Celebration of "International Mother Language Day". Class hour on the topic: "International Mother Language Day" What day is the world's languages celebrated?
International Mother Language Day 2020 is celebrated on February 21st. The holiday is celebrated by people who study and pass on knowledge about language: teachers of literature, language, written language researchers, library staff, students, teachers and graduate students of philological faculties of higher educational institutions, people passionate about linguistics.
The purpose of the holiday is to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and protect endangered languages. Every year it is dedicated to a specific topic.
history of the holiday
On November 17, 1999, the UNESCO General Conference declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day. The first celebrations took place in 2000. The UN General Assembly supported the initiative to proclaim the holiday in 2002 in Resolution No. Α/RES/56/262. She called on member countries to promote the preservation and protection of the languages of the world's peoples.
The date of the holiday is dedicated to the memory of the tragedy that occurred in Bangladesh on February 21, 1952. Pakistani police shot protesters who advocated for the recognition of Bengali as the state language.
Holiday traditions
On this day, educational lectures, conferences, and seminars are held. Actions are being taken to protect the state language. At UNESCO headquarters in Paris and its branches, exhibitions and presentations dedicated to languages are organized, and festive concerts are organized. Thematic classes are held in educational institutions. Competitions are held among native language experts. The media publishes articles about existing and endangered languages.
Each official UN language has its own holiday. Russian Language Day is celebrated on June 6, English on April 23, Spanish on October 12, French on March 20, Arabic on December 18 and Chinese on April 20. The European Day of Languages is celebrated on September 26, and Common Language Day on August 18.
54% of Internet resources are in English, 6% are in Russian.
There are 7 thousand languages on Earth. One of the reasons for their disappearance is the uneven distribution of the number of carriers. A language becomes extinct if fewer than 100 thousand people speak it.
In 2009, UNESCO recognized 136 languages in Russia as endangered.
The UN General Assembly declared 2008 the International Year of Languages.
Pidgin is a simplified, non-native speech, a means of communication between several ethnic groups.
Researchers claim that a primitive protolanguage appeared 2.3 million years ago in Homo habilis, a highly developed australopithecine.
The history of linguistics began in the 5th century BC. e.
It is difficult to imagine how people communicated when the means of communication was not language, but, for example, gestures or facial expressions. Surely, without language today we would not be able to convey all our emotions, experiences and thoughts so figuratively and vividly, embodying them in songs, poems or prose.
1:1002 1:1007Our language is both modest and rich.
Every word contains a wonderful treasure.
Say the word “high” -
And you can immediately imagine the blue sky.
You say: “All around is white and white” -
And you will see a winter village,
White snow hangs from white roofs,
No rivers can be seen under the white snow.
Let me remember the adverb “light” -
And you will see: the sun has risen
If you say the word “dark”,
The evening will immediately look out the window.
If you say “fragrant”, you
You will immediately remember lily of the valley flowers.
Well, if you say “beautiful”,
All of Russia is in front of you at once!
The earth is inhabited by various living creatures: from the smallest bacteria to such giants as elephants and whales. But only man has the gift of speech. And no matter how we define this gift - sacred, divine, majestic, magnificent, priceless, immortal, wonderful - we will not reflect in its entirety its enormous significance.
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The spiritual treasure of any nation is language.
2:1429From the first days of his life, a person hears the speech of people close to him - mom, dad, grandmother and, as it were, absorbs the intonations of their voices. Even without knowing the words, the child recognizes people close and dear to him by the sounds of voices. Gradually, the baby begins to master speech and learn about the world around him. And by the age of seven, as scientists have calculated, a child remembers more words than in the rest of his life.
2:2152From birth, it is necessary to instill this heritage - the native language - into the child’s soul. It’s not for nothing that people say that you can do without science in life, but not without your native language. And that's exactly how it is.
2:341 2:346When you want to say a word,
My friend, think, don’t rush:
It can sometimes be leaden,
It was born from the warmth of the soul.
It will rob, or give,
Let it be inadvertently, let it be lovingly,
Think about how not to hit
The one who listens to you.
