The Presidential Library’s video lecture spotlighted the interaction of Russian and English languages

On June 19, 2023, the Presidential Library hosted a video lecture The Heart Does Not Jump, or Rusenglish in Modern Russia.

The lecture discussed an important issue for modern Russia – the interaction of Russian and English languages. The relevance of this topic is evidenced, in particular, by the adoption in November 2022 of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin On the approval of the foundations of state policy for the preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.

The lecture was delivered by Olga Sergeyevna Ilchenko, Doctor of Philology, Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages of St. Petersburg State University.

The main purpose of the video lecture was to explain what objective and subjective reasons contribute to the formation of the so-called Rusenglish and to show how a hybrid language affects the thinking, consciousness, culture, spiritual state of an individual and the nation as a whole.

What motivates a Russian-speaking person to use English words? In answering this question, the lecturer’s special attention was focused on the phenomena associated with the weakening of the protective mechanism of speech culture in modern society – the “sense of language”.

Through the language material prepared by Professor Olga Ilchenko, typical cases of the use of Rusenglish were demonstrated, which reflect the erasure of language norms (including grammatical ones); examples indicating the disappearance of the line between literary language and jargon were considered as well.

The goal of the video lecture The Heart Does Not Jump, or Rusenglish in Modern Russia was to remind that the protection of the Russian literary language, the revival of the Russian mentality are vital for Russian society. Professor Ilchenko once again drew attention to the need for a well-thought-out language policy, comprehensive educational work and the responsibility of public figures for the preservation of the Russian language as the cultural code of the Russian nation.

The video recording of the event is available on the Presidential Library’s Rutube channel.