Questions about Russian

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IronMike
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Re: девяносто

Postby IronMike » Thu Aug 10, 2017 1:54 pm

Ketutar wrote:It doesn't make any sense... I mean... "девя но сто"? Nine but hundred? Like "almost hundred but not quite"? Why not десяносто, then?
Or is this "it's 10 to 100" talk total bullshit and there is some other reason to why 90 isn't девятьдесят?


If you're waiting for Russian to make sense you'll be waiting a long time. Just accept. ;)
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Kamlari
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Re: Questions about Russian

Postby Kamlari » Thu Aug 10, 2017 4:24 pm

aaleks wrote:There is/was a typographic rule about ё. In books should be used e instead of ё.


I have a printed edition of "Архипелаг ГУЛАГ" by Александр Солженицын - ё is there.
By the way, ё is always a stressed syllable.
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aaleks
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Re: Questions about Russian

Postby aaleks » Thu Aug 10, 2017 5:41 pm

Kamlari wrote:
aaleks wrote:There is/was a typographic rule about ё. In books should be used e instead of ё.


I have a printed edition of "Архипелаг ГУЛАГ" by Александр Солженицын - ё is there.
By the way, ё is always a stressed syllable.

Just out of curiosity I took two books I read when I was about 10 (+/-) and looked them through. Both books were printed in 1983, both are aimed at teens (maybe preteens). At the time the USSR still existed, which means that typographic standards did exist too, especially for kids books. But it seems that even back then people couldn't agree on the e/ё question :D - one of the books has the letter ё, and the second one doesn't.
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Ketutar
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Re: девяносто

Postby Ketutar » Sat Aug 12, 2017 5:55 am

IronMike wrote:If you're waiting for Russian to make sense you'll be waiting a long time. Just accept. ;)


I don't accept this attitude :-D

Every language makes sense. Every language is born out of necessity and people wouldn't be saying things the way they say them without reason. It might not be obvious, it might have made sense so long ago people have forgotten why, but it is there. I ask these questions about every language, and so far I have always found the answer, sooner or later.

There are things I have no problems accepting, and then there are things I do... in this case it was the explanation that didn't make any sense, and that was because it was total hogwash, so it's good I asked the question. :-)

Also, it's not so that I hang myself on one specific. I did learn 90 as it was without it making sense, the "finding the reasoning behind it" goes on separate from the learning process, in a way. (Though it helped me learn но)
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neofight78
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Re: девяносто

Postby neofight78 » Sat Aug 12, 2017 6:43 am

Ketutar wrote:I don't accept this attitude :-D


You will..... ;)
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IronMike
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German, 2L/1+R (DLPT5, 2021)
Italian, 1L/2R (DLPT IV, 2019)
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Slovene, 2+L/3R (DLPT II in, yes, 1999)
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Re: девяносто

Postby IronMike » Sat Aug 12, 2017 9:52 am

Ketutar wrote:Every language makes sense. Every language is born out of necessity and people wouldn't be saying things the way they say them without reason. It might not be obvious, it might have made sense so long ago people have forgotten why, but it is there. I ask these questions about every language, and so far I have always found the answer, sooner or later.

Of course, but I'm speaking from 30+ years of experience not only in this language, but with students in immersion programs. The ones that failed out earliest were the ones that got hung up on asking Why Russian did this or that. Now your attitude is better because it sounds like you're not getting stuck on these things; I was just offering up my recommendation from experience.

Good luck with the rest of your studies!
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