Category talk:Russian loanwords

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[edit] Purge the non-loan words

A Russian loan word is a word adopted from Russian into English.

  1. It is usually little-modified (a translation of a foreign idiom is a calque)
  2. It is a naturalized part of English, and not simply used as a foreign term
  3. It is usually not the proper name of an individual person, place, animal, etc.
  4. It comes from Russian and not from an intermediate language, or at least is associated with Russian

Many loan words have become naturalized because they refer to well-known exotic subjects, but have no direct translation. Cosmonaut was adopted because to distinguish the "other side" in the Cold-War space race. But polkovnik has not become an English word, because it does not add meaning beyond the common direct translation, colonel.

Being "seen in English texts" does not make a loan word. Foreign words may appear in particular English texts to refer to exotic subjects such as aerosan or afghanka because there is no direct English translation, without having been adopted into the language. Even if they are more commonly used, they may still be "foreign terms", indicated as such by italicizing in writing and in some dictionaries, for example nomenklatura, a particular kind of 'elite', is italicized in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary to indicate that it "is not naturalized in English".

Proper nouns are rarely loanwords, they are simply the proper names of things, usually capitalized in dictionaries. Cheka and GLONASS are not loan words any more than Volgograd or Gorbachov.

Finally, blintz is loaned from Yiddish, and bistro from French (and its Russian origin is not certain) so their inclusion here is debatable.

Most of the following articles should be removed from this category. Please provide a dictionary reference you disagree.

My comments below are at the second bullet level in italics. Unlike Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the dictionaries I used do not use italics to indicate that a word "is not naturalized in English", but it seems that they do not include such words at all.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 01:02, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

I've divided the list into two. I would be surprised if knyaz/kniaz wasn't in the OED. —Michael Z. 2007-08-04 22:14 Z

Nope. It's not there under any of these spellings. That surprised me as well.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 14:40, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Appear in an English dictionary

