What is the difference between Russian and Ukrainian

[Aussiecossack]

OK! I found this site in my history file and thought to read around. Why is it that some people think that Ukrainian is 'slangish' or 'ghettoish' of the Russian language.(comments made early in string)
You only need to look back at history and you will see that the Ukrainian language is more dynamic and refined. Russian may be original in a sense but only because Moscow and the people around the early city escaped the continuous linguistic onslought by invading nations that the Ukrainians have had to endure since the early Scandinavians formed the KievanRus settlement of Kiev.The Ukrainian language has evolved and mellowed with influences from the Southern and Mediteranean languages whilst Russian has kept the Scandinavian/Germanic coursness in it's pronunciation.
Still, I found it amusing to sit on a bus in the 60's with long hair and 'Hippie' clothing and listen to dear old Babushkas comment as to the wild 'Deki dyiti' in different 'slavic' tongues(Russian,Yugoslav,Polish etc)and the look on their faces when I would leave the bus with a 'dobre den'as I passed.(the Australian city I grew up in had the full cross cultural list of people from Europe).
Until one is able to 'think' and 'talk'internally in a language then that language will always be foreign.
Finally, it is with this new won freedom that we all are able to 'speak' our minds openly without the fear of vilification, so, lets not bait our comments with cultural dislikes. We are all proud of our individual heritages and so we should be, with respect for each others views and differences of opinion.

[nb2000]

Originally posted by Aussiecossack
OK! I found this site in my history file and thought to read around. Why is it that some people think that Ukrainian is 'slangish' or 'ghettoish' of the Russian language.(comments made early in string)
You only need to look back at history and you will see that the Ukrainian language is more dynamic and refined. Russian may be original in a sense but only because Moscow and the people around the early city escaped the continuous linguistic onslought by invading nations that the Ukrainians have had to endure since the early Scandinavians formed the KievanRus settlement of Kiev.The Ukrainian language has evolved and mellowed with influences from the Southern and Mediteranean languages whilst Russian has kept the Scandinavian/Germanic coursness in it's pronunciation.
Still, I found it amusing to sit on a bus in the 60's with long hair and 'Hippie' clothing and listen to dear old Babushkas comment as to the wild 'Deki dyiti' in different 'slavic' tongues(Russian,Yugoslav,Polish etc)and the look on their faces when I would leave the bus with a 'dobre den'as I passed.(the Australian city I grew up in had the full cross cultural list of people from Europe).
Until one is able to 'think' and 'talk'internally in a language then that language will always be foreign.
Finally, it is with this new won freedom that we all are able to 'speak' our minds openly without the fear of vilification, so, lets not bait our comments with cultural dislikes. We are all proud of our individual heritages and so we should be, with respect for each others views and differences of opinion.

I don't belive Russian has more Scandinavian/Germanic influence than Ukrainian How you tried to quantify the number of words and their origin from each country they come from?
Russian has many significant Arab words like "Sakhar"in its vocabulary whilst Ukrainian have for example "zuke'r" more Germanic origin words and it is not just accident.

I also see reflections on this board of too many sympathetic people towards Scandinavia and its influence in Slavic culture no doubt there was some but not very significant to scandivinise one or other language. Besides the fact that Scandinavians refer to Russians as the "Stinkers to the East" not to mention the Baltic states

[nb2000]

Well there are similarities but also significant differences between one and the other language as some people pointed out that if you drop an native Ukrainian in a Moscow street he she will find lost for words and chances are would not be understood wel by the locals
But most importantly Ukrainian perhaps older than Russian, it is a language and not a dialect as some infer or suggest besides all languages are in a state of flux
Look at English for one a typical example inspite the internalisation the language continues to evolve locally and internationally so much so that there are many sites hosting
international and regional English documents
Spanish is the same, significant differences are found amongst countries in Latin America and more so with Spain
Portugal the same,Brazilian has developed its own brand of Portuguese.
So by this one can infer that there is no significant ties except for Europe that one region or contry sepeak a common language des not automatically mean "they're one of us o rbelong to a specific nation" something that many Russians mentally are not prepared to accept a conceptthey cannot grasp or understand very well.
It may well be that Russians soon may have to start learning Chinese as many people in western coutries are doing these days. by the way many Chinese marry Russians in the far East so to expand their 1$ shops businesses over there.





[Edited by nb2000 on 15th December 2004 at 18:03]

[quote]Originally posted by nb2000
Russian has many significant Arab words like "Sakhar"in its vocabulary

I doubt that "sakhar" is arabic word. I read somewhere there was word in sanskrit "sakhara" (sand). Through Greek language ("sakharon") it came not only to Russian, but to all European languages with more or less tranformations along the route.

[Voyager13b]

Stinkers to the east? What a friendly gesture.....


Voyager

[nb2000]

[quote]Originally posted by Alex_Ivanov

Originally posted by nb2000
Russian has many significant Arab words like "Sakhar"in its vocabulary

I doubt that "sakhar" is arabic word. I read somewhere there was word in sanskrit "sakhara" (sand). Through Greek language ("sakharon") it came not only to Russian, but to all European languages with more or less tranformations along the route.

Inventions appart Sakahr is a truly Arab word meaning sugar
has the same pronunciation in Russian as it has in Arabic
perhaps with more emphasis on "H" and in "rrrs"

[nb2000]

Originally posted by Voyager13b
Stinkers to the east? What a friendly gesture.....


Voyager

Just ask the Swedes and Norwegians especially in Spitsbergen
One reason why Icelanders prefer to visit Kiev for brides perhaps. I don't know
Goes beyond saying with Skype people he!he!