Navigating Russian Conversation: the devices we use to manage conversations

We don’t notice the devices we use to manage our own English conversations, we use them automatically. But they are there, in English and in Russian. We shall look at ways of communicating more effectively in Russian, using the devices that Russians use, rather than using sentences awkwardly created on English models. We shall look at hesitation phenomena, filler sequences, interrupting, enquiring, self-correcting and much more. If we have time we can look at some of the common contractions used in everyday speech. There will be a handout to take away, so that you don’t lose this most important knowledge.

This is another in a series of online talks by Andrew on the Russian language.

After hosting a number of free online talks since September 2020, the Trustees of the SCRSS decided to commence charging from the beginning of 2022. As an educational charity, the Society relies on the income from events to support its work. If you are not already a member, do please consider joining - see our website for more details. One of the key membership benefits is discounted tickets for all our events (online and in-person).

And remember, if you book for any of our online talks, you will receive a link to the recording which is valid for 30 days.

Andrew Jameson came top of course in Russian language and radio technology at the Joint Service Language School, and served in signals intelligence at Flugplatz Gatow in Berlin. At Oxford he played leading roles in Russian plays and first visited Russia when Khrushchev was in power.

At Essex University he formed part of a group who produced ground-breaking BBC Russian courses. At the same time he worked for the Nuffield-funded Russian Language Project, requiring two long stays in Russia as a sound recordist, collecting samples of different styles of Russian, and also set up a sound archive of Russian recordings.

Still in Russia he met prominent Russian linguists, and a number of well-known dissidents of the time. He was able to make further recordings on his own account of Russian bards, etc., and (most importantly) copies of readings at a Russian literary salon which included prominent writers, including Solzhenitsyn, Akhmatova, Ginzburg and others.

Next he moved to Portsmouth Polytechnic, helped design a new degree in Russian and recruited 25 students at the first intake, before moving to Lancaster University. During a long stay here he created with colleague Mike Kirkwood a well-designed beginners intensive language course to degree level, and developed interests in translation theory, Russian lexicology and substandard Russian (slang). On taking early retirement he worked in Russian AE as before and also as a professional translator, and lectured on English linguistics and English studies for periods of 1-2 months per year in universities in St Petersburg, Moscow and Khabarovsk/Birobidzhan.