language query

[Ralph Cleminson]

This is what comes of relying of native informants, who in my
experience rarely answer the question one has actually asked.  I well
remember, a propos of a plate of salted almonds, trying to establish
whether nowadays one would be more likely to ask "khochesh'
mindalja?" or "khochesh' mindalju?", only to receive a long
explanation that in Russia they are generally sugared rather than
salted.  Of course "ja govorju na russkom jazyke" is perfectly good
Russian; only in certain contexts, no doubt totally different from
the one in which it was uttered by the original informant, it is not
what one is likely to say.

Incidentally, if there is a standard form of the language, then ipso
facto there may be non-standard forms, and one of the ways in
which these arise is through interference (the proper term -
interferencija in both Ukr. and Russ.) with other languages, so the
original query was quite legitimate, even if expressed in non-
standard terminology.
R.M.Cleminson, M.A., D.Phil.
Dept of Mediaeval Studies, Central European University
Post: H-1245 Budapest 5, P.O.B.1082
Phone: +361 327 3024   Fax: +361 327 3055
http://www.ceu.hu/medstud/ralph.htm