Train, dinner and building: how Russians begin to speak after moving to the USA
The speech of Russians who have lived a little in America is noticeably transformed. People, speaking their native language, begin to insert English words willy-nilly or pronounce Russian words in the American way. This code language is jokingly called “Ruinglish” (“Runglish”), writes in his blog Amerussian girl on Yandex.Zen girl who moved to the USA.
The following is the text of the author.
The funny thing is that not everyone knows English at a high level and far from all seek to learn it in principle. Nevertheless, life in America leaves its mark on colloquial speech.
Probably, five years ago I would have been indignant and thought that people simply do not know how to speak competently. Now I treat this as loyally as possible. I myself often use English words in speech - why not, as they say.
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For example, “the company made me an offer” sounds much simpler than “the company made me an offer to cooperate.” I don’t see a problem at all in mixing languages - the main thing is to communicate in a way that everyone feels comfortable and understands. And for this to be normal in your environment, everything may be different in another.
I have compiled a small dictionary of the most replaceable words and phrases. It sounds something like this:
“What kind of building do you have?” - “What kind of building do you have?”
“Let’s chill”, “We’re chilling” - “Let’s relax”, “We’re relaxing”.
“What a cutie” - “How pretty” (I hear this from a friend all the time).
“I’m going to the gym” - “I’m going to the gym.”
"Dinner" - "Dinner".
"Night Out" - "Let's hang out."
"Hut/cold coffee" - "Hot or cold coffee."
“Boyfriend/Girlfriend” - “Boyfriend/Girlfriend”.
“Send a request” - “Send a request.”
"Skype call" - "Skype call."
“They sent me an offer” - “They made me an offer.”
“How much for tips?” - “How much should we leave for tea?”
“I went to stretching” - “I went to stretch.”
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“What time is your class?” - “What time is your class?”
“Where is your ID?” - “Where is your passport?”
“Let's go on the train” - “Let's go on the subway.”
“Hold it” - “Hang on the line/wait.”
“I work full-time/I have part-time work” - “I work full-time/I have a part-time job.”
“How will you spend the day-off?” - "What are your plans for the weekend?"
Original column published on the blog. Amerussian girl on Yandex.Zen.
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