Where do they study Russian in Europe? What place does the Russian language occupy in terms of prevalence in the world?

Russian is one of the most complex languages. Those who learn it as a foreign language are looking for clues: what words you can fall in love with in Russian, what cannot be found in analogues in your native language, the meaning of which words are easy to guess. Orient themselves as best they can in wonderful world Cyrillic alphabet, conjugations and cases. We unearthed the strangest and most interesting life hacks of those for whom Russian is not their native language.

Just add "-ova"

When you get tired and forget all your lexicon, just put “-ova” at the end of any English verb“and pray to the gods of cross-cultural communication,” as he writes 29 Things You Will Only Understand If You Studied BuzzFeed journalist Susie Armytage, who studied Russian.

If “start” is a real word, then the possibilities are endless.

Susie Armytage, BuzzFeed journalist

"Y" is like the sound of a blow to the stomach

Some sounds are especially difficult for foreigners. The French, for example, learn to pronounce “x” from scratch. There is no such sound in their language, and instead of the familiar words we get “kleb”, “cow breeder” and “kalva”. Everyone has a hard time with “s”. “Imagine that you have just been kicked in the stomach, then you will get the perfect Russian ‘y’,” the professor taught the American Armytage.

“Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! Y! Y!” - you howl like a bunch of drunken sea lions.

Susie Armytage

Three friends that will drive you crazy: "ch", "sh" and "sh"

"For what?" and “For what?” - These are the questions asked by people who are getting acquainted with Russian consonants for the first time. It's easy to confuse "sh", "sch" and "ch" when the sounds are new to you, and as a result, native speakers do not understand you at all. You need the Shukhovskaya tower, I asked for directions, as best I could, I arrived at the Shchukinskaya station. This is the norm.

What do you mean? Open the box? Ah, "box".

Susie Armytage

Cases teach humility

Everyone who learns Russian goes through levels of humility. It looks like this: first you teach, then you teach some more, then you learn a little more, you start to feel confident, and then you make mistakes in the cases. The only way to stay calm and carry on is to learn humility.

Six synonyms for to go

A challenging challenge for an international student is to write a short story about a walk around the city. In order to tell it, you will have to use six different verbs instead of native to go: “go”, “go”, “go out”, “go around”, “cross” and “enter”. To indicate the scale of the tragedy, let us recall that in Russian the glass is on the table, but the fork is lying.

Armytage says that written texts in Russian have a special status for a foreigner. Firstly, no matter how hard you try to write beautifully, it will turn out like a third grader. Secondly, you still won’t be able to read texts handwritten by native speakers for quite some time. Third, you will likely become much worse at handwriting in your native language. A vicious circle.

Polite phrases seem rude to Russians

It seems strange to native English speakers that their usual way of asking for something is, for example, to place an order in a cafe ( I would like a cup of coffee, please. - “I would like a cup of coffee, please.”), seems rude to native Russian speakers, as if the person is putting on airs.

Instead of “Could you pass me the salt, please,” foreigners learn to say with imperative moods: “Please pass me the salt.” Russians learning English suffer from being considered rude by native speakers.

The harmless “Please pass me the salt” in English sounds like an ultimatum: “Pass me the salt, please.”

“Piss” and “write” - a trap for a beginner

The sphere of the Russian language for a foreigner is a breeding ground for awkward situations. Due to the consonance of the words “circumcision” and “education”, the bizarre change of emphasis in the word “write” depending on the meaning, many newcomers find themselves smiling when talking with Russians. Of course, you can understand what is meant, but it’s difficult to resist laughing.

If you want to be understood, pronounce English words with an accent

Western brands, penetrating the Russian market, begin a new linguistic life. The most striking example is Nike. For decades we bought Nike sneakers, while everyone in the US, UK and other countries called the company Nike. It is curious that in Russian-dubbed films, translators still leaned towards the folk version.