In the whole world there are from 3 to 5 thousand different languages. Among them are the so-called world languages - Russian, English, French, German, Spanish. There are state or official languages - Polish in Poland, Mongolian in Mongolia, Swedish in Sweden and many others. And most languages do not have any official “position” - they are simply spoken... one by 10 people, another by 100, a third by 1000, and a fourth by 10,000...
2:1550International Mother Language Day is primarily aimed at protecting endangered languages. And this task is important, because nowadays two languages disappear every month in the world....
2:315 2:320The history of the origin of the holiday of the native language.
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Like any celebration, this international day has its own historical background. In 1952, in Pakistan, students from the University of Dhaka took part in a demonstration against the Urdu language. The majority spoke the Bengali dialect, so it was this language that the protesters demanded to recognize as the state language. However, they not only did not listen to them, but also began to shoot. As a result, four student activists were killed. Following the deaths of these and other people in Pakistan, as well as a series of unrest and liberation movements, Bengali was declared the official language of the country. The struggle for the right to use the manner of communication familiar from childhood was crowned with success.
3:2138 3:4Subsequently, at the initiative of the country of Bangladesh (recognized as an independent state in 1971), the UNESCO organization proclaimed the date February 21 as International Mother Language Day, which has been celebrated annually throughout the world for 14 years.
3:434 3:439Mother Language Day in Russia
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On International Mother Language Day, all languages are recognized as equal, since each of them is unique. In Russia, the state language is one - Russian. In our country, love for our native language can be compared to a feeling of true patriotism that permeates everything and each of us. Especially when we are talking about primordially Slavic values, to which we can confidently include the Russian language.
4:1737I love my native language!
He is understandable to everyone, he is melodious,
He, like the Russian people, has many faces,
How powerful is our power!
Our native Russian language is powerful and beautiful.
4:297There are many different worthy statements about the Russian word, but no one has yet expressed themselves on this topic better than the classics.
4:532 4:537
6:4
9:4
"Our Fatherland, our Motherland is Mother Russia. We call it Fatherland because our fathers and grandfathers lived in it from time immemorial. We call it Motherland because we were born in it, they speak our native language in it, and everything in it is for "We are dear. Mother - because she nourished us with her waters, taught her language and, like a mother, protects and protects us from all sorts of enemies... There are many good states in the world, but a person has one natural mother, and he has one Motherland."
10:1332Konstantin Ushinsky
10:1376 10:1381“The Russian people created the Russian language - bright, like a rainbow after a spring shower, accurate, like arrows, melodious and rich, sincere, like a song over a cradle: What is the Motherland? This is the whole people. This is its culture, its language.
10:1771Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy
10:56 10:61Treated his native language with reverence Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin, called to love and study it.
10:254How beautiful my native language is,
Magical, melodious, playing.
Like a clear crystal spring
Caressing the heart and soul.
Every word in it is a priceless diamond.
Every song in it is beautiful.
Sometimes beautiful, sometimes harsh,
Our Fatherland is famous for it.
Just as it is impossible to imagine the earth without a sower, life without bread, man without a homeland, so it is impossible to imagine the great Russian language without proverbs and sayings.
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Russian proverbs about words.
11:60Think first - then speak.
Don't be brave in word, but show it in deed.
Talk less, do more.
The word is not a sparrow; if it flies out, you won’t catch it.
Talk without thinking, shoot without aiming.
If you want to beat fate,
If you are looking for joy in a flower garden,
If you need solid support,
Learn Russian language!
He is your mentor - great, mighty,
He is a translator, he is a guide,
If you storm knowledge steeply,
Learn Russian language!
The Russian word lives on the pages
The world of Pushkin's inspiring books.
The Russian word is the lightning of freedom,
Learn Russian language!
Gorky's vigilance, Tolstoy's vastness,
Pushkin's lyrics are a pure spring,
The Russian word shines with mirror image -
Learn Russian language!
Our planet is inhabited by people with different skin colors, different histories, different customs and traditions, and they speak different languages.Every nation protects its language, its speech - this is its culture.
12:611Ushinsky noted:“When a language disappears, there are no more people!”
12:729 12:734Our language is beautiful -
Rich and sonorous.
That powerful and passionate
It's gently melodious.
He also has a smile,
Both accuracy and affection.
