Looking into the language of Russians | Clint Walker | TEDxUMontana

This talk was given at a local TEDx event, produced independently of the TED Conferences.
Languages are vital for cross-cultural communication, but they also act as a repository for cultural values. We take a glimpse into the collective psyche of Russian speakers by digging in the deep layers of the Russian language.

The Russians.

When I say that phrase,
what image comes to your minds?

What about if I say "the Soviet Union"?

Do you see red?

Words and images,
they're linked in our minds,

but the way that they are linked
is far from simple.

I grew up in a small town
in the state of Maine.

I remember ducking and cover drills
in the halls of my grade school.

I remember watching a TV special
called "The Day After"

about a massive nuclear attack
launched by the Soviet Union.

I remember picturing in my mind:

a black suitcase with a detonation device
and a red launch button.

But even more
than my fear of a nuclear war,

I remember my fascination
with that huge country called

the Soviet Union.

Who were they, the Soviets?

I wanted to know.

To find out I traveled to the USSR
in a student exchange.

More recently, Americans
are having a good deal of trouble

understanding the Russians.

Some are even calling the current
cultural climate a new cold war.

In the recent effort
to break the ice, in March, 2009,

then Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton,

handed the Russian Foreign Minister,
Sergey Lavrov, a box

with a plastic red button.

The State Department thought

that the Russian writing
on the box said "Reset",

as in "Hey, things are getting
too tense here, time to press 'Reset'."

Well, it turned out
that the writing on the box

actually said "overcharged" or "overload",

as in "Danger! System overload!"

(Laughter)

Words and images.

Fortunately, the Russians
like a good laugh,

things turned out all right,

but still,

this episode highlights
the important role language plays

in bridging cultures and promoting
global understanding.

Language is one
of the most important tools

created by human beings.

But it is much more
than just a tool for communication,

it's a repository
for culture and for values.

Each word-image in the Russian language
is like an icon portal

opening up a window
into the Russian psyche.

Take kissing, for example.

When Russians kiss,
they don't just lock lips,

they are literally
making themselves whole,

(Russian) они целуются,

the idea is woven
into the fabric of the word "kiss".

Love feels a void inside you,
and you become whole.

So go ahead, don't be afraid,

kiss someone like a Russian
and make yourself whole.

Russian is filled
with word icons like "kiss".

In Russian language
words joined together

to form families of words,
they breathe and come to life

in the works of writers
like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov.

Words allow us
to peer into the Russian soul.

Russian is a Slavic language,
over a 1,000 years old.

Slavic languages are spoken
by 315 million people today

making the Slavic subgroup
the largest in all of Europe.

The ancient Slavs originally
identified themselves as "slavonian",

a people linked through "praise",
(Russian) "слава",

and the power of the "word",
(Russian) "слово".

(Russian) Слава, слово, Slav,

three word roots
at the core of Slavic identity.

Orthodox Christianity
came to Russia from Byzantium

bringing with it
a specially created alphabet

that eventually became Cyrillic,
the alphabet used today by Russians.

The Russian grand prince Vladimir
converted to Christianity

in the ancient Greek city of Chersonese
located in modern day Crimea.

After converting, Vladimir
returned to the capital city of Kiev

where he baptized
his entire nation in 988 A.D.

Vladimir's conversion,
and the written language that came with it

created a powerful sense
of shared believes and shared identity

amongst the Slavic peoples.

Elements of Russia's spiritual legacy
are woven into the fabric of Russian

like strands of DNA into a human body.

The ancient Greek
for "Christ" is "Khristos",

giving us the Russian word "Христос",

but these links are much more
than just shared letters in an alphabet,

these are shared beliefs.

In the Christian belief system,

Christ represents
the embodied word of God, "logos".

In the Russian language
the word for "cross", "крест",

is connected
to the biblical Greek for Christ.

Many words in the Russian
language have this root:

"to baptize", "крестить",
"to resurrect", "воскресить",

"Sunday", "воскресенье",

even the word for "peasant",
(Russian) "крестьянин",

contains the "крест" or "cross" root.

Part of the cultural mythology

is viewing peasants
as Christ-like cross-bearers

whose suffering makes them holy.

Russian is filled with words and ideas

that are woven into the language,
the most simple words.

Take the word for "good",
(Russian) "хорошо",

it's connected to the word
(Russian) "хор", "chorus".

In the deep layers of Russian

singing together in a group
is associated with goodness.

In fact, collectivity as a positive value

is woven in the many words in Russian.

The word for a "cathedral" is
(Russian) "собор",

which connects to the word "собирать"
which is "to gather together".