To order Sprite or Long Island in a Russian bar, Armytage writes, you must name the drinks with a harsh Russian accent, otherwise they won’t understand. Well, or just point your finger, it often makes life much easier. It is also difficult for many English speakers to realize that all their lives they have been incorrectly calling the main one from Russia and saying “vadka”.

Take care of others - call yourself in Russian

“If you say your name the way you are used to doing it, people in Russia will not understand you or will still say it incorrectly,” complains Susie Armytage. It's especially hard, she notes, for people with names like Seth or Ruth. Ruth? Rude? What?! Which is correct?!

“Yacht Club”, “copier” and “body shaming” as a big greeting from home

In the Russian language there are many borrowings from English and simply similar words: we really start, finish, flirt and invest. There are especially many such words that have come into use recently: “post”, “google”, do “research”. Therefore, when a student studying Russian, after cramming cases and stresses, comes across this, his soul becomes a little calmer.

“White Hand” and “lawlessness”: words and their unique meanings

Many concepts familiar to us seem strange to foreigners, although accurate. They cannot find synonyms for them in their own language. Business Insider leads 9 Incredibly Useful Russian Words With No English Equivalent a few of these words: “melancholy”, “vulgarity”, “being”, “lawlessness”, “why”, “sushnyak”, “white hand”.

“Slippers” as a reason to fall in love with the Russian language

Many people find new words touching when they start learning Russian. Some people find the “front garden” charming instead garden, for some - the “pillow” that is under the ear, and the “eye gauge”. Katherine Sperling for the foreign language magazine Babbel told 8 Russian Words We Should Be Using In English about which of them sank into her soul.

In first place are “slippers.” Against the background of the English version house slippers our word contains something more.

The very sound “top-top-top” that is heard when you walk is even in their name and refers to the verb “to stomp”. That's why the word "slippers" has crept into my speech when I speak English or German.

Katherine Sperling, studying Russian

Following the “slippers” is the “hedgehog”. In English these animals are strictly called: “hedgehogs” ( hedgehogs). There is no diminutive form for them; the word is often added for this purpose little, and it turns out cuter: “little hedgehog.” But, says Sperling, the affectionate "hedgehog" perfectly reflects appearance animal.

The multifaceted word "so"

“So” has a special magic - an adverb, conjunction, particle and introductory word rolled into one. Sperling notes that the short “so” contains many tones. If you need a minute to think, say “so.” If you want to seem formidable, say “so.” Do you want to draw attention to the problem? "So"!

“So” I learned from my husband’s grandmother. I still don’t speak Russian fluently enough, so our communication often goes downhill. When we both decide to give up, she says “so,” which means: “Everything is fine, at least we both agree that there is no use in trying to explain further.” When we understand each other, she also says “that way,” that is, “Yeah, great.” A word for all occasions, that's why I like it.

Katherine Sperling

No, probably not

Besides the fact that the passage itself from “no, probably” can drive a meticulous person crazy, a foreigner needs to cope with it. But those who, studying Russian, take its tricks into their arsenal and begin to use them themselves, get special pleasure. A foreigner who has learned to say “no, I guess” appropriately is already almost a native speaker.

What surprises you about the Russian language? Share in the comments.

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June 5, 2017

Every year more and more people arrive in the Russian Federation foreign citizens. In this regard, the problem of training them is becoming more urgent. Russian language. This is no coincidence, because some of them remain to live in Russia. That is why it is very important to know how to help a foreigner who wants to learn Russian.

You can find some supporting information on this issue on our website.

Why do foreigners learn Russian?

Residents of many countries Lately They actively began to study the Russian language. For example, US government agencies give preference to specialists who know Russian. In addition, the number of foreign students in Russian universities, especially technical ones, is increasing every year. This is due to the fact that it is believed that only in Russia can one obtain a decent technical education. This is why many foreign students learn Russian. Many people choose medical universities. This is no coincidence, because in many countries a doctor is a prestigious and highly paid profession. On the territory of the Russian Federation, foreign students can not only get decent medical education, but also save significantly on it, because in some countries it is the most expensive.