Written by him
And stories and fairy tales -
Magic pages
Exciting books!
Love and keep
Our great language!
20 interesting and unexpected facts about the Russian language that you probably didn’t know:
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13:4
Most words with the letter “F” in Russian are borrowed. Pushkin was proud that in “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” there was only one word with the letter “f” - fleet.
13:305 13:310There are only 74 words in the Russian language that begin with the letter “Y”. But most of us remember only “yod, yogi” and the city “Yoshkar-Ola”. There are words in the Russian language that start with “Y”. These are the names of Russian cities and rivers: Ygyatta, Yllymakh, Ynakhsyt, Ynykchansky, Ytyk-kyyol.
13:772 13:777The only words in the Russian language with three letters “e” in a row are long-necked (and others with -neck, for example, crooked-, short-) and “snake-eater”.
13:1030 13:1035In the Russian language there is a word with a unique prefix for the language - ko-zakoulok.
13:1179 13:1184The only word in the Russian language that does not have a root is take out. It is believed that this word contains the so-called zero root, which alternates with the root -im- (take out-im-at). Previously, until about the 17th century, this verb looked like take out, and it had a material root, the same as in remove, embrace, understand (cf. remove, embrace, understand), but later the root -nya- was reinterpreted as the suffix - well- (as in “shove”, “blow”).
13:1977 13:4The only one-syllable adjective in the Russian language is “evil”.
13:140 13:145In the Russian language there are words with prefixes unique to the language and -, - total and total and a- - maybe (obsolete a vos “and vos will not be lucky”), formed from the conjunctions “and” and “a”.
13:450 13:455The words “bull” and “bee” have the same root. In the works of ancient Russian literature, the word “bee” was written as “bchela”. The alternation of vowels ъ/ы is explained by the origin of both sounds from one Indo-European sound U. If we recall the dialect verb to buchachat, which has the meaning of “roar, hum, buzz” and is etymologically related to the words bee, bug and bull, then it becomes clear what the general meaning of these words
13:1236 13:1241Dahl proposed replacing the foreign word “atmosphere” with the Russian “kolozemitsa” or “mirokolitsa”.
13:1426 13:1431Until the 14th century in Rus', all indecent words were called “absurd verbs.”
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In the 1993 Guinness Book of Records, the longest word in the Russian language was named “X-ray electrocardiographic”, in the 2003 edition “excessively considerate”.
13:334 13:339In the Grammar Dictionary of the Russian Language A.A. Zaliznyak edition 2003, the longest (in letters) common noun lexeme in dictionary form is the adjective “private entrepreneurial”. Consists of 25 letters.
13:713 13:718The longest verbs are “to re-examine”, “to substantiate” and “to internationalize” (all - 24 letters; word forms -uyuschimi and -hivsya 25 letters each).
13:1031 13:1036The longest nouns are “misanthropy” and “excellency” (24 letters each; word forms -ami - 26 letters each, however, “misanthropy” is practically not used in the plural).
13:1422 13:1427The longest animate nouns are “eleventh-grader” and “clerk” (21 letters each, word forms -ami - 23 letters each).
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The longest adverb recorded by the dictionary is “unsatisfactory” (19 letters). However, it is necessary to take into account that the overwhelming majority of qualitative adjectives in -y / -iy form adverbs in -o / -e, which are not always recorded in the dictionary.
13:449 13:454The longest interjection included in the Grammar Dictionary is “physical education-hello” (15 or 14 letters depending on the status of the hyphen).
13:697 13:702The word "accordingly" is the longest preposition and the longest conjunction at the same time. It consists of 14 letters. The longest particle “exclusively” is a letter shorter.
13:1023 13:1028In Russian there are so-called insufficient verbs. Sometimes a verb does not have any form, and this is due to the laws of euphony. For example: “win.” He will win, you will win, I... will win? Shall I run? will I win? Philologists suggest using the replacement constructions “I will win” or “I will become a winner.” Since there is no first person singular form, the verb is insufficient.
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To successfully master the difficult phrase “I love you,” the British use the mnemonic “Yellow-blue bus.”