  • Bistro — loaned from French, but of possibly of Russian origin
    • neither Merriam-Webster Unabridged (MWU) nor Oxford English Dictionary (International), 2nd edition (OED) mention Russian origins at all
    • CaOD: "[French, perhaps related to bistouille, a northen colloquial term meaning 'bad alcohol', perhaps from Russian bystro 'rapidly']" —MZ
  • Blintz — loaned from Yiddish, but of Russian origin
    • MWU says that Yiddish "blintze" (notice the spelling) is derived from Russian "blinets"
    • CaOD: "also blintze ... [Yiddish blintse from Russian blinets diminutive of blin]". The dictionary also has the headword blini "[pl. of Russian blin]". —MZ
  • Cheka — proper name
    • MWU lists this as a common noun
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "Chay-Ka" or "Tcheka"
  • Doukhobor — proper name, but arguably used as an adjective or for groups or individuals
    • MWU lists this as a common noun, although with a note that it's "usually capitalized". "Dukhobor" is listed as an alternative spelling.
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "Dukhobor"
  • Druzhina — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "droujina"
  • Duma — proper name in English, but arguably referring to various Dumas; not adopted in the general sense of "parliament" or "assembly"
    • listed in MWU as a noun referring to Russian elective council or a legislative assembly. Does not mention modern usage
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "douma". Does not mention modern usage
  • Gosplan — proper name; not adopted into English
    • listed in OED
  • Guberniya — not adopted into English: "gorvernorate"
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "gubernia"
  • Gusli — not adopted into English: "dulcimer", "zither"
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "guslee"
    • listed in OED
  • Knout — loaned from French, originally Icelandic
    • listed in MWU; Russian etymology is mentioned, but the definition does not limit the word to Russian context
    • listed in OED; defined primarily as an instrument of punishment in Russia
  • Komsomol — proper name, but arguably used to refer to groups or individuals
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "comsomol" or "consomol" (???); "usually capitalized"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "comsomol"
  • Menshevik — proper name, but arguably refers to groups or individuals
    • what about Bolshevik?
    • listed in MWU
    • listed in OED
  • Mir — proper name when referring to the space station, not adopted in other senses
    • listed in MWU; defined as "a village community" only
    • listed in OED; defined as "a village community" only
  • Nomenklatura — foreign term (italicized in my dictionary), but arguably well-used
    • listed in OED
  • Okrug — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED
  • Pelmeni — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "pelmeny"; refers to "Russian meat dumplings"
  • Pood — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "poud" or "pud"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "pode", "poude", "poad", "pudde", "pud", or "poud"
  • Rabfak — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "rabfac"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "rabfac"
  • Raion — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU
    • listed in OED under "rayon" with "raion" being an alternative spelling
  • Raskol — proper name, not adopted into English
    • MWU does not list "raskol", but does "raskolnik"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "rascol"
  • Sambo (martial art) — proper name, not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU
    • listed in OED
  • Sarafan — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "saraphane"
  • Sharashka — proper name; not adopted into English
    • listed in OED as a common noun
  • Shchi — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED
  • Smetana (dairy product) — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "smitane"
  • Sobornost — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU
    • listed in OED
  • Solyanka — not adopted into English
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "soljanka"
  • Sotnik — not adopted into English: "captain", "centurion"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "ssotnik" or "sodnick"
  • Sovkhoz — not adopted into English: "state farm"
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "sovkhos"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "sovkhos"
  • Sovnarkhoz — proper noun, not adopted into English
    • listed in OED; both as a proper and a common noun
  • Subbotnik — not adopted into English
    • listed in MWU
    • listed in OED
  • Technicum — not adopted into English: "technical school", "trade school" or "college"
    • listed in MWU; alternatively spelled "technikum"
    • listed in OED; alternatively spelled "tekhnikum"
  • Tsaritsa — the English word is "czarina", or "tsarina"
    • "tsaritza" is listed in MWU as an alternative of "czaritsa"
    • If it is not english word, why the heck it is the article title? `'Míkka 16:42, 4 August 2007 (UTC)
    • listed alongside of "czaritza"; alternatively spelled "czarissa"
  • Udarnik — not adopted into English, but see Stakhanovite
    • listed in OED; defined as a "shock-worker"

[edit] Not known to be in an English dictionary

  • Aerosan — not adopted into English
  • Afghanka — not adopted into English
  • Comandarm — not adopted into English: "army commander", and if the abbreviation was used, then it was simply a portmanteau of "commander of the army"
  • Combat (military rank) — not adopted into English: "battalion commander" (don't mistake for combat, from Fr. combattre, from Latin com + batuere)
  • Combrig — not adopted into English: "brigade commander", "brigadier"
  • Comcor — not adopted into English: "corps commander"
  • Comdiv — not adopted into English: "divisional commander"
  • Elektrichka — not adopted into English: "electric train", "interurban", etc.
  • Kalach (food) — not adopted into English: "braided bread", "wedding bread"
  • Kapustnik — not adopted into English: "cabbage soup"
  • Katorga — not adopted into English
  • Knyaz — not adopted into English: "prince"
  • Kommunalka — not adopted into English
  • Komzet — not adopted into English
  • Korenizatsiya — not adopted into English
  • Liberast — not adopted into English
  • Likbez — not adopted into English
  • Marshrutka — not adopted into English: "taxi", "jitney"
    • should definitely be merged into an appropriate article as a section dealing with Russia/Ukraine/etc.
  • Militsiya — not adopted into English: "militia"; "police", but arguably refers to groups or individuals
  • Nagyka — not adopted into English
  • Namestnik — not adopted into English
  • Nashism — not adopted into English
  • OKATO — proper name
    • abbreviation, actually. Used in highly specialized English texts only
  • OSNAZ — proper name
    • abbreviation, actually
  • Okhranka — proper name, not adopted into English
  • Partmaximum — not adopted into English
  • Peredvizhniki — not adopted into English
  • Perun — proper name, not adopted into English
  • Polkovnik — not adopted into English: "colonel"
  • Poruchik — not adopted into English: "lieutenant"
  • Posad — not adopted into English
  • Praporshchik — not adopted into English, equivalent in rank and etymologically to "enseign"
  • Prodnalog — proper name, not adopted into English
  • Selsoviet — not adopted into English
    • not listed in either MWU or OED, but I remember seeing it in some other English dictionary listed as a loanword. I'll try to find it again
  • SOBR — proper name
  • Sokha — not adopted into English
  • Spetsnaz — proper noun, not adopted into English: "special forces", in the general sense, but arguably used for groups or individuals
  • Starshina — not adopted into English: "warrant officer", "officer", "senior NCO"
  • Streltsy — not adopted into English: "riflemen"
  • Supreme Soviet of the National Economy — proper name
    • isn't this in English already?
  • Uchraspred — not adopted into English
  • Uyezd — not adopted into English
    • not listed in either MWU or OED, but I remember seeing it in some other English dictionary listed as a loanword. I'll try to find it again
  • Veche — not adopted into English
  • Votchina — not adopted into English
  • Yevsektsiya — proper name, not adopted into English
  • Zapoy — not adopted into English

