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TYPICAL STEREOTYPES ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN CULTURE, RUSSIAN CHARACTER.
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Transcript of TYPICAL STEREOTYPES ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN CULTURE, RUSSIAN CHARACTER.
TYPICAL STEREOTYPES
ABOUT RUSSIA, RUSSIAN
CULTURE, RUSSIAN
CHARACTER.
•HOW YOU UNDERSTAND THE WORD “SYMBOL”?
•WHAT RUSSIAN SYMBOLS DO YOU KNOW?
Symbols - the official and non-official, propagandistic –and- stereotyped, and linguistic- and -cultural symbols play an important role in formation of a country and a nation’s image; they build up its recognition. Symbols of Russia and Russians are quite diverse. There are only three official, i.e. authorized by law, symbols of the state - the flag, emblem and anthem. The number of informal symbols, which are often much more famous and popular, could be divided into the following groups:
Propagandistic- and- stereotyped symbols created by foreigners
•THEY USUALLY SUPPORT THE SOCIAL MYTHS AND POLITICAL ILLUSIONS (BEAR, VODKA, KGB,
KALASHNIKOV’S GUN) AND RELATED TO NATIONAL CULTURE: МАТРЕШКА
(MATRESHKA), БАЛАЛАЙКА (BALALAIKA), САМОВАР
(SAMOVAR), ШАПКА-УШАНКА, ТРОЙКА (TROIKA).
ONLY RUSSIAN SYMBOLS WITH NATIONAL CONNOTATIONS:
• HISTORICAL
• CULTURAL
• LINGUISTIC-AND -CROSS-CULTURAL.
SUCH SPECIAL RUSSIAN WORDS WHICH ARE DIFFICULT TO ACCURATELY TRANSLATE:
FOR EXAMPLE, THE WORD "ТОСКА" COULD BE TRASLATED AS “ANGUISH”, “SORROW”, “GRIEF ", BUT NO ONE IS CORRECT
VODKA
VODKA IS THE MOST WELL-KNOWN
OF RUSSIAN ALCOHOL.
MOST RUSSIANS PREFER THEIR
TRADITIONAL NATIONAL VODKA
THAN OTHER ALCOHOL (LIKE
MEXICANS LIKE TEQUILA AND
GERMANS LOVE THEIR SCHNAPPS).
WHEN AND WHERE WAS
VODKA INVENTED?
VODKAACCORDING TO ONE OF THE LEGENDS, THE
MONKS OF MOSCOW’S MONASTERY WERE
THE FIRST WHO STARTED PRODUCING
RUSSIAN VODKA. AFTER THEIR VISIT TO
CONSTANTINOPLE WHERE THEY TASTED
GRAPE SPIRIT, THEY STARTED MAKING
THE FIRST EVER HOOCH. AS THERE WERE
NO GRAPES GROWING IN THEIR LAND THE
SPIRIT WAS MADE OF GRAIN. THEY CALLED
THIS DRINK “AQUA VITAE” (LATIN FOR
“WATER OF LIFE” ). IT WAS A PROTOTYPE
OF THE PRESENT-DAY VODKA. THE WORD
VODKA WAS DERIVED FROM THE WORD
“VODA” (MEANING WATER).
Russian Civil War, brought a popular Russian fur hat, Ushanka (originally kolchakovka) . It became a winter uniform during WWII. The Ushanka
became a symbol and media icon of Soviet Russia. Since 1940 ushanka has become a part of the uniform of Russian army and militsia (police). Made
from sheepskin rabbit or muskrat fur, ushanka was designed to protect the ears, jaw and lower chin from the cold due to ear flaps. The word ushanka
derives from ushi (уши), "ears" in Russian.
BEARINSIDE RUSSIA, THE BEAR HAS A
DIFFERENT REPUTATION (THAN IN WEST), AND THIS ANIMAL HAS HAD POSITIVE CONNOTATIONS TO ALL
SLAVS. PRE-CHRISTIAN SLAVS BELIEVED THE BEAR TO BE THEIR
COMMON ANCESTOR.
“MEDVED’” (BEAR) IS ONE OF THE HEROES OF MANY SLAVIC LEGENDS
AND FAIRYTALES. RUSSIANS TENDERLY GIVE THE BEAR A HUMAN
NAME OF MISHA (SOMETIMES ADDING A PATRONYMIC NAME OUT
OF RESPECT - HENCE, MIKHAIL POTAPYCH). BY THE WAY,
“MEDVED’” (“MED” - HONEY, “VEDAT’”- TO KNOW) LITERALLY MEANS “THE ONE WHO KNOWS
WHERE THE HONEY IS.”
BEARS LIVE THROUGHOUT RUSSIA. OF COURSE, YOU
WILL NOT SEE BEARS ROAMING THE STREETS OF
TOWNS AND CITIES, BUT YOU CAN SEE THEIR
IMAGES EVERYWHERE. THEY ARE ON COUNTLESS RUSSIAN TOWN SHIELDS
AS A SYMBOL OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE.
THE LOVABLE LITTLE BEAR CUB MISHA WAS
CHOSEN TO BE RUSSIA’S MASCOT IN THE 1980
SUMMER OLYMPIC GAMES HELD IN MOSCOW AND BECAME A FAVOURITE HERO OF CHILDREN’S CARTOON FOR YEARS.
ALSO THE BEAR WAS ADOPTED AS THE UBIQUITOUS SYMBOL FOR THE UNITED RUSSIA.