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All over the world, on February 21, humanity celebrates Mother Language Day. It is with its help that people are able to express colorfully and vividly all their thoughts, experiences, emotions, turning them into songs, poems or prose. This forms the basis of the cultural heritage of the nation, which many other peoples want to know.
To show how important it is to respect and learn foreign languages, the General Assembly decided to establish this holiday and set the date as February 21st. The impetus for this decision was UNESCO’s request to create this holiday in order to develop in people the desire for multilingualism and respect for other languages.
For Russians, Mother Language Day is a way to express appreciation and gratitude to all the creators of Russian history. Indeed, over all times, approximately 193 languages have existed on our territory; over time, this figure has dropped to 40.
Today, in honor of the holiday, many educational institutions hold competitions in which you need to write a poem, prose or essay in any language you like, where the winner receives a well-deserved reward. It is also customary in cultural circles to hold literary evenings and creative festivals, where young and experienced poets share their works.
International Mother Language Day 2020 - Congratulations
There is no more beautiful native language,
And from the bottom of my heart I want to wish -
Love him for many, many years
And so as never to forget,
Communicate in your native language -
After all, he is sometimes the key to all doors!
The native language is like a bright father’s house,
There is no more wonderful and gentle language!
Like a mother, he is beautiful, like a mother, alone!
He must be appreciated and respected!
Native language... there are a thousand reasons
So that we never forget him!
What is closer to your native language,
And what in the world is more dear to him?
So close, wonderful words
They warm our hearts and souls very much!
Native language... It’s different for everyone.
But it always sounds light and gentle.
So don't let them pass you by
You have love, and joy, and hope.
Appreciate what is next to you.
Love those who help in life.
And always respect your native language -
Let it bloom in your heart!
On Mother Language Day
I wish that always
Your native language sounded
Don't forget him!
May good luck await you in life,
Let success come through the door!
And the native language carries
You have a new take off in life!
I wish you miracles
The reason to be sad has disappeared.
Appreciate your native language -
Your dreams will come true!
Postcard for International Mother Language Day 2020
Click on the repost to copy to social media. netInternational Mother Language Day was proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in November 1999 and is celebrated annually on 21 February to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
This date was chosen to commemorate the events of February 21, 1952, when in Dhaka, the capital of present-day Bangladesh, students who participated in a demonstration in defense of their native language Bengali, which they demanded to be recognized as one of the official languages of the country, were killed by police bullets.
Language is the most powerful tool for preserving and developing cultural heritage in its tangible and intangible forms. Any activity to promote the mother tongue promotes not only linguistic diversity and multilingualism, but also a fuller understanding of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world, as well as solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue. By introducing Mother Language Day into the international calendar, UNESCO called on countries to develop, support and intensify activities aimed at respecting and protecting all languages, especially those in danger of extinction.
International Mother Language Day 2018 will be celebrated under the theme “Preserving Linguistic Diversity and Promoting Multilingualism to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”
To ensure sustainable development, students must have access to education in their mother tongue and other languages. Basic skills in reading, spelling and arithmetic are acquired through learning the native language. Local languages, especially minority and indigenous languages, serve as vehicles of cultural, moral and traditional values, thus playing an important role in achieving a sustainable future.
The number of languages existing today is estimated at six to eight thousand, half of them are spoken by less than 10 thousand people, and a quarter of the languages have less than a thousand speakers. 96% of all languages are spoken by only 3% of the world's population, which is an average of 30 thousand people per language (if you exclude the 4% of the most common languages). According to experts, currently 40% of languages are on the verge of extinction. According to UNESCO, among the countries with the largest number of endangered languages, India (197 languages) and the United States (191) rank first, followed by Brazil (190), China (144), Indonesia (143), and Mexico (143).
The disappearance of languages occurs at different rates, which will only accelerate in the coming decades on all continents. Australia, which until the 1970s banned Aboriginal people from using their native languages, holds the record for the number of languages that have died or become endangered: of the 400 languages that existed there at the beginning of the 20th century, only 25 are now spoken. Of the 1,400 African languages, at least 250 are threatened and 500-600 are in decline, particularly in Nigeria and East Africa. In the United States, children are taught only five of the 175 surviving Native American languages. Overall, nine out of every ten languages in the world may disappear during this century.