The role of the Russian Federation in the global economy is increasing every year. Some residents foreign countries learn Russian in order to open up new opportunities in various fields of activity. In many large companies knowledge of it is mandatory. This is necessary in order to cooperate and negotiate with Russian organizations.

Russian language also plays important role in the personal lives of foreigners. It is known that some of them dream of marrying a Russian girl. Knowing the language allows you to carry on a conversation without much difficulty.

Russian words and phrases that foreigners learn first

In order to understand how to teach Russian to foreigners, you need to find out which words and phrases you need to pay attention to first. Thanks to studying this information, a foreigner will not find himself in an absurd situation.

— First of all, you need to learn the numbers. There are cases where unscrupulous sellers and taxi drivers charge foreigners more for the service provided than they charge native residents.

— It is also important to learn phrases that are difficult to understand. “No, probably” is a common sentence for us, which bewilders almost all foreigners. This is no coincidence, because it immediately combines three possible answers to the question. An experienced and qualified teacher can help you understand it. When teaching, almost every Russian language teacher for foreigners explains that such a phrase means that a person does not know the answer to a question or is not sure of it.

- It is also important to learn words that indicate direction, such as “up”, “left”, “there”, “here” and others. Thanks to this, you can easily explain to the taxi driver where to go. Knowing such words also helps to understand passers-by whose help a foreigner will need if he gets lost.

Most complex rules Russian language

It is no coincidence that the Russian language seems difficult for foreigners. There are many rules that they cannot understand. They need to be studied by foreign citizens who want to learn Russian, first of all.

The most difficult thing for a foreigner is the basics of conjugating Russian words. For example: mouth - in the mouth. Many foreign residents cannot immediately understand where the vowel disappears from the middle of the word. That is why, not knowing the basic rules, they most often say: “To the company.”

Many letters of the alphabet familiar to us also seem strange to foreigners. They don't understand why it contains several variations of the same letter that sound slightly different. These include e and e, sh and shch, b and b. The letter “s” also causes a lot of difficulties. It is almost impossible to explain her pronunciation. This also applies to hard and soft signs.

Russian language and its study. A few nuances

Not every experienced teacher knows how to teach Russian to foreigners. The standard training program is not suitable for students and migrant workers. It is important that the teacher is fluent not only in Russian, but also in the one that the foreigner considers native. It is recommended to conduct the first lessons individually. The student can attend group classes only after a couple of months. This training scheme will be the most productive.

According to experts, it is important that a foreigner attend classes at least 3 times a week. The duration of the course is usually up to 160 teaching hours.

Initial stage of study

First stage. Any Russian language program for a foreigner begins with learning the alphabet. It is important to spend enough time on the problematic letters that we described earlier.

The next stage is the basics of reading. Experienced teachers recommend putting up colored stickers with basic words around the house. This will make it easier to remember them. When the student has mastered the Russian alphabet and reading, teachers begin to study grammar, phonetics and speech development with him.

On initial stage a foreigner may prefer group classes and feel comfortable doing so. It is important that the teacher explains to him what it is ambiguous words. He must understand their use in a particular context. It is important that the teacher communicates with a foreigner in Russian as often as possible. All the tips described will allow a foreigner to achieve maximum results in their studies as quickly as possible.

Self-instruction manual

Not every foreigner wants to study new language with the teacher. Some undergo training for self-development. The Russian language tutorial for foreigners is an excellent option for those who want to learn a new language without any help.

Today there are a lot of video and audio tutorials. Thanks to them it is possible without special labor and monetary costs to master the Russian language in a few months. You can engage in such self-development at any time of the day. However, this method also has disadvantages. As a rule, foreigners do not fully understand some rules. In this case, you will need the help of a qualified teacher.

Language classes

Often foreigners prefer to study Russian special courses. They have both positive and negative sides.

