retired, New Zealand)

Netherlands:
The Russian language is the sounds that a cat would make if you put it in a box full of marbles: squeaking, squealing and complete confusion.
(William-Jan, designer, Netherlands)

USA:
It always seemed to me that Russian is a mixture of Spanish with a rounded "r", French, in which "zh" was added, and German rough sounds.
(Jeremy, teacher, USA)

Italy:
It's like an invitation to a desperate flirt. And especially when Russian girls pronounce their “PACHIMA?” with an incredibly sweet voice. Publish me please.
(Alessio, journalist, Italy)

Corsica:
Highly emotional language - Russians put a lot of feeling and passion into intonation. Example: "Wow!"
(Chris, consultant, Corsica)

Germany:
The Russian language is a pair of familiar words, lost in a complete linguistic chaos of sounds that are unpleasant to the ear.
(Albertina, infectious disease specialist, Germany)

United Kingdom:
Like the sound of sandpaper scratching a rough surface covered with a thin layer of varnish. And if we talk about the provincials, then their Russian is a scraper of sandpaper on a rough surface without any varnishing at all.
(Mark, teacher, UK)

Israel:
It's like the roar of a bus stuck in a traffic jam. "Yes, yes, yes, yes." And so - on the rise.

France:
The Russian language is like a very poorly adjusted radio: full of extra rustles, cod and squeak
(Maria, translator, France)

Recently, an interesting question was asked on a popular question and answer site: "How do foreigners perceive the Russian language?" The question interested many, and both our compatriots and foreigners themselves answered it. We have selected the most interesting answers to give a rough picture of how foreigners actually "see" the way we speak. Here's what came out of it.

1. Russian is very difficult to learn

Many foreigners fall into a stupor when they see the letter "Y". Moreover, no matter how hard they try, they rarely succeed in pronouncing this sound. What can we say about the letters "b" and "b", which do not have their own sounds, but nevertheless they are used in the letter. A considerable surprise for many are the letters "Ш" and "Ш". They do not see the difference between them and do not understand why two letters "Sh" were needed in the alphabet.

2. Some sounds and letters are stupefying

wp.com

Different nationalities perceive the Russian language differently. So, trying to imitate Russian speech, the Germans reproduce "dr", "kr", "tr", "br", explaining that it reminds them of machine-gun shot. The Vietnamese hear only clattering and hissing sounds in Russian speech. Argentines hear only consonant sounds, while Scandinavians isolate the sounds "x", "sh" and "r".

3. Russian speech is difficult, almost impossible to hear

culturelogia.ru

It's not the grammar or the construction of the words that causes the difficulty. Many foreigners are confused by the pronunciation. For them, Russian speech is a mixture of sounds that are difficult to identify. It is difficult for foreigners to isolate individual words or phrases from the entire stream. And to understand where a sentence begins and ends is akin to science fiction.

4. Some people think that Russians speak backwards.

/vashapanda.ru

This is how Americans comment on Russian speech. They perceive it as if someone had reversed playback on an audio tape. In addition, foreigners note that Russians speak too quickly.

5. Russian speech is harsh and rude...

culturelogia.ru

Many foreigners note that Russian speech is very rude and even cruel. When two people communicate, it often seems to them that they are about to start quarreling or even fighting. It is also difficult for foreigners to understand the intonation of Russians, which is why the first think that we are mocking them.

6. ...and melodic at the same time

nnm.me

However, there are also such foreigners to whom Russian speech resembles the chirping of birds, and they do not hear anything rude in it.

7. Residents of different countries perceive Russian speech in a completely different way

creu.ru

To some, Russian speech seems melodic, but to others - rude. It is noteworthy that the Germans consider Russian speech to be rude and harsh, despite the fact that we Russians perceive German speech in the same way. In most cases, Europeans hear rudeness, but residents of Southeast Asia and South America consider it soft and melodic.

Below is a selection of opinions of specific citizens from different countries about phonetics of the Russian language expressed from the bottom of my heart.

• “It's like an invitation to a desperate flirt. And especially when Russian girls pronounce their “PACHIMA?” with an incredibly sweet voice. Publish me please.(Alessio, journalist, Italy)"

• “A highly emotional language - Russians put a lot of feeling and passion into intonation. Example: "THIS IS YES!"(Chris, consultant, Corsica)

• “The Russian language is the sounds that a cat would make if you put it in a box full of marbles, squeaks, squeals and complete confusion.”(William-Jan, designer, Netherlands)

• “It always seemed to me that the Russian language is a mixture of Spanish with a rounded “r” of French, to which they added “zh”, German rough sounds.”(Jeremy, teacher, USA)

• “For me, Russian sounds exactly like Polish. The same intonation, the same “feminine” pronunciation, especially compared to Czech.”. (Jakub, financial analyst, Czech Republic)

• “For me, Russian speech is something between the roar of a walrus and the melody of Brahms.”(Abe, accountant, UK)

• “Before I began to study Russian, and even some time after the start of Slavic lessons, the more I listened to Russian, the more it seemed to me like a record of any other language, started up backwards.”(Gethin, scout, Ireland)"

• “It’s as if someone didn’t really cough up, got a mouthful of saliva and at the same time tries to talk.”(Dean, retired, New Zealand)

• “Russian sounds very brutal, masculine. This is the language of real machos.(Will, Financial Analyst, Australia)

• “The most amazing thing is that the Russian language can sound completely different: it all depends on the speaker, and on what exactly is being said. In principle, if you wish, you can achieve an angelic sound from the Russian language. True true! Russian is plasticine, from which any master can mold whatever he wants.(Batyr, photographer, Mongolia)

• “The Russian language is a pair of familiar words, lost in a complete linguistic chaos of sounds that are unpleasant to the ear.”(Albertina, infectious disease specialist, Germany)

• “Like the sound of sandpaper scraping across a rough surface covered with a thin layer of varnish. And if we talk about the provincials, then their Russian is a scraping of sandpaper over a rough surface without any varnishing at all.(Mark, teacher, UK)

• “He is like a roar in a bus stuck in a traffic jam. "Yes, yes, yes." And so - on the rise.(Aim, artist, Israel)

• "The Russian language is like a very badly tuned radio: Full of unnecessary rustles, crackling and squeaking." (Maria, translator, France)

Yes, most of them are not very pleasant statements. But it is worth taking comfort in the fact that, in general, the assessment of language as a rough or tender phenomenon is subjective.

In general, in the Russian language they blame the abundance of hissing, growling "R", swallowing vowels, which makes the language seem harsh. Yes, indeed, in English, for example, even hard sounds are usually smoothed out, softened, while in Russian they are pronounced clearly.

Yes, the Russian language is not easy, perhaps even very difficult for foreigners. Let us recall at least our 6 cases and many case endings, cunning numerals and lingering hissing participles, defending themselves from gerunds, not noticing the invasion of external enemies.

Nevertheless, Russian, like any other foreign language, can be learned, which was proven by many newcomers of the era of French tutors and German court guest workers.

Well, for those foreign citizens who find Russian grammar immeasurably difficult... you can, smiling, confidentially say in your ear: “Say thanks that we don’t have “tonality” like in Chinese or Vietnamese, and we don’t write in hieroglyphs! 🙂