BEAR SYMBOLOGY REACHED ITS
PEAK WHEN D. MEDVEDEV
BECAME THE PRESIDENT OF
RUSSIA. (IN RUSSIAN,
MEDVEDEV LITERALLY
MEANS, “OF THE BEARS.”)
SYMBOLS ASSOCIATED WITH THE NATIONAL EVERY DAY CULTURE
IT IS A SET OF WOODEN DOLLS NESTED INTO EACH
OTHER. THE PAINTED IMAGE ON THEM IS MOST OFTEN A
WOMAN WEARING TRADITIONAL RUSSIAN
COSTUME DECORATED WITH FLOWERS AND PATTERNS. IT
SEEMS THAT THE MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO US FROM THE ANTIC WORLD
OF LEGENDS AND FAIRY TALES, THOUGH IN REALITY THE WOODEN DOLL IS ONLY ABOUT HUNDRED YEARS IN
EXISTENCE.
MATRYOSHKA WAS FIRST MADE IN RUSSIA AT THE END OF THE 19TH
CENTURY (PRECISELY IN THE 1880S), WHEN RUSSIA WAS EXPERIENCING A
RISING SENSE OF CULTURE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY. THE
INDUSTRIALIST AND PATRON OF THE ARTS, SAVVA MAMONTOV,
ESTABLISHED A CHILDREN’S EDUCATION WORKSHOP WHERE
RUSSIAN FOLK CRAFTSMEN PRODUCED A VARIETY OF FOLK-ART STYLE TOYS FOR CHILDREN AND DEVELOPED THE
IDEA OF THE CREATION OF A NEW RUSSIAN STYLE
ONCE SOMEBODY HAS BROUGHT A FUNNY JAPANESE FIGURINE OF A BALD-HEADED OLD MAN FUKURUMA, WHICH
CONSISTED OF SEVEN OTHER FIGURINES NESTLED ONE ANOTHER. IT
WAS MADE ON THE ISLAND OF HONSHU,
JAPAN IN THE LATE
1800S
BY AN UNKNOWN
RUSSIAN MONK.
REALLY, THIS TYPE OF NESTING TOYS WAS WELL KNOWN
BEFORE - RUSSIAN CRAFTERS TURNED WOODEN EASTER EGGS
AND APPLES, BUT NOT FIGURINES. WITH THE ARRIVAL
OF THE RUSSIAN-JAPANESE "FUKURUMA" THE CRAFTMAN V.
ZVEZDOCHKIN AND ARTIST S.MALIUTIN WERE INSPIRED TO CREATE A NEW RUSSIAN FOLK ART DOLL - MATRYOSHKA. IN APRIL OF 1900, MATRYOSHKA WAS REPRESENTED AT THE
WORLD FAIR IN PARIS, WHERE IT WON THE BRONZE MEDAL AND
WORLDWIDE FAME.
THE NAME "MATRYOSHKA" COMES FROM THE RUSSIAN WORD
FOR “MOTHER” - «МАТЬ» (THE LATIN ROOT “MATER “- MOTHER).
MATRYOSHKA HAS COME TO MEAN “LITTLE MOTHER” BASED ON THE
IDEA THAT THE LARGEST DOLL HOLDS HER BABIES INSIDE LIKE AN
EXPECTANT MOTHER AND THAT EACH DAUGHTER IN TURN BECOMES
A MOTHER. SO MATRYOSHKA IS A SYMBOL OF MOTHERHOOD AND IT HAS A MODIFIED EGG SHAPE. THE
NAMES MATRYONA AND MATRYOSHA WERE COMMON FEMALE NAMES IN RUSSIAN
COUNTRY TO THE REVOLUTION OF 1917. THE SUFFIX -ESHKA (OR –
USHKA-) IS FREQUENTLY USED IN RUSSIAN TO DENOTE A DIMINUTIVE
FORM OF A NAME.
MUSEUM OF MATRESHKAS
BALALAIKA
THE BALALAIKA IS A PLUCKING STRING INSTRUMENT THAT RESEMBLES A
GUITAR, BUT HAS A TRIANGULAR SHAPE AND ONLY THREE STRINGS (OR TWO IN
SOME CASES).
UNFORTUNATELY, TODAY THE BALALAIKA HAS DISAPPEARED FROM RUSSIANS’ EVERYDAY LIFE ALMOST
COMPLETELY.
THERE AREN’T MANY PEOPLE LEFT WHO CAN PLAY IT – NOT TO MENTION, ONLY PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANS IN RUSSIAN
FOLK MUSIC ENSEMBLES.
THE FIRST MENTION OF THE TERM "BALALAIKA" WAS IN A RUSSIAN
DOCUMENT FROM 1688 - BALALAIKA WAS USED BY RUSSIAN PEASANTS,
SKOMOROHKI, OR WANDERING MINSTRELS. IT EXISTED IN VARIOUS
FORMS WITH TRIANGULAR AND OVAL BODIES, DIFFERING NUMBERS OF STRINGS, AND MOVABLE TIED-ON STRING FRETS, AND WAS MAINLY
USED FOR PLAYING DANCE TUNES. THE MODERN VARIANT OF
INSTRUMENT - STANDARDIZED, THREE-STRING CHROMATIC
TRIANGULAR-BODIED BALALAIKA WITH FIXED METAL FRETS AND OTHER
INNOVATIONS - WAS CREATED BACK IN 1880 BY VASILII ANDREEV.
BALALAIKA
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