The advantages of language courses include:

high professional level of teachers;

group form of classes;

motivation.

Language courses also have disadvantages:

high price;

time reference.

Every year more and more foreigners choose language courses to study Russian. This method of learning is not suitable for everyone, but is considered one of the most effective.

Some "oddities" of the Russian language

— The Russian alphabet is strange in itself. Some letters in it are exactly the same as in Latin, but others look the same but sound completely different. And two more letters - “ъ” and “ь” — do not have their own sounds, why are they needed at all?

- The letter "E" can represent two different sounds: [y’e] and [y’o]. That is, for [y'o] there is a separate letter, E, but these two dots are almost never written, so it turns out not E, but E. You can get confused.

- IN modern language the word “comrade” is no longer used, so Russians are left without a special word of address to another person or group of people. Sometimes you can hear “ladies and gentlemen,” but this sounds somewhat pretentious and unnatural, and the word “citizen” is official. People can use "man, woman, girl" but it's a bit rude. Over the past 20 years, Russians have not been able to decide how to address other people, so in each situation they choose the most appropriate address.

— The verb “to be” is not used in the present tense. But in the future and past it is used.

— Word order in Russian is considered free, but this does not mean that you can put words as you want. The meaning of a sentence and its stylistic coloring can radically depend on the order of words. For example, the phrase “I’m going home” literally means “I’m going home” (although, of course, a lot depends on the intonation), but in the phrase “I’m going home” the emphasis is on the fact that I’m going home, and not somewhere. then there's more. And the message “I’m going home” means that it is “I” who is going home, and not you or anyone else. Everyone else stays here and works! So in Russian, the meaning of a message depends on what you want to say, and this is achieved through word order and intonation.

- To turn a sentence into general question, you don’t need to change anything at all, just the intonation. "Are you home." - this is a statement, a statement of fact; and “Are you home?” - already a question.

- The numerals “one” and “two” change according to gender, but the rest do not: one boy, one girl, two girls, two boys, but three boys and three girls.

- The numerals “one”, “thousand”, “million”, “billion” form plural(ones, thousands, millions, billions), other cardinal and collective numerals do not have the category of number.

- In the past tense, verbs have a gender, but in the present and future they do not.

Play - he played, she played; he plays, she plays.

— Russian nouns have “animacy”! This means that some "animate" nouns are considered more animate than inanimate ones. For example, in the Russian language the word “dead” is considered animate in comparison with the same reality of reality, designated by the word “corpse”:

see who? – a dead man, but what do I see? - dead body.

- A two-letter word in which you can make 8 mistakes - “cabbage soup.” Russian Empress Catherine the Great, while still German princess Sophie, wrote a simple Russian word“cabbage soup” like this: “schtschi”, and these are 8 letters, all of which are incorrect!

- Five letters of the alphabet in a row G D E E F form the sentence: “Where is the hedgehog?”

- A completely complete sentence can consist of only verbs, for example: “We sat there and decided to send them to buy a drink.”

— How can you explain to a foreigner what you’re talking about? we're talking about: “Behind the sandy spit, the lop-eared scythe fell under the sharp scythe of a woman with a scythe.”

— And another linguistic “explosion” for a foreigner:
Anything to drink? There is something to drink, there is no food.

- What would it mean: “We barely ate, ate, ate”? It’s simple: very slowly (barely) some trees ate (that is, ate) other trees.

Or this:

— Foreigners are very surprised how “they don’t get around to looking.”

“I over-salted the borscht and over-did it with salt—it’s the same thing.”

The speakers were mostly subjects of the Russian Empire. In total, there are about 150 million Russian-speaking people in the world. During the Soviet era, Russian was compulsory in schools and had the status of a state language, and therefore the number of people speaking it increased. By the beginning of perestroika, about 350 million people spoke Russian, most of whom lived in the territory Soviet Union.

