Aschermann Russia Language

I am a mono-lingo-Americano-gringo --- unfortunately I am not fluent with any non-English languages. With some familiarity with Spanish I was able to cope when in Guatemala. The same was true in Germany, Italy, France, etc.

All of the languages listed use the same alphabet as does English.

I recall that in 1968 after swimming in the Mediterranean Sea I developed a major head cold with the usual nose problems. Somehow I figured out the sign for the local drug store. I did not speak Italian and the Italian did not speak American. Looking his shelf I did see a dark blue bottle that said Vicks. Relief! In this case I could "read" the label on the jar.

What probably causes the most problem when visiting other lands will be the script that is used. Here is an example of something that is hard to read--- even if it is in English.

[Old German does make it somewhat difficult to read because of the script that is sometimes used. Old German does make it somewhat difficult to read because of the script that is sometimes used. Thank goodness that Germans do not continue to use this form of writing.

Russian is one of those languages that normally will be written in an alphabet style that most North Americans do not recognize.

To many of us, traditional Russian written in Cyrillic might as well be Japanese or Chinese. There is nothing that we can connect to.

The visitor to Russia should have at least some familiarity with written Russian. There comes those occasions when a visit needs to investigate the local "facilities." If the signs are written in Russian, there could be some tense moments.

What does Russian or Cyrillic look like?

Following is an example of Russian script What do you think? Can you find a word here or there that might give you an idea what the writing is saying?

Храм Христа Спасителя построен в (1839-1883) в память о войне 1812 года. Однако, 5 декабря 1931 г. он был взорван (по распоряжению советского правительства) с целью строительства на его месте "дворца" советов.

Идея сооружения "дворца" возникла в 1922 г на 1 съезде советов СССР. За основу был принят прект Б.М. Иофана - здание-пьедестал должно было иметь высоту 415 метров, диаметр 129,5 м., на самом верху планировалось разместить памятник Ленину (80 метровой высоты). "Стройка века" продолжалась с 1937 по 1941 г.

В результате, на месте фундамента "дворца" был построен открытый плавательный бассейн "Москва" в котором можно было плавать и зимой. В него любили ходить люди, когда им весной отключали горячую воду.

Восстановление Храма длилось с 1995 по 2000 гг. За счет нового цокольного этажа Храм получился выше, чем он был раньше (103,48 метра). Храм рассчитан на 10 тыс. человек. Толщина стен 3,2 метра.

Вечером храм красиво подсвечивается, что можно видеть на наших архивных фотографиях.

The English translation:

Welcome to see Moscow downtown. This is breathtaking views from high rise apartment. Our photos have been updated daily many years.

We use SONY Digital Still Camera (DSC-F717). This is real manual work, that is why you can see the best possible quality available for the web. Unfortunately, we must reduce in size and compress pictures to maximize their downloading speed.

Unlike photos from other live cams, ours are not depend on your time zone. You always see the best of the day photos. Each day we use different views and zoom, that's why our photos remain interesting.

You are welcome to copy any photos. You can also see the most interesting photos larger in size in archive 2003 and 2004.

Drop us a line to the guest book.

Russian not only is a different verbal language but also a different written language that almost provides zero clues as to what a word is. A major difficulty that I had when in Moscow was to use a PC that had directions and a keyboard designed for the Russian who uses Cyrillic.

The Russians use an alphabet that was adopted when it was decreed that all Russians would follow the Greek Orthodox church teachings. [Others considered were Roman Catholic and Islamic.] The church now is the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Russian alphabet. Try "translating" the Cyrillic text into the text used by the Western Hemisphere and most of Europe. Another one... Another One Listen to and view the Cyrillic alphabet.

For those of us living in Western Europe or the Western Hemisphere, there may be hope on the horizon. In a very quite but deliberate way, it appears that the Russian citizen is being exposed to English. Notice the following photos that were taken in Moscow--- what can be easily be seen. [Click on the image to make it larger.]

Many "English" style advertisements can be seen in Moscow. If a Russian is going to participate in the "new world" he or she needs to begin learning at least written English.... and the visitor to Russia should have some understanding of the Russian alphabet.

Let's try something. Open the following webpage: take a quick glance. What is immediately seen?

Now open this webpage: scroll and take a quick glance. What is immediately seen?

The Russian diplomatic corps will designed a webpage to accommodate North Americans who do not read Russia. One would think that the American webpage designed for Russians would then be written in Russian.

Apparently not. For better or worse "English" is the international language.

SideBar: What might be your thoughts be if you happen to be a member of the ultra-right reactionary element in Russia? So far in Russia there does not seem to be any open opposition that condemns the use of English words or familiar script to the visitor. The "keep French pure" movement has not been changed to "keep Russian pure."

Again a word of caution--- the above photos were taken in Moscow. In many respects Moscow is like New York--- things begin in the primate city and then ultimately spread to the hinterlands. There is no guarantee that the visitor to Russia will see enough text written with the Western Europe alphabet to make learning the basics of the Cyrillic written words un-necessary.

What is the best advice that I can give a person who is planning a visit to Russia? You might want to use the above webpages to begin to get a feel about written Russian. Depending upon how soon you plan on leaving, you may not have the time to develop the ability to speak Russian. You do, however, need to begin to recognize words. To do this you will need to know something about the Russian alphabet.

Your "homework." Write some of the words that you normally will use in day by day living. Then go to one of the links above, write what this word will look like in Russian.

Swallow your American pride and ask someone "I need some help... does anyone speak English?"