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Published: March 10th 2006
A definition of Russian logic? The placement test that we weren't given at the beginning of the course finally happened this afternoon. The catch? No-one will change groups afterwards. It was done just because we said we would have like to have taken one three weeks ago. There were 170 grammar questions to answer in an hour - but not one about horses and bolts and stable doors. My head started to really hurt after question 100 but I felt that I answered the questions ok. There was an individual oral exam with Zhanna once we had finished, ten demeaning role-plays about tourists reserving rooms in hotels or asking the way to the airport.
For all Russia's frustrations and rudeness, nothing had in fact hurt me for a while. Until my briefing after the exam. Zhanna said that the word I use to allow myself time to think when I'm talking is the sound that farmers in the country use to make their horses go faster, and it is therefore considered very rude for a 'foreigner' to use. To me it has always meant "well....", like "um..." in English or "aa..." in Finnish. I realised when I tried to stop using it that it has become so automatic that I don't know I'm doing it. None of the girls I live with either thought it to be rude or notice me saying it, but it will be yet another reason to squirm in my chair when Zhanna is teaching me.
After a cup of coffee and a comforting talk with Yulia I felt better. My mood is fine but I'm tired, so I've decided to go to visit my friend Helen in Moscow tomorrow (Women's Day, a holiday) and stay in the city until thursday. There's a girly party tonight, and as one of only three men in the obshezhitie I have some champagne buying to do before I'm allowed back through the front door!
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Aldis
non-member comment
"Nu"
The word "nu" isn't actually considered /rude/, so you shouldn't be nervous about it) Most people, as you've already noticed, don't even recognize it unless they're trying to. I think the reason why Zhanna had told you that is that as philologist and a person who'd spent most of her life in Soviet Union, when language purity and correct spelling were considered VERY important, she cares about it a lot or it can be resonant (?) for her ear. Besides, in Russia use of any interjections of this kind isn't thought to be appropriate for a "highly cultured" person. But it becomes such a habit as many people around you use it for their comfort, that even many "grand" persons can't talk not using them. She also probably meant it's strange you use it because you haven't been surrounded by this word since you were a kid ) I suppose, if you need to fill the pause with some sounds, you could replace it with other interjections like "mm", "umm" or "er.." and it would sound better. That's because "nu" sometimes brings connotations like you're embarassed to say what follows -- or you don't know what to say next (meaningful "nu"). Others don't. Or much rarer. What about middle-aged women, you're right that's a soviet heritage, the whole idea that everybody must have a job and ~equal salary, both provided by government%%%. But i personally noticed a gradual improvement in this kind of services. But the larger the city the better the manners, and, unfortunately, the difference's striking. (( Anyway, you can find mean babushki even in a cloak room of a big Moscow museum. Alice.