After the collapse of the USSR, the number of people whose main language of communication was Russian decreased. By 2005, 140 million people spoke it in Russia, and about 278 million in the world. This language is the native language of 130 million people living in the Russian Federation, and for 26.4 million of those who permanently reside in the Baltic countries and the CIS republics. Just over 114 million people on the planet speak Russian as a second language or have learned it as a foreign language. The W3Techs company conducted a study in March 2013, during which it turned out that Russian is the second most common language on the Internet. Only English surpassed it.

In 2006, the journal Demoscope published the research of the director of scientific work Center for Sociological Research of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia A.L. Arefieva. He claims that the Russian language is losing its position in the world. In a new study, “The Russian language at the turn of the 20th-21st centuries,” which was published in 2012, the scientist predicts a weakening of positions. He believes that by 2020-2025 it will be spoken by about 215 million people, and by 2050 - about 130 million. In the countries of the former Soviet Union local languages elevated to state status, the decrease in the number of Russian-speaking people in the world is associated with the demographic crisis.

Russian is considered one of the most translated languages ​​in the world. According to the electronic translation register database Index Translationum, it is currently in 7th place.

Official status of the Russian language

In Russia Russian is official state language. In Belarus it also has state status, but shares position with the Belarusian language, in South Ossetia - with Ossetian, in Transnistria - with Ukrainian and Moldavian.

In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Abkhazia, as well as a number of administrative-territorial units of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, office work is carried out on. In Tajikistan it is used in lawmaking and is recognized as a language interethnic communication. According to the laws of the American state of New York, some documents related to elections must be translated into Russian without fail. Russian is the working or official language of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation of Europe, Shanghai organization cooperation, Eurasian economic society, International organization on standardization and others.

In the 20th century, the Russian language entered the list of world (global) languages, which was spoken by just over 350 million people. The spread of the Russian language has been going on since the activities of Russian Empire, and then the USSR. On this moment Russian is the native language of approximately 165 million citizens of the Russian Federation, citizens former countries CIS and Baltics. About 120 million more citizens know it as a second or foreign language

In 2013, the Russian language took second place in terms of its use on the Internet.

Countries where Russian is the official language:

• Belarus (along with the Belarusian language)

  South Ossetia(along with Ossetian)

  Transnistrian Moldavian Republic (along with Moldavian and Ukrainian)

  DPR and LPR (along with Ukrainian)

Countries where Russian is taught as a foreign language

In modern states post-Soviet space Russian as a second language (native or foreign) is studied in the following types of schools:

• Russian as a native language: from the 1st grade - Russian-language schools of the “national minority” in Ukraine, Moldova, the Baltic countries or Russian-language schools with the study of Russian as a second state language in Belarus;
• Russian as a “second native” language - Belarusian schools;
• Russian as a second language: from 2nd grade - Kyrgyz, Kazakh schools and Armenian schools with in-depth teaching of the Russian language;
• Russian as a foreign language: from the 5th, 6th, 7th, and even from the 10th grade - the Baltic countries, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Moldova. In the Baltic countries, the possibility of studying Russian as a first foreign language is formally retained, but in fact it is studied by choice (as a second or third foreign language.
• Bilingual schools, in which some subjects are taught in Russian, and 40% (and higher) in the language of the titular nation - Latvia, Estonia;
• Mixed schools, in which there are classes taught in Russian and in the language of the titular nation.

They are interested in studying Russian in China, Mongolia, Vietnam, and other countries where they see Russia as a reliable economic partner. Applicants show great interest in learning Russian Russian universities from Africa. However, despite the aggressive anti-Russian propaganda, there has been a surge of interest in the Russian language in the USA and Austria, where in Vienna alone in two years the number of schools where the Russian language is studied has increased from 9 to 24.

Russian language courses are conducted at 63 representative offices in 56 countries.