The Red Book of Languages of the Peoples of Russia currently includes more than 60 languages.
One of the Finno-Ugric languages, the Votic language, is recognized first on the list of extinction in Russia. This language is remembered by several representatives of the oldest generation living in two villages in the north-west of the Leningrad region. Experts note that if previously a language disappeared as a result of the physical death of a people due to epidemics, wars or a decline in the birth rate, today speakers one way or another voluntarily switch to another, dominant language. In some cases, political authorities pressure citizens to speak an official language (multiple languages are often perceived as a threat to national unity). In addition, speakers may abandon their native language in favor of the dominant one if they feel that this can contribute to the integration of themselves and their children into society. Expanding trade links, the attractiveness of consumer goods, urbanization and increasing economic restrictions all push speakers to switch to an official language. Television and radio also contribute by strengthening the position of the dominant language.
The disappearance of any language means the loss of a piece of universal human heritage. The native language is an expression of self-awareness and the connection between generations, which is necessary for the development of every person. It is closely connected with the history of the ethnic group, ensures its unity and becomes the key to its originality: it forms an inextricable connection between its bearers and serves as the basis for the people. Languages contain a body of acquired knowledge. Thus, some of them uniquely describe a certain environment, for example, the Amazonian jungle, note the properties of medicinal herbs, or contain information on astronomy.
According to UNESCO, among the measures necessary to prevent the disappearance of a language are the creation of favorable conditions for its speakers to speak it and teach this language to their children; creation of educational systems that promote learning in the native language, development of a writing system. Since a major factor is the attitude of community members towards their own language, it is also necessary to create a social and political environment that promotes multilingualism and respect for minor languages so that the use of these languages becomes an advantage rather than a disadvantage.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Without oral communication, the civilized world could not exist and develop. Every nation has many figurative expressions, proverbs and sayings about language. Since ancient times, Russian people have known that “the word is not a sparrow, if it flies out, you won’t catch it,” “the tongue runs before the feet,” “where there are words of greeting, there is a smile for an answer,” and also that “my tongue is my enemy” and “the tongue is before Kyiv will finish.”
One of the official language holidays can be called International Mother Language Day, proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO. In 2011, the President of Russia signed a Decree on the annual celebration of Russian Language Day in Russia. In addition, the UN Department of Public Affairs proposed the establishment of holidays dedicated to the six official languages of the organization. The Russian language also received an official day of celebration - June 6.
Languages are the most powerful tool for preserving and developing our heritage.
International Mother Language Day, proclaimed by the General Conference of UNESCO on 17 November 1999, has been celebrated annually on 21 February since 2000 to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism.
In turn, the UN General Assembly in its resolution declared 2008 the International Year of Languages.
The year 2010 was proclaimed the International Year for the Rapprochement of Cultures.
The date for the Day was chosen to commemorate the events that occurred in Dhaka (now the capital of Bangladesh) on February 21, 1952, when students who demonstrated in defense of their native language Bengali, which they demanded to be recognized as one of the official languages of the country, were killed by police bullets. .
Languages are the most powerful tool for preserving and developing our material and spiritual heritage. According to UNESCO estimates, half of the world's approximately 6 thousand languages may soon lose their last speakers. All steps taken to promote the spread of mother tongues serve not only to promote linguistic diversity and multilingual education, to develop greater familiarity with linguistic and cultural traditions around the world, but also to strengthen solidarity based on mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue.
On February 21, 2003, on the occasion of International Mother Language Day, UNESCO Director-General K. Matsuura noted: “Why is so much attention paid to the mother tongue? Because languages constitute a unique expression of human creativity in all its diversity. As a tool of communication, perception and reflection, language also describes how we see the world and reflects the connection between the past, present and future. Languages bear traces of chance encounters, the various sources from which they were saturated, each according to its own separate history. Mother tongues are unique in the way they imprint each person from the moment of birth, endowing him with a special vision of things that never really disappears, despite the fact that a person subsequently masters many languages. Learning a foreign language is a way to get acquainted with a different vision of the world, with different approaches.”
