Russian keyboards

[Jules Levin]

On 4/30/2013 3:30 PM, Genevra Gerhart wrote:
>
> The argument against a phonetic keyboard is that you'll have grave 
> difficulties with a Russian keyboard in Russia.
>
This whole discussion is a rerun, and it ignores the reality of 2013.  
It is like watching a Simpsons rerun from 1992.  I assume that a student 
in Russia will have a personal electronic writing machine with any 
number of keyboards installed, according to the desires of the student.  
Since all keyboard arrangements are more or less arbitrary, there is no 
inherent virtue in the Standard vs. a phonetic keyboard.  The goals of 
the individual student should determine the choice.  Even if one can 
learn a second keyboard, why invest the time unless one derives 
aesthetic pleasure from such learning.  [This is not sarcastic:  I hate 
driving and would hate to have to learn a new way of driving in a 
Russian car, but I actually enjoy the act of typing, which I learned 
about 60 years ago.  And I love how fast I can type Russian on my 
phonetic keyboard.]
The last time this came up, it was decided that if an American wanted to 
get a job in a Russian office it would make sense to learn the Standard 
keyboard, but now I think even this reason is Simpsons-1992.  Imagine 
that I am an office manager in Moscow, and for some reason (bilingual in 
Russian and English?) I want to hire an American for the summer.  Why?  
Aside from getting an English speaker who can type letters in English, 
perhaps there is some cachet in having an attractive young American 
person in my office.  Only this attractive young American informs me 
that s/he only knows the phonetic keyboard.  What do I say?  I say, 
well, can you install this keyboard on the computer you will be using?  
Need I go on...?
So in the end, there is absolutely NO reason to learn the standard 
keyboard anymore.
Jules Levin (who obviously enjoys typing...)
Los Angeles






> I've  learned it quite possible to keep both keyboards in my hands, or 
> wherever else they are stored.
>
> *From:* SEELANGS: Slavic & East European Languages and Literatures 
> list [mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU] *On Behalf Of *William Derbyshire
> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 30, 2013 3:10 PM
> *To:* SEELANGS at LISTSERV.UA.EDU
> *Subject:* Re: [SEELANGS] Russian keyboards
>
> Honest to goodness............ can't someone answer the question 
> instead of questioning why
>
> a person should use this that or the next keyboard? There are 
> perfectly good reasons for
>
> someone wanting to use a phonetic keyboard without having to justify 
> them to other people.
>
> Bill Derbyshire
>
> In a message dated 4/30/2013 4:04:02 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, 
> razumnaya.anna at GMAIL.COM writes:
>
>     I use a phonetic keyboard, and the reason is that having learned
>     to type in English first, I was always reaching for the wrong keys
>     when typing in Russian. Getting one's motor memory to distinguish
>     between two keyboard patterns seems to me quite a task, and it has
>     nothing to do with learning the language.
>
>     Best wishes,
>
>     AR
>
>     On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 5:56 PM, Sarah Hurst
>     <sarahhurst at alaska.net <mailto:sarahhurst at alaska.net>> wrote:
>
>     I would like to reply to everyone on this. Why is a phonetic
>     keyboard wanted in a language lab? Shouldn't students learn to
>     type using the normal Russian keyboard layout?
>
>     Sarah Hurst
>
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