Prevalence and study of the Russian language in countries Western Europe(as of 2004)

Countries	Number of Russian diaspora, people		Number of medium educational institutions teaching Russian language	Number of students, people	Number of universities where Russian is studied	Number of students, people
Great Britain
Germany
Ireland
Luxembourg
Netherlands
Norway
Portugal
Finland
Switzerland

Prevalence and study of the Russian language in countries North America, Australia and New Zealand, 2004

Countries	Number of people who speak Russian, people	Number of secondary educational institutions where Russian is studied	Number of students, people	Number of universities where Russian language is studied	Number of students, people
Australia
New Zealand

Russian language in European countries, USA, Canada is the language of emigration

Russian language in Eastern European and Balkan countries. The second most important region in terms of the prevalence of the Russian language outside Russia has traditionally been the states of Eastern Europe- allies of the Soviet Union who were part of the member countries of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the Warsaw Pact organization, that is, united general economic, political and military interests, as well as, in most cases, general Slavic culture. Widespread use of Soviet industrial and military equipment(and, accordingly, its maintenance), intensive economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation made it necessary to study the Russian language as the main means of communication within the above-mentioned organizations. Suffice it to say that the Russian language was compulsory subject education in secondary schools and universities in Eastern Europe and was clearly in privileged position in relation to other competing foreign languages ​​(English, French, German), millions of people also studied it in Russian language courses outside the academic sector. Russian was also the most popular foreign language in Yugoslavia. In the Soviet Union itself, up to 1/4 of all foreign students were citizens of Eastern European countries.

After the collapse of the USSR, the liquidation of CMEA and the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact organization, as well as the sharp weakening of Russia’s economic ties with Eastern European states and their reorientation towards political, economic, scientific, technical and cultural cooperation with the EU, as well as the USA, the prestige of the Russian language and its practical significance have declined sharply, and the number of people actively owning or studying it, within or outside the academic sector, has also dropped significantly. So, if in 1990, according to our estimates, in Eastern European countries, including the republics of the SFRY, there were 44 million people who knew Russian, then 15 years later there were 19 million of them, and those who actively spoke Russian - no more than 1/3 of this numbers. The rest speak passively, that is, they still understand oral and written speech and with certain difficulties can be explained at the everyday level.

The decline in the number of schoolchildren, gymnasium students, lyceum students, and vocational school students in Eastern European and Balkan countries studying Russian was also dramatic - from 10 million in 1990 to 935 thousand in the 2004/2005 academic year. For example, in Poland, the number of Russian language learners decreased almost 10 times between 1992 and 2004 - from more than 4 million in 1992 to 500 thousand in 2004. In Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, it almost completely disappeared from school programs(it is taught today as one of the foreign 0.1% to 1% of students in a given group of countries, and Russian ranks on average only third in popularity among other foreign languages ​​- after English and German) (see Table 2).

Table 2. Prevalence and learning of the Russian language in Eastern European and Balkan countries

Countries	Number of Russian-speaking diaspora in 2004, thousand people	Number of people who spoke Russian, thousand people		Number of secondary educational institutions where Russian is studied	Number of students studying Russian, thousand people	Number of universities where Russian language is studied	Number of students studying Russian, thousand people
		1990	2004
Albania		50000	20000
Bulgaria	150000	7000000	4500000		232000		2000
Bosnia and Herzegovina	No data	700000	10000		3500
Hungary	20000	2800000	300000		21500
Macedonia		50000	10000		2400
Poland	9000	20000000	7000000	5000	487000		15500
Romania	120000	250000	125000		2000
Slovakia	10000	2500000	500000		42000		3000
Slovenia	No data	25000	5000
Czech	30000	3000000	1450000		12000
Serbia	40000	6800000	4900000	2500	131400
Montenegro	5000	350000	200000		1000
Croatia	No data	500000	40000
Total	384700	44025000	19060000	8829	934,94		24060

The dynamics of the number of schoolchildren studying Russian in Bulgaria is somewhat different: having decreased over 10 years (from 1991 to 2001), as in many other Western European countries, by 10 times (from 1 million to 100 thousand people), this figure has increased over the past 3 years almost doubled (up to 180 thousand) and, together with those studying Russian in technical schools and colleges (52 thousand), is already almost a quarter of a million people. It should be noted, however, that the majority of Bulgarian schoolchildren started last years to learning Russian only as a second or even third foreign language.