[edit] A more radical suggestion

I'd recommend to delete the category altogether or rename it. Unless you provide clear criteria to devine which is and which is not a loanword. Who decided what is "adopted" into English and what not. My suggestion would be category:Russianisms see "Russianism" `'Míkka 16:45, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

Or broader category:Russian words, or category:Slavicisms? We'd still need clear criteria.
But I think the criteria can be relatively clear, since we have access to a number of dictionaries (Ëzhiki has found Russian words in the M-W that my CaOD doesn't include). A word that appears in an English dictionary, of Russian origin.
There are a few questions. I think proper names of specific people, places and things don't belong (Yeltsin, Pravda, Sovnarkom, Arkhangelsk), but perhaps proper names usable as words in the language do ("Doukhobor people", "Mensheviks" n. pl., or "the Menshevik faction" adj.).
Hm. On the other hand, you can have Gorbachov-style openness, Pravda journalism, a Sovnarkom leadership, and a hearty Arkhangelsk breakfast of herring and eggs. Perhaps we should remove our judgment from the formula and simply include Russian-origin terms which appear in English dictionaries in category:Russianisms. —Michael Z. 2007-08-04 18:13 Z
In Russian such words are not considered proper names and not capitalized: "Communist Party" capitalized, but "many communists", "bolshevism" etc. are not.--Dojarca 19:49, 28 August 2007 (UTC)


Okay, it looks like this conversation has lost momentum. It looks like we've developed some clear criteria by the two lists above: members of this category shall be words appearing in an English dictionary. I'll take the lack of further debate as consensus, or at least apathy. I'll remove the articles in the second part of the list from this category. —Michael Z. 2007-08-28 19:18 Z

Take it as a lack of time :) Well, on my part, at least. I do, however, agree with the verdict.—Ëzhiki (Igels Hérissonovich Ïzhakoff-Amursky) • (yo?); 19:29, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
I disagree. If the word exists in English Wikipedia, then it is an English word. Otherwise what does it here? It it is not English, it should be deleted or renamed. No dictionary contains all words of a language and no dictionary contains eve as much words as Wikipedia does.--Dojarca 19:52, 28 August 2007 (UTC)
I can't quite follow your reasoning. The titles in this category are English words of Russian origin. The source for this designation is an English dictionary, so we can't really argue with that. I just removed all of the articles which we determined don't fall under this description.
There are also articles in Wikipedia with titles that are in Russian (and many other languages) and not English at all, but they don't belong in this category. Examples include khokhol, rasputitsa, kapustnik, zemstvo. If any of them should all be deleted or renamed, then by all means make the suggestion at WP:AFD or WP:RM. —Michael Z. 2007-08-28 20:09 Z

Okay, I've finished. A few of the words I moved to or. —Michael Z. 2007-08-28 19:57 Z