And every year, as part of Mother Language Day celebrations, different countries host various events dedicated to a specific theme and aimed at promoting respect, as well as promoting and protecting all languages (especially endangered languages), linguistic diversity and multilingualism. Thus, in different years, the Day was devoted to the following topics: the relationship between the native language and multilingualism, especially in education; Braille system and sign language; raising public awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions based on mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue; protection of the intangible heritage of humanity and preservation of cultural diversity and others.
Related holidays
Arabic Language Day. Arabic Language Day has been celebrated since 2010. Then, on the eve of International Mother Language Day, the UN Department of Public Relations proposed establishing its own holiday for each of the six official languages of the organization.
French Language Day (International Francophonie Day). French Language Day, like the days of other languages of the United Nations, has been celebrated recently - only since 2010. The introduction of the new holiday was initiated by the UN Department of Public Relations.
Korean Alphabet Proclamation Day. On October 9, South Korea celebrates Hangul Proclamation Day. The original alphabet of the Korean language is called Hangul, and today they celebrate its creation and proclamation in the country by King Sejong the Great.
Limba Noastra - National Language Day in Moldova On the last day of summer, Moldova celebrates a traditional and in its own way unique holiday - National Language Day - Limba Noastra. “Limba noastre” means “our language” or “mother tongue”.
State Language Day in Kyrgyzstan. The official language of Kyrgyzstan is Kyrgyz. In 2009, it was 20 years since the day in 1989 when the Supreme Council of the Kyrgyz SSR unanimously adopted the Law “On the State Language of the Kyrgyz SSR”.
"Precious Heritage"
The languages we speak today came to us from ancient times. All these years they have undergone changes, continuously developed, and a detailed analysis of these processes will help us better understand both the world around us and ourselves. I offer a selection of facts about the origin and original meaning of well-known words, as well as explanations of some difficult, controversial cases of their use.
Knowledge of the customs and morals of ancient peoples, knowledge of their mythology, their ideas about the world helps to understand the original meaning of many words. And in the same way, the analysis of words helps to understand the lifestyle and views of our distant ancestors. For example, we can conclude that our ancestors meant the concept of “happiness.” The root of this word is part, which means that a happy person is one who has a part, a part of wealth, an inheritance, who has received a share. Note that the word share has the meaning not only of “part”, but also of “fate”, “fate” (the composition of this word is also transparent: u-part).
“Water” and “fire” are the most important concepts in the minds of ancient man. They gave rise to many myths, fairy tales, legends, as well as many words. Thus, the word grief is associated with fire, that which burns in a person’s soul. The constant epithet of this word is bitter: “grief is bitter.” The tears are bitter, but one might say they are also flammable tears; those tears that burn. In the old days, Gorky meant “fiery.” Needless to say, the same root is in the words burn, warm, forge, potter, etc. The synonym for the word grief - the noun sadness - is also associated with fire: that which bakes. Sadness from the stove. The outstanding linguist A. A. Potebnya wrote: “Anger is fire; and from it the heart flares up “more than fire” or, what amounts to the same thing, “without fire”... In general, in words for anger and related concepts, the idea of fire dominates.”
In the mythology of the Slavs, Yarilo, the god of spring, sun, and fertility, occupied an important place. Hence many words with the root yar: yarovoy (spring, sown in spring), yarka (young sheep), ardent bees (young, today's swarm). What does spring mean? It is sunny, shining, clear. It is also warm, hot, then the meaning develops: hot, excited, angry. Hence we have the words: bright, furious, rage.
Looking at the expressions still in the language, red maiden, red corner (in the hut), we guess that for our ancestors, red means “beautiful.” In the word work we no longer hear the word slave. But once upon a time a worker was actually a slave. There have been workers in the village for a long time (remember “The Master and the Worker” by L.N. Tolstoy). The word worker, which appeared in the middle of the 19th century, began to displace worker, worker. The word worker has remained in the language because it has changed its meaning. We are talking about people of intellectual work: scientific worker, literary worker.
In the Russian language there is a comrade and a commodity, which seem to be unrelated to one another. But what was it really like? Traders wandered around Rus', but it was dangerous to set off alone, so they chose a comrade who would help sell the goods. Then the word comrade acquired the meaning “friend, buddy” in general, and not just in trade and travel. After the Great October Revolution, a new life began for the word comrade.