In system higher education Eastern European and Balkan countries, the Russian language is almost “lost” - it is studied today as a specialty in the departments of Russian studies (Russian language and literature) or as one of the foreign languages ​​of only 24 thousand students in this group of countries (in the late 1980s, Russian was mastered they have about 1 million students).

A major role in the promotion of the Russian language and culture was traditionally played by graduates of Soviet (Russian) universities - both civilian and military (there were about 150 thousand of them in this group of states), united in national alumni associations. Unfortunately, after the breakup Eastern bloc and the USSR, many of these associations ceased to exist, and their former activists tried not to advertise the fact of their studies in the USSR, as well as their knowledge of the Russian language, so as not to be classified as “agents of influence of Moscow.” The number of boys and girls from Eastern European and Balkan countries coming to study in Russia has also sharply decreased: in the 2002/2003 academic year, there were just over one thousand of them in full-time departments of Russian universities, which was only 1.5% of the total number of foreign citizens , who studied full-time in the Russian higher school(V Soviet period specific gravity immigrants from socialist countries among foreign students reached 23%).

According to our forecasts, if the current volume of economic, scientific and technical ties with Russian Federation, the number of people who speak Russian, due to the lack of incentives for its use in the group of states under consideration, will be reduced by half in 10 years, that is, to approximately 10 million people, of whom actively speak the language (that is, constantly or periodically use it in work, study or everyday life) no more than 5 million people will be able to (mainly in Poland, but also in Bulgaria and Serbia), while the rest will steadily lose their previous language skills.

Russian language in Western European countries. The peak of interest in the Russian language and culture in Western European countries was the late 1980s, which was associated with the so-called perestroika and certain expectations from it.

At this time, due to the greater openness of the USSR, the influx of foreign tourists and various specialists into Russia increased, in Western countries The number of Russian language learners has increased noticeably in educational institutions and in language courses. In the early 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR, interest in Russia, which no longer had the international status that the USSR had, fell sharply.

In almost all countries of Western Europe during the 1990s, the number of schoolchildren studying Russian was also declining (for example, in Sweden and Switzerland it decreased by 1/4, in Germany - by 2 times, in France - by 2.5 times , in Norway - 3 times, in the Netherlands - 5 times). At the same time, Russian in most cases is not the first, but the second or even third foreign language studied. For example, in Finland, only 0.3% of all schoolchildren chose Russian as their first foreign language, while 5% chose Russian as a second (optional) language; in France, out of 14 thousand students in secondary educational institutions studying Russian, only 4 thousand, or 28%, master it as a first language, 32% as a second and 40% as a third.

As a rule, at least half of Western European schoolchildren studying Russian are children of emigrants from the Soviet Union or Russia, as well as other CIS and Baltic countries.

In general, the Russian language in Western European countries is currently studied by about 225 thousand schoolchildren, gymnasium students, and lyceum students in almost 11 thousand secondary educational institutions (before the early 1990s, the number of Western European schoolchildren who studied Russian as a foreign language was over 550 thousand people). The number of schoolchildren studying Russian in Western European countries is more than 4 times less than in Eastern European and Balkan countries (935 thousand people).

In higher education in Western Europe, 28.5 thousand undergraduate and graduate students master the Russian language. They study at 178 universities, most of which are located in Germany, France and the UK, where the largest Russian-speaking communities are located (Table 3). It is noteworthy that the number of students studying Russian in Western European universities is even slightly higher than the number of Russian studies students studying Russian as a foreign language in Eastern European and Balkan universities (a total of 24 thousand people).

