Brat ’ ili ne brat’?

[Richard Robin]

Брать курс may be an English calque, but it is catching on quickly, and I
suspect it is just a matter of time before it enters the general language. I
usually hear this phrase plenty of times in Russia, but always from those
who are talking about experiences in the U.S., e.g. Когда я была в
Вашингтоне, я брал курсы по... Whenever I hear брать курс, I always ask, "Is
this a fully accepted phrase yet?" The answer is usually something like:
"Yes, to describe an American college experience."

The question is, as Russia moves to a more generalized four-year system of
higher education, will брать курс become legitimized for the Russian
experience? I bet yes, but not before I retire.

2010/8/13 Iaroslav Pankovskyi <yasicus at rambler.ru>

> "Brat'" is an English calque. It is very common though in lexicon of
> Russian speaking students in English speaking countries.
> Therefore it may sound familiar and right to you.
>
>
-- 
Richard M. Robin, Ph.D.
Director Russian Language Program
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052
202-994-7081
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Russkiy tekst v UTF-8

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