# Russki: impolite or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 13, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265 "2014-02-13T17:30:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/21 "2014-02-14T19:46:32Z")
> [@Springtime\_for\_Spacers](#): > > Polack is an insult in _American_ English. I’ve never heard it used In Britain or other English speaking countries. Sorry. Let’s specify American English (I was assuming we were talking about American English given the OP’s location). Doesn’t change the point. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/22 "2014-02-14T19:54:52Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it yet. I haven’t read the whole thread but the first letter in this word: Яusski is not an “R” sound in Russian. It is a vowel and is pronounced “ya” (maybe “yah” is a better transliteration). The “R” sound in Russian is “P”. Similarly, the backward “N” is actually another vowel, pronounced like a long “E”. > > The old Soviet Union abbreviation CCCP, which we pronounce cee cee cee pee, is actually ess ess ess air in Russian. > > This commercial has been brought to you by the proven pedant, J. We now return to your regularly scheduled thread. 😃 This. In fact, look at the “backwards R” as a cursive “a” that has been written up a bit higher on the straight downward stroke at its right side. It’s related to the letter “a” and has an “a” sound that is yotated (like “you” is a yotated version of “ooo” or “yes” is a yotated version of “ess”)… ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/23 "2014-02-14T22:45:25Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned it yet. I haven’t read the whole thread but the first letter in this word: Яusski is not an “R” sound in Russian. It is a vowel and is pronounced “ya” (maybe “yah” is a better transliteration). The “R” sound in Russian is “P”. Similarly, the backward “N” is actually another vowel, pronounced like a long “E”. It’s just another thing going back to Cold War days, when it was politically correct and culturally popular in America to mock all things Russian. Using the “Я” symbol in this context, it was just another caricature of anything/everything Russian. It got popularized in the title of the comedy movie, “THE ЯUSSIAИS ARE COMING THE ЯUSSIAИS ARE COMING” Today it’s popular in parodies of the name “Toys Я Us” ETA: As a matter of fact, come to think of it, the official Toys R Us logo is drawn with the backwards Я symbol. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2014, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/24 "2014-02-14T23:52:13Z")
We don’t call Germans “Deutschen,” do we? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/25 "2014-02-15T08:38:35Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > We don’t call Germans “Deutschen,” do we? We sort of do, in one context. The Germans who settled in Pennsylvania became known as the “Pennsylvania Dutch”, where “Dutch” is understood to be a corruption of “Deutsch”, and NOT a reference to persons from Holland. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/26 "2014-02-15T19:15:39Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > I just say _Ivans._ I can understand that. The equivalent would be for them to call us Johns. However, in the US, “Ivan” is usally “EYE-vuhn”, while in Russia it sounds like how we say Yvonne.\* Nothing is as simple as it looks. \*I didn’t know that until somebody in my family adopted a cute little guy named Ivan. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/27 "2014-02-15T20:49:58Z")
> [@jharvey963](#): > > The old Soviet Union abbreviation CCCP, which we pronounce cee cee cee pee, is actually ess ess ess air in Russian. > > This commercial has been brought to you by the proven pedant, J. We now return to your regularly scheduled thread. 😃 Actualy my pedant friend, it’s ceh ceh ceh reh. Russian letters don’t have names per se, just the sound they make, but they have their own way of articulating that. Also someone upthread gave the wrong Russian word for a singular American. It would be Americanetz if male, Americanka if female. the adjective form is Americanski. IIRC, -ski (-skaya for female) is the default adjectival ending for imported words. BOOM my gold medal in the Pedant Olympics is a lock. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/28 "2014-02-15T22:32:59Z")
Actually, having briefly studied Russian in Russia, they’ve got names just fine, and ‘ess ess ess air’ (With the r rolled) is correct. Just as the university I attended was ‘ess peh beh geh oo’. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2014, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/29 "2014-02-15T22:49:00Z")
To say Russki is not an insult. To use Russki as an insult is an insult. Should one say, both in English and in America, “Let’s read some \*Francais \*newspapers” is not an insult. Like the word “nigger” being used by African-Americans among themselves. It is not an insult. For a European-Native-American to use it, in re African-Americans, I can see being an insult. Before one accuses one of being insulting, one should learn the context in which the words are being used. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/30 "2014-02-16T00:51:37Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Actualy my pedant friend, it’s ceh ceh ceh reh. Russian letters don’t have names per se, just the sound they make, but they have their own way of articulating that. > [@LawMonkey](#): > > Actually, having briefly studied Russian in Russia, they’ve got names just fine, and ‘ess ess ess air’ (With the r rolled) is correct. Just as the university I attended was ‘ess peh beh geh oo’. [This link](http://www.omniglot.com/writing/russian.htm) supports **LawMonkey** ’s post. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/31 "2014-02-16T01:09:46Z")
