January 01, 2014 Yanukovich Takes a Banya The Ukraine-Russia-EU fracas had this columnist thinking about banyas and banya language...
November 01, 2013 Verbs Take a Holiday A look at a four verbs that have had their meanings warped in recent years. Useful stuff to know so that you don't inadvertently order a hit when at the restaurant... Language
September 01, 2013 Oba-na, Snowden! Edward Snowden's arrival in Russia was a cause of discomfort for its leaders, but it is a great pretext for considering all sorts of linguistic pearls related to spying and whistleblowing.
July 01, 2013 Prime Diminutives Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said he doesn't mind being called "Dimon." Not very leader-like, says Survival Russian columnist Mikhail Ivanov.
May 01, 2013 Have Tongue Will Travel Not surprisingly, there is a lot one can say about the tongue with, well, the Russian tongue...
March 01, 2013 Sporting Portyanki A look at portyanki, telnyashki and other mysteries of military garb.
January 01, 2013 Goats, Ribs and Suitcases The head of the CIA and the Russian Defense Minister both fell from grace within weeks of one another, and both because of infidelity scandals. Sounds like a good pretext for a column...
November 01, 2012 Friend or Foe? A consideration of the language of enemies and whether Russia is, as Mitt Romney has averred, the US's chief geopolitical foe. Language
July 01, 2012 A Twist in My Insobriety A sober examination of some of the language of sobriety - trezvost.
May 01, 2012 Just Between Us A consideration of less than politesse descriptions of the other sex - what men say about women and what women say about men, when they are each speaking to those of their own gender... Language
March 01, 2012 Out of the Blue Navigating the two different words for "blue" and their many hues in meaning.
January 01, 2012 Fending off Demyan How to handle that common situation in Russian: too much hospitality...
