The Off Topic Topic

[DGuller]

I'm thinking about learning Russian.  Doesn't seem like a terribly difficult language to learn if I can memorize the damned alphabet.

The alphabet's not so hard.  In my attempt to learn Ukrainian the alphabet was the least of the problems.

Ukrainian is probably a simpler language to learn than Russian, although it is by no means simple.  From my recollection, the major difference between Russian and Ukrainian is the deviation between the word's spelling and the word's pronounciation.  The deviation is huge for most Russian words, but virtually non-existent in Ukrainian.

[Sheilbh]

I'm thinking about learning Russian.  Doesn't seem like a terribly difficult language to learn if I can memorize the damned alphabet.

I think Russian's a really difficult language - more difficult than Arabic, for example.  They do weird stuff with tenses and I think they use cases, so you need to learn how different nouns decline.  I've read that for Western Europeans, Russian is more difficult than most Euro or Middle Eastern languages (I've read these are generally transliterative and the grammar's easier to master) but easier than the real weirdos (like Hungarian) or East Asian languages.

Having said that I know a couple of people who studied Russian and they're not that bright.  Plus it's really cool, so go for it 

[derspiess]

The alphabet's not so hard.  In my attempt to learn Ukrainian the alphabet was the least of the problems.

As far as foreign languages go, memorization is always the biggest challenge for me.  So things like vocabulary and in this case the alphabet are an uphill battle due to inattentiveness & often laziness.  What tends to be a lot easier for me is picking up on rules/patterns for pronunciation, verb tenses, cases, sentence structure, etc.

[Barrister]

I'm thinking about learning Russian.  Doesn't seem like a terribly difficult language to learn if I can memorize the damned alphabet.

The alphabet's not so hard.  In my attempt to learn Ukrainian the alphabet was the least of the problems.

Ukrainian is probably a simpler language to learn than Russian, although it is by no means simple.  From my recollection, the major difference between Russian and Ukrainian is the deviation between the word's spelling and the word's pronounciation.  The deviation is huge for most Russian words, but virtually non-existent in Ukrainian.

Trust me - I didn't get all that far in my attempt to learn Ukrainian. 

[derspiess]

I'm thinking about learning Russian.  Doesn't seem like a terribly difficult language to learn if I can memorize the damned alphabet.

I think Russian's a really difficult language - more difficult than Arabic, for example.  They do weird stuff with tenses and I think they use cases, so you need to learn how different nouns decline.  I've read that for Western Europeans, Russian is more difficult than most Euro or Middle Eastern languages (I've read these are generally transliterative and the grammar's easier to master) but easier than the real weirdos (like Hungarian) or East Asian languages.

I suppose I should clarify that I'm not looking to master Russian, just learn it on a fairly basic level.  Frankly I'd be happy just learning the alphabet, since I can recognize a decent number of Russian terms (mostly cognates but some distinctly Russian/slavic words) once I see them Latinized.

[CountDeMoney]

I'm thinking about learning French.  I butcher the names so badly.

[Josephus]

I remember being in Moscow about 10 years ago and being in a cafe and having to use the washrooms which were downstairs.  Downstairs I was faced with two doors. One, apparently, said women, the other men, but of course they were in cyrillic, so I had no idea which was which. I had to wait until someone came out Can't they use standardized pictures?


Also, I was with a friend, and we were walking up a street and I thought we were lost. My friend, in his wisdom, says to me: "I think we've been on this street before. I recognize the sign "CTON".

Turns out CTON is on just about every street. It means STOP

[Barrister]

Of course these days I'm trying to learn two-year-old-ese.

"Twinsheen?  Honey - any idea what he's trying to say?"

[Grey Fox]

Dada!

Roleroll!

Is the extend of the vocabulary of my 1 year old.

[derspiess]

Of course these days I'm trying to learn two-year-old-ese.

"Twinsheen?  Honey - any idea what he's trying to say?"

My 4-year old is struggling with past tense for irregular verbs.  It's one of many things that is so cute I'm tempted not to correct him.  But inevitably I channel my own dad, to whom improper grammar around the house was as bad as cursing.

And then there's the foreign wife.  Took me at least 5 years to break her of saying "Why do I can't..." instead of "Why can't I..."    Being as she is technologically challenged, that one came up a lot.

[Malthus]

Of course these days I'm trying to learn two-year-old-ese.

"Twinsheen?  Honey - any idea what he's trying to say?"

What was his first sentence?

[Tonitrus]

Having said that I know a couple of people who studied Russian and they're not that bright.  Plus it's really cool, so go for it 

But as has been said, the alphabet is not too bad...though I will sometimes read English letters as Russian, and vice versa...and my ability to write in English cursive has been totally shot to hell.

Case endings on nouns are the suck, though adjectives are not too bad.  At least in Russian, the gender distinction for nouns has pretty specific rules, unlike German, which is random.

Probably the hardest thing to wrap one's English head around in Russian(and I think it is particular to Slavic languages), though is verbs of motion (driving, walking, etc), and verb aspects.  Now that shit sucks.

[Tonitrus]

For the fellow Languish U.S. military types, as of Saturday, we can get free annual National Park/federal lands passes.

http://store.usgs.gov/pass/military.html

[Barrister]

Of course these days I'm trying to learn two-year-old-ese.

"Twinsheen?  Honey - any idea what he's trying to say?"

What was his first sentence?

He does lots of two word phrases - such as "hi daddy", "wheres Roscoe" (our dog), "my bike".  He told a boy (8 yo?) who he was following around the playground "nice hat".  I can't think of any longer sentences than that though.

For those of you following the "saga" of Timmy and his new bed, I mentioned how at first he would just hollar for "mommy" to come and pick him up out of his bed.  Then he would sneak out of his bed in the morning, but race back in when we came in the morning.

Sunday morning, I go to get him and I find him out of bed, with the light turned on, playing with toy trains.

And this morning he finally did it.  My wife was getting some toast ready before getting him when he comes peaking around the corner, out of his room.

[Ed Anger]

ESPN greenlit another 30 for 30 batch of sports documentaries. Hopefully no foreign shit this time. The mullets in the Gretzky one sickened me.