Hm. I’m either misremembering, or I was taught some sort of regionalism (my Russian professors in college were themselves Russian). Looks like my quest for glory in the Pedant Olympics ends in silver. _sob_ ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/32 "2014-02-16T04:02:26Z")
Getting back to the OP, presumably there is nothing offensive to Russians about a Russian ski facility calling itself “Russki.” I don’t know what the Russian word for “ski” is, but perhaps the play on words works in both languages. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/33 "2014-02-16T05:06:24Z")
> [@Hello\_Again](#): > > Actualy my pedant friend, it’s ceh ceh ceh reh. Russian letters don’t have names per se, just the sound they make, but they have their own way of articulating that. > > Also someone upthread gave the wrong Russian word for a singular American. It would be Americanetz if male, Americanka if female. the adjective form is Americanski. IIRC, -ski (-skaya for female) is the default adjectival ending for imported words. > > BOOM my gold medal in the Pedant Olympics is a lock. Well, since we’re being pedantic, russki is merely an adjective, and it kinda needs to modify something. Russki what? It’s a bit like referring to an English. An English what? An English man? You can say “the English” but you don’t normally say “an English.” A citizen of Russia is a Rossiyanin (россиянин) or Rossiyanka for a woman specifically, or Rossiyanye for Russian citizens in general. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/34 "2014-02-16T06:01:02Z")
I give up. Someone else can try. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/35 "2014-02-16T06:30:35Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Getting back to the OP, presumably there is nothing offensive to Russians about a Russian ski facility calling itself “Russki.” I don’t know what the Russian word for “ski” is, but perhaps the play on words works in both languages. I just googled it, and that seems to be the case. It’s spelled RusSki. Russians have a sense of humor. They really do, too. Russki isn’t so much offensive as quaintly ignorant. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/36 "2014-02-16T06:35:24Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > A citizen of Russia is a Rossiyanin (россиянин) or Rossiyanka for a woman specifically, or Rossiyanye for Russian citizens in general. Maybe in very official language. In common Russian use, “Russki” is quite acceptable for “a Russian”. Or “Russkaya” for a female. Also, the ski jumping facility is not called “RusSki”. It is “RusSki Gorki”, which is I guess a play on combination of the English “ski” with Russian phrase “Russkie Gorki” - “Russian Hills/Small Mountains”. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/37 "2014-02-16T06:41:14Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Maybe in very official language. In common Russian use, “Russki” is quite acceptable for “a Russian”. Or “Russkaya” for a female. I’d love it if you could show me an example. Not Russkiye, plural. Just show me a Russian saying “A Russkij.” They’ll say russkij person, or russkiye people, but I don’t recall hearing a Russian say “that guy is a russkij.” ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/38 "2014-02-16T06:43:26Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > Also, the ski jumping facility is not called “RusSki”. It is “RusSki Gorki”, which is I guess a play on combination of the English “ski” with Russian phrase “Russkie Gorki” - “Russian Hills/Small Mountains”. Past edit time: of course, “Gorki” can also mean slides. Like in amusement parks or kids’ playgrounds. For example, I remember the rollercoasters in Russia at one point being called “Amerikanskie Gorki”. I think they still are. ---
**Author:** ![Terr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Terr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terr)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/39 "2014-02-16T06:44:36Z")
> [@levdrakon](#): > > I’d love it if you could show me an example. Not Russkiye, plural. Just show me a Russian saying “A Russkij.” They’ll say russkij person, or russkiye people, but I don’t recall hearing a Russian say “that guy is a russkij.” When you ask a Russian where he’s from/what ethnicity he is, a Russian would say “Ya russki”. Or “On russki” pointing at someone. He wouldn’t say “Ya rossiyanin” or “On rossiyanin”. That would be very awkward phrasing. Basically you would use “Rossiyanin” if you wanted to emphasize citizenship more than the ethnicity. But for ethnicity, “Russki” as a noun is quite acceptable in Russian. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2014, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265/40 "2014-02-16T06:54:15Z")
> [@Terr](#): > > When you ask a Russian where he’s from/what ethnicity he is, a Russian would say “Ya Russki”. He wouldn’t say “Ya Rossiyanin”. That would be very awkward phrasing. Yeah, and an Englishman might say “I’m English.” He wouldn’t say “I’m an English.” Russkij isn’t a noun. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/russki-impolite-or-not/681265.md?page=3)