The Merits of Studying Russian
The study of the culture, history, and language of Russia opens the mind to a rich, fascinating world. The
Russian language, first attested in written form in the 10th century CE,1 belongs to the East Slavic branch
of the Indo-European language family. The Russian language has approximately 150 million native
speakers and 260 million total speakers, which ranks eighth among all world languages.2 Russian serves
as an/the official language in four nations and is spoken as a second language by the inhabitants of
many other countries (predominantly in the post-Soviet nations, but also in Western Europe and North
America). It is the most geographically widespread language in the continents of Europe and Asia.
Moreover, the Russian language is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.3
Why should a student consider studying Russian? A few reasons are outlined below:
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Russian ranks eighth among world languages in its number of native speakers. In addition to
this massive number of native speakers, there are over 100 million more people throughout the
world who speak Russian as a second language.
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The study of Russian will introduce students to incredibly complex, rich, and fascinating world.
Students will gain a deep understanding of and appreciation for Russian history, tradition, and
culture. Russia has had (and continues to exert) a vital impact on the world, yet its history and
current role in the world remains largely misunderstood. The student of the Russian language
will acquire a more accurate understanding of the history, culture, and politics of the Russianspeaking nations; in doing so, the student will become better prepared to assist others in
developing a deeper cultural understanding. To gain a deeper understanding of Russia and its
people is to gain a deeper understanding of the world.
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The study of Russian will introduce students to an incredibly rich culture distinguished by its
unique literature, music, dance, and theatre. This will serve as an enlightening encounter with
a society renowned for its unique and sublime forms of expression and artistry. For example,
the ability to read some of the greatest authors in history (such as Dostoevsky, Tolstoy,
Solzhenitsyn) in their authors' native language will prove to be a wonderful experience both rare
and valuable for American students.
1
Vinokur, G. O. Forsyth, James; Forsyth, Mary A. The Russian Language: A Brief History. New York: Cambridge
University Press.
2
Nationalencyklopedin, Världens 100 största språk 2010 [The world's 100 largest languages in 2010],
http://www.ne.se/spr%C3%A5k/v%C3%A4rldens-100-st%C3%B6rsta-spr%C3%A5k-2010, (16 November 2014).
3
The United Nations, UN Official Languages, http://www.un.org/en/aboutun/languages.shtml, (16 November
2014).
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Russian is an important language in the fields of science, mathematics, and technology. Russia
has long had a strong tradition of producing some of the world's preeminent mathematicians
and scientists. Being fluent in Russian would afford students the opportunity to read these
foundational scholars in their original language. Moreover, in terms of the number of scientific
papers published in a given language, Russian is second only to English. 4 Russian is also the
second most commonly-used language in terms of number of internet pages. 5
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There is a high demand for Russian speakers in the United States. Given the importance of the
Russia in international politics and trade, there will be abundant opportunities for American
speakers of the Russian language. The ability to speak Russian can provide students with
excellent opportunities in a large variety of potential careers, such as international business and
trade, energy and natural resources, language interpretation, diplomacy and foreign service,
military affairs, and intelligence work. There is a great deal of demand for speakers of Russian in
both the public and private sectors.6
4
Florida State University Modern Languages and Linguistics, Top 10 Reasons to Study Russian,
http://www.modlang.fsu.edu/Programs2/Slavic-Languages-Russian/10-Reasons-to-study-Russian, (16 November
2014).
5
Gelbmann, Matthias. Russian is Now the Second Most-Used Language on the Web, W3Techs, (16 November
2014).
6
Florida State University Modern Languages and Linguistics, Top 10 Reasons to Study Russian,
http://www.modlang.fsu.edu/Programs2/Slavic-Languages-Russian/10-Reasons-to-study-Russian, (16 November
2014).
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