Everyone knows the diminutive suffixes -ik and -ok: house - little house - little house; hour - hour - hour. But no one now perceives as diminutive words thread, particle, scarf, bag (once derived from fur), pin, hammer, bench, crust and dozens of others. We won’t say about the man who took off his belt: He loosened his belt.
Comparison and juxtaposition of words can go beyond the boundaries of one language, and then many similarities and differences in the worldview of different peoples are revealed. The word, human speech has always seemed to people an incomprehensible, mysterious phenomenon. The word was given a special, mystical meaning. The most mysterious were considered to be coincidences in the sound and meaning of words belonging to different languages. For linguists, such coincidences often seem natural.
Thus, we easily find the ancestors and relatives of the word god, first of all, in the Slavic languages, which indicates the deep antiquity of the word. Turning to other Indo-European languages, we find that the Slavic god is related to the ancient Indian bhagah, which meant “wealth, happiness” and the one who gives it - “giver, lord, ruler.” The ancient Persian baga - “lord, god” goes back to the ancient Indian bhajati - “endows, gives.” Thus, scientists come to the conclusion that the original meaning of the word god is “the giver of benefits, the bestower of benefits.” Its meaning as “supreme mythical being” developed in Slavic languages later. Now the consonance of the words god and wealth, rich and poor, in which the prefix y- has a negative meaning, will no longer seem accidental.
Here are some other examples of the origins of words and their correct usage:
Enrollee
Looking in dictionaries, you can be convinced that the original meaning of the word “applicant” is not someone who enters a university, but someone who has just graduated from school (as is known, among graduates there are also those who do not intend to to go somewhere). L. Krysin’s explanatory dictionary of foreign words indicates that the word “applicant” comes from the Latin abituriens (abiturientis), that is, “about to leave.”
However, the word actually Russified and became independent from the Latin source. Modern dictionaries - both the already mentioned Explanatory Dictionary of Foreign Language Words and the Explanatory Dictionary edited by N. Shvedova - offer two meanings of the word “entrant”. The first, outdated one, is a high school graduate. The second, modern one, is entering a higher or secondary specialized educational institution.
Thanks to
Is it possible to say, “Thanks to the fire, some wonderful theater costumes were burned in the building” or “Thanks to the hurricane, hundreds of people were left homeless”? Of course, it’s better not to say that: it’s somehow strange to say thank you for something like that! It should be remembered that only positive facts can follow the word “thanks to”. Otherwise, it is better to use neutral prepositions “because of”, “due to”, “due to” (“Because of the heavy snowfall, we got lost yesterday”).
For the preposition “thanks”, the context is very important, because even a hurricane can turn out to be good news, as, for example, in this situation: “Thanks to the hurricane, our old shed fell apart, which we had been meaning to dismantle for a long time, but still never found the time.” In this case, the use of this preposition is acceptable.
God and God
Sometimes doubts may arise whether the word “god” should be written with a lowercase or capital letter. Everything will depend on what (or whom) you mean and in what sense you pronounce this word.
If you speak and write about God as a single supreme being in different religions (at the same time, it should be a monotheistic religion that claims that there is one God), then this word should be written with a capital letter - “God”. So, about the holy and sacred - with a capital letter, “God”. Moreover, adjectives derived from it must also be written with a capital letter (“Divine”, “Godly”). And even if in a religious or philosophical text the word “god” is replaced by other words (pronouns), then they are also written with a capital letter: “Thy will be done,” “His holy will be done.”
However, as soon as we “descend from heaven to earth” and move to the level of everyday life, changes immediately occur in the spelling of the word “god”. In stable expressions that no longer have a direct connection with religion (such as “God willing,” “thank God,” “by God”), “God” should not be written with a capital letter. Even if you are a believer, it is quite possible to get by with a lowercase letter in the words and expressions “by God”, “divine taste” or “Granny God’s dandelion”.
By the way, among Russian classics (F. Dostoevsky, for example), the word “god” is written with a lowercase letter.
Majority
The question often arises as to whether the majority of comrades “agreed” or “agreed” is correct. Here it is important to understand whether we are talking about animate objects or not. Tables, books, windows, doors are one thing. It’s completely different - students, friends, citizens, comrades, etc.
