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.
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”)…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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’.
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.
This link supports LawMonkey’s post.
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
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.
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.
I give up. Someone else can try.
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.
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”.
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.”
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.
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.
Yeah, and an Englishman might say “I’m English.” He wouldn’t say “I’m an English.” Russkij isn’t a noun.