article from The Times

[Steve Munslow]

Эта статья (из The Times) может интересовать форумчан. ( git, между прочим, - полу-вульгарное слово, распространенное в UK (особенно 'old git, stupid git'). We have recently started to use the word Tsar to refer semi-jokingly to someone who has been appointed to a high government, managerial position dealing with specific problems, as in 'Drugs Tsar'.
(I do NOT necessarily agree with the opinions voiced herein).

The Times
March 07, 2003

The word czars send footbolists, keks and khokkey to the gulag
By Philip Howard

This is a fine old borsch that the Russians are stirring themselves into, again. Russia’s parliament (oops — Duma) has passed a law to prevent the Russian language being taken over by English. The law requires Russian equivalents for foreign words.
...
English has been affecting Russian vocabulary in recent years. In sport and entertainment: basketbol, champion, futbol, kemping, khobbi (hobby), khokkey, klub, striptiz, ralli. In politics: boykot, lider, pamflet. In food and drink: bifshteks, dzhin, grog, keks, puding. Many Russian Anglicisms have a surreal beauty. A “footbolist” is several pitches more distinguished than our own dear (in every sense of the word) footballers. Russian has no equivalent for the English “h” or our digraph sound “th”. So Sir Edward Heath, our former Prime Minister, is known admirably in Russia as Mr Git.

The tide has flowed in both directions, since the first travellers reported back from the vast, wintry country. Remember Angelo in Measure for Measure: “This will last out a night in Russia/ When nights are longest there.” The “rouble” (from rubl, a silver bar) was our first imported loanword, suggesting that our early travellers were not in Russia merely for the scenery. Many of our borrowings come from politics: gulag and commissar. Many of our Russian loanwords stick out because of their exotic spellings and connotations. Some are naturalised and indispensable: vodka (diminutive of voda, little water) and intelligentsia. And no British government can make a key initiative without putting a quadruple loanword in charge of it: tsar or czar. Old Russian Tsisari, Gothic and Greek Kaisar, Latin Caesar, and Hi there! Julius.

Languages do not get taken over, even by AmerEnglish. They do not die, fade away, or behave according to metaphors that imply an end of perfection or a league table of linguistic excellence. Languages are like the tides. They change, but never progress, as they ebb and flow. Chauvinist linguistic commissars are doomed to failure and ridicule. As Mr Putin, M Chirac, and other silly-billies will find out.

March 11, 2003 (letter)

Russian and English
From Mr Alan Sanders

Sir, Philip Howard (Comment, March 7) is wrong to say that Sir Edward Heath is known in Russia as “Mr Git”. In keeping with the Soviet transliteration system Hitler was indeed Gitler and Hull was Gull, but Heath has always been Khit (lately “Ser Khit”).
Words like rouble, vodka or the gulag are not really loanwords. Like their Russian counterparts funt, viski and Nato, they have essentially retained the meanings associated with their country of origin. Better Russian examples would be steppe, taiga, pogrom and sputnik, which entered more general use. Meanwhile, Russian has created words like neboskryob (skyscraper), minomyot (mortar) and vertolyot (helicopter).

Yours sincerely,
ALAN SANDERS
(Student, Joint Services School for Linguists, 1956-58; BBC Russian monitor, 1961-90),
29 Cardinal Close, Reading RG4 8BZ.
March 7.

[Rinafold]

Hi, there. It was very educating. But I think I came across the word "commissar" in some of Sir Scott's novels, something about Cromwell. Ain't it funny?

[Tollmuch]

Особенно впечатлила аналогия gulag -> Nato :-)

[alex]

Больше японцев никто английских слов не назаимствовал, но не переживают. Хотя сертифицировать языковые продукты надо, как продукты питания.

[alex]

забыл сказать, что они все их пишут особым шрифтом,катаканой и с родной речью не смешивают.