So, worship in a cathedral

for Russians is literally
a gathering together of the body.

Even every day expressions,
the most basic ones, like "Thank you",

(Russian) "Спасибо", can tell us
about values in the language.

"Спасибо" is a truncated shortened form

for (Russian) "Спаси тебя Бог";
"May God save you".

The first part of "Спасибо", "Spas",
can be seen on many orthodox icons,

it's the reference to the Savior,
(Russian) "Spas", "Christ".

The verb "to save",
(Russian) "спасти",

can internally be connected
to the verb (Russian) "пасти",

"to shepherd a flock".

So, the phonetic link
between these two words

emphasizes Christ's dual role
as shepherd and Savior.

I've only described
a few core values woven into Russian.

These would include a deep spirituality,

value of collectivity and song,

belief in the holiness
of those who suffer,

and a deep hunger for salvation
from a good shepherd.

So, given these core values,
how did they fair in more modern times?

The 18th and the 19th centuries
saw increased contact

between Russia and Western Europe

leading to the importation
of ideas and theories

that often came in conflict
with Russia's religious heritage.

This shifting thinking culminated
in a revolution, Marxist one,

that labeled religion
"the opium of the people".

Many Russians came to see
the tzar not as a shepherd

but as the head
of the repressive political system.

This culminated
in two Russian revolutions in 1917

that overthrew the tsarist power

and replaced it
with a Soviet government led by Lenin.

♪ They say you want a revolution ♪

No, no, sorry, wrong one.

That's John Lennon.

I don't mean the Beatle,
I mean the Bolshevik.

(Russian) Spasibo. (Laughter)

Under Bolshevik rule,

Communist party teachings
replaced the teachings of the church

and the state assumed the role

of bringing about
paradise on Earth, Communism.

When it became apparent
that the Soviet experiment

was actually not going
to bring about paradise on Earth,

Russians turned
to the language for comfort.

In the Brezhnev era, Soviets loved to tell

highly politicized jokes called
(Russian) "анекдоты".

"Anekdoty" allowed citizens
who felt trapped

inside the dysfunctional Soviet system

to laugh at themselves
and their misplaced faith.

A popular "anekdot"
about the garden of Eden asked:

"What was nationality of Adam and Eve?

Mmm? They were Russians. Of course.

Only Russians could be forced
to run around naked,

have no roof over their heads,

have only one apple to share,

and be told by higher power
that they are in the paradise."

(Laughter) (Applause)

Even the most sacred symbols
of the Soviet power

became the target of anecdotes.

(Reads with Russian accent)
"Patent for a new Soviet bed for three".

You like, comrade?

(Laughter)

Ho, Lenin! He is always with us!

Eventually, a 70+ year experiment
in an atheistic state ideology collapsed,

the Soviet Union ceased to exist.

Today Russians
again stand at the crossroads,

because they struggle to discover
who they are as a people.

A little over 1,000 years
Russia has gone from the reign

of Prince Vladimir The Red Sun
to the reign of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin,

to the present reign
of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

With each passing year,
President Putin has aligned himself

more closely with the Orthodox Church.

Putin has called
the break-up of the Soviet Union

"the greatest geopolitical
catastrophe of the 20th century".

Given the failure of Communism,
as a national idea,

what is the ideological glue
that Vladimir Putin sees

as bonding Russians today?

The answer, at least in part,
is the Russian language.

According to Vladimir Putin,

Russia annexed the beautiful peninsula
of Crimea from Ukraine

in the interests of protecting

the violated rights of Russian speakers
who populate the peninsula,

which is actually 60% Russian.

Putin has gone on to vow

that he will protect the rights
of Russian speakers around the globe

causing discomfort in countries
with a large Russian speaking population.

For Vladimir Putin,

geopolitics has found
a soul mate in language politics.

Putin is reclaiming the Russian language
as a kind of national glue

to bond Russians
and reawaken their cultural pride.

The Opening Ceremony
of the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi

prominently featured the Russian language

by pairing achievements of famous Russians

with specific letters
of the Cyrillic alphabet.

For Russians language matters,
it's part of who they are,

but in the light of recent events,
perhaps it's time to recall

some very old words
from one of Russia's most sacred texts,

Primary Chronicler which calls upon
all the Slavic peoples

to live together in love,
brotherhood and sisterhood,

and peace, (Russian) "мир".

To quote an old Soviet phrase: (Russian)
"Миру Мир", "Peace to the World".

Long live the language of peace,

laughter and kisses that make us whole,

long live the beautiful Russian language!

(Blows a kiss)
(Russian) Spasibo.

(Applause)