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Russia
Belarus
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan

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In Russia, the sarafan and the poneva are two popular and important types of ethnic dress. A poneva is the older of the two dresses. It included a plaid or striped skirt gathered and a loosely fitting long shirt with nicely embroidered sleeves and an heavily decorated apron. The scarf was a part of the costume that must be included. A sarafan is a long jumper dress with a loose fit worn over a long linen shirt. The belt was a necessary component of this outfit.

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Russian follows the SVO syntax, which is the same syntax as the English language.

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These are my great, great grandparents Harry and Melamed Gopen in Russia in the early 1900's! I discovered this photo on Ancestry.com.

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взять себя в руки - to pull oneself together

(vzyat' sibya v ruki)

сесть в лужу = to embarrass oneself

(syest' v loozhu)

шутки в сторону = seriously

(shutki v storanu)

так и быть = so be it

(tak i byt’)

когда рак на горе свистнет = when pigs fly

(kogda rak na gore svistnyet)

Руки не доходят сделат = I have no time

(ruki ne dohodyat)

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The dancers in this video are performing one of the most popular and traditional dances that exists in Russia. This dance has been performed for decades, and is very important in Russian culture. The outfits seen in this video are typical for this type of dance.

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Male Russian Dancers Doing a Traditional Dance

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How many native speakers are there today?

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How many native speakers are there today?

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There are 155 million native speakers in the world! Russian is the 8th most spoken language today.

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Russian Orthodoxy is the biggest religion in Russia, making up 53.1% of the population. The second largest percentage of the population has no religious affiliation.

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"Ingredients

2 Tbsp salted butter, divided

8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 lb sirloin steak, sliced thinly, against the grain

2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup beef broth, (low sodium preferred)

½ tsp ground mustard seed, or 1 Tbsp whole grain mustard

1 Tbsp tomato paste

½ lb. egg noodles, dry

½ cup sour cream

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

To Serve

Sautéed shoestring potatoes, mashed potatoes, rice, or cooked egg noodles" (Curious Cuisiniere)

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The modern Russian alphabet includes 33 letters:

- Twenty consonants
- Ten vowels
- A semivowel / consonant
- Two modifier letters or "signs"

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This video is a short but great example of what Russian sounds like when it is spoken by a man and a woman.

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Intermediate Russian. Listening Practice: Только что из России. Fresh from Russia

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Words that we have borrowed from Russian:

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Words that we have borrowed from Russian:

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Babushka – old woman, granny

Balaclava – a knitted hat that covers the face

Gulag – an oppressive environment

Mammoth – any various large, hairy, extinct animal (wooly mammoth)

Tundra – arctic region