Table 3. Prevalence and learning of the Russian language in Western European countries (as of 2004)

Countries	Number of Russian diaspora, people		Number of secondary educational institutions teaching Russian language	Number of students, people	Number of universities where Russian is studied	Number of students, people
Austria	10000	15000		4500		3000
Belgium	2000	3000				4000
Great Britain	200000	250000				1000
Germany	3000000	6000000	9700	190000		9000
Greece	350000	450000		1500
Denmark	5000	6000
Ireland	1000	1500
Spain	60000	75000		1600
Italy	1200	25000
Cyprus	25000	40000
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands	50000	70000
Norway	4000	6000
Portugal	150000	155000
Finland	30000	50000		9000		1000
France	550000	700000		14000		6000
Switzerland	7000	10000		1600
Sweden	15000	95000
Total	4384735	7952100	10919	224853		28513

The Russian-speaking community, formed from several waves of emigration, can to a certain extent contribute to maintaining interest in the Russian language and culture in Western European countries. Its population, according to our estimates, is 4.3 million people, the largest part of whom live in Germany, France, Greece, Great Britain, Portugal, and Spain (Table 3). Wherein greatest contribution As a rule, “old” emigrants - descendants of those who came to Europe many decades ago - contribute to the development of Russian culture in the far abroad within the framework of the activities of friendship societies and associations of compatriots.

The total number of residents who speak Russian to one degree or another in Western European countries is currently 7.9 million people. Despite a certain decline in interest in Russia and the Russian language among citizens of Western European countries, a reduction in the number of students studying Russian in the system of secondary and higher education, the total number of those who know Russian compared to the end of the 1980s not only did not decrease, but even increased slightly thanks to migration factor: Germany alone received more than two million emigrants from former USSR- predominantly ethnic Germans from Kazakhstan and Russia, as well as many migrants from Ukraine (whose number in Germany is more than half a million people). However, as recent immigrants from Russia, the CIS and Baltic countries integrate into Western society, their role in maintaining the interest of the population of these countries in the Russian language and culture will decrease. It should also be taken into account that in contrast to the first wave of Russian emigration caused by emergency circumstances (threat to life) (1917 - 1920s), whose representatives made great efforts to preserve national traditions, religion, spiritual values, culture (in families they tried to speak only Russian), participants in the latest (post-Soviet), pragmatic emigration, tend to assimilate as quickly as possible in recipient countries, voluntarily losing their national identity, and without their own practical benefit not to advertise their Russian origin ( about the effectiveness of their propaganda Russian culture and, as a rule, there is no need to speak Russian).

Russian language in North America, Australia and New Zealand. In the countries of North America, Australia and Oceania, a total of 4.1 million people speak Russian (mainly in the USA and Canada). Interest in the Russian language, as in European countries, reached its peak in 1989-1991 (for example, in the USA in 1980, 24 thousand people studied Russian, and in the 1990/1991 academic year - 45 thousand), after which interest in it fell, but then gradually began to revive in the early 2000s.

In the secondary education system, Russian as a foreign language is currently taught in a limited number of schools (about 120 in total), where less than 8 thousand schoolchildren study it. In addition to the secondary education system, children and adolescents also study the Russian language in Sunday schools at Orthodox parishes And public organizations and associations (this form of training covers several thousand people). The Russian language is represented much more widely in the higher education system. In this group of states, a total of about 30 thousand students study it in more than 200 universities (Table 4).

Table 4. Prevalence and learning of the Russian language in North America, Australia and New Zealand, 2004

Countries	Number of people who speak Russian, people	Number of secondary educational institutions where Russian is studied	Number of students, people	Number of universities where Russian language is studied	Number of students, people
Australia
New Zealand

3 - Mutual trips (mainly of a tourist nature) between Poles and Russians largely contribute to maintaining a fairly wide prevalence of the Russian language in Poland. For example, in 2003 and 2004, an average of 1.2 million Poles visited Russia and, accordingly, 650-670 thousand Russians visited Poland. -