Pronunciation of "Zdravstvyuitye"

[Nathan Longan]

Emily,
Сенька бери мяч
otherwise pronounced "Thank you very much."

As for funny pronunciation coincidences, how about the Russian word for
"boxwood"?  That made for one of the funniest English language excursions
ever.  The young guide couldn't remember the name of the wood that a certain
piece of furniture was made from so she just stuck the Russian word in,
hoping that it might fit.  It certainly fit, but not the way she thought it
would:

"Here we have an excellent example of a cabinet from a French workshop of
the 18th century.  The cabinet and all the details were painstakingly carved
from..., carved from ..., they were carved from, from, from ... самшит, for
a beautiful effect."

Well, the effect was indeed spectacular, and everyone learned (later) how to
say "boxwood" in Russian.  Boxwood (buxus) is just a bush so I'm not sure
how they actually built a cabinet from it, but it definitely livened up the
excursion.

NL

2008/3/5 Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com>:

> Thank you, Emily, for reintroducing a welcome note of humour into this
> discussion!
>
> Best Wishes,
>
> R.
>
>
>
>
> > Hello,
> >
> > I feel compelled to differ on the point that ribald or off-color
> > mnemonic devices are across the board 100% inappropriate.  It really
> > should depend upon the student group and the teacher's discretion.  A
> > class of high school students?  Probably best not to mention it.
> > British sailors?  It may serve to lighten the mood and produce a
> > chuckle.  Learning a language, in my opinion, is first and foremost
> > fun.  We do not just use language for cultural edification but also
> > for punning and joking with our fellow men (and women).
> >
> > So to lighten up this discussion a little I thought I might forward
> > along some "mnemonic-esque" devices that go the other way.  Perhaps
> > some of you have seen these before as they were circulating around the
> > internet a few years ago.  They're not exactly the same thing as the
> > donkey device, but close enough to be illustrative of the fun one can
> > have with wordplay.
> >
> > Emily Saunders
> >
> > P.S.  Having taught English to Russians (as I'm sure have many
> > SEELANGSovtsy, I can personally vouch for the fact that any question
> > beginning "Who is...?" tends to promote snickers -- at least initially
> > and then they get over it.
> >
> > P.P.S.  My apologies for a few off color words (or implied off color
> > words) in the list below.  Getting rid of them would lose the joke.
> > The last three may take some puzzling out...
> >
> > ***
> >
> > Genial Translations - Гениальные Переводы
> > Can you hear me?  --- Ты можешь меня здесь?
> > Manicure -- Деньги лечат
> > I'm just asking. -- Я всего лишь король жоп.
> > I have been there. -- У меня там фасоль
> > God only knows --- Единственный нос бога
> > We are the champions. -- Мы шампиньоны.
> > You feel alright? -- Ты справа всех чувствуешь
> > Bye bye baby, baby good bye. -- Купи купи ребенка,
> > ребенок хорошая покупка
> > To be or not to be -- Две пчелы или не две пчелы
> > I fell in love. -- Я свалился в любовь.
> > Just in case -- Только в портфеле
> > Oh, dear -- Ах, олень.
> > I saw my honey today. -- Я пилил мой мед сегодня.
> > I'm going to make you mine. -- Я иду копать тебе
> > шахту.
> > May God be with you -- Майская хорошая пчелка с
> > тобой.
> > Good products -- Бог на стороне уток
> > I've just seen your balance sheet -- Видел я ваш
> > баланс...так себе баланс
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mar 4, 2008, at 12:09 PM, Stephanie Sures wrote:
> >
> >> Agreed. It's sloppy. And, dare I suggest...culturally insulting.
> >>
> >> When I took my first Introductory Russian course over 5 years ago, we
> >> learned words simply by reading and hearing our professor say them.
> >> Drills,
> >> exercises, role-plays with classmates - with the words exactly as
> >> they were
> >> written, practising until we could say them in our sleep. There's no
> >> reason
> >> to lower ourselves to debasing any language with mockery. To do
> >> otherwise
> >> denotes a lack of respect and cultural sensitivity. Isn't a love of
> >> culture
> >> partly why we study languages other than our own?
> >>
> >> Consider how English speakers would feel if, in the course of
> >> teaching ESL
> >> to non-English speakers, a phrase in another language was rendered so
> >> crudely. I don't think we would stand for it. Wouldn't we be
> >> bothered by it?
> >>
> >> Stephanie Sures
> >> B.A., Russian; Honours Psychology student
> >> University of Manitoba, Canada
> >>
> >>
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-- 
Nathan Longan, PhD
Resident Director
CIEE Study Center
St. Petersburg, Russia