Let's take the topic of elections. “The majority of voters supported N.N.’s candidacy.” - so we will say. That is, we will have the predicate in the plural, despite the word “majority”. And why all? Because a voter is an animate object, a person!
Inanimate objects do not need a plural predicate. There is no talk of any active action: “most of the windows were illuminated,” “most of the houses were repaired.” It would seem like a nuance, but the ending is different. Now most of you know about this!
Marriage
Everyone knows the dark joke that “a good deed cannot be called a marriage.” An interesting linguistic effect: marriage is a marriage, and low-quality products are also a marriage. However, these are two different words - what linguists call homonyms.
Looking at the etymological dictionary, one can understand that the word “marriage” in the meaning of “matrimony” was still in the Old Russian language, and its origin is rather vague. It is believed that it came to the Russian language from Old Church Slavonic, and there from Common Slavonic, from “b’arati”, that is, “to take” (“to take as a wife”). In any case, the word is ours, the original one.
The same cannot be said about another “defect” - the one that means unsuitable products. The word “marriage” and “rejector” in this meaning have been known to us only since the end of the 17th and beginning of the 18th centuries, and the word “marriage” came from the German language. In it, brak meant “vice, lack,” and before that, even earlier, “wreck.” Compare English brack (flaw, debris).
If earlier, when we saw or heard something amazing, unusual, scary or joyful, we exclaimed “ah!”, “oh!”, “ah!”, “oh!”, but now more and more often “wow!” comes out of our mouths. . This exclamation usually expresses an emotion of extreme amazement or delight. All these are interjections.
In American English, the slang wow is used as a noun meaning “something out of the ordinary”; verb meaning “to stun, to amaze”; interjection expressing surprise and delight. In Scottish slang, the same interjection expresses exactly the opposite emotions: disgust, surprise, grief, condolences.
Most linguists are inclined to believe that the word wow comes from the war cry of the Okoto Indians. There is another version, it is associated with the so-called onomatopoeia theory, which received the mocking name “wow-wow” theory from its opponents. If a Russian speaker hears the sounds “woof-woof” in a dog’s bark, then an English speaker hears the combination bow-wow. In other words, the Russian “woof” can be an analogue of the English interjection wow.
Ice or black ice
Zealous fans of the Russian language have a question, what is the difference between the words “ice” and “ice”. This is the case when ordinary, commonly used words are at the same time the terms of weather forecasters, but their meanings do not coincide.
S. Ozhegov’s explanatory dictionary puts “ice” and “black ice” side by side. As you might expect, this is a time when the ground is covered with a layer of ice without snow and, of course, the surface itself is covered with ice. Just one touch: “black ice” is a more respectable word, it is certainly considered literary. But “ice” is a colloquial word.
Forecasters have turned “ice” and “black ice” into two different words, they mean different things. "Ice" is a more general term. Ice is the formation of ice on any surface: on roads, on wires, on trees. When there is ice everywhere, it is ice. Well, icy conditions are something that drivers don’t like: ice on horizontal surfaces, primarily on roads.
One of Anatole France’s heroes expressed his attitude towards languages in this way, which we should all listen to: “Languages are like dense forests, where words grew as they wanted or as they could, there are strange words, even freak words. In coherent speech they sound beautiful, and it would be barbaric to prune them like linden trees in a city garden... Such words are undoubtedly monsters. We say: “today,” that is, “today’s day,” while it is clear that this is a conglomeration of the same concept; we say: “tomorrow morning,” and this is the same as “for-morning in the morning,” and the like. Language comes from the depths of the people. It contains a lot of illiteracy, mistakes, fantasies, and its highest beauties are naive. It was created not by scientists, but by people close to nature. It has reached us from time immemorial... We will use it as a precious heritage. And let’s not be too picky...”
Based on materials from the books by V. V. Odintsov “Linguistic Paradoxes” (Publishing House “Prosveshchenie”) and M. A. Koroleva “Purely in Russian” (“Pagedown Studio”).
Alexander Mikhailov reads the poem “Our Language” by K. Yu. Frolov
Performed by Veniamin Smekhov
Day after day... (2: 21 February)