Moscow Officials Urge Russian Women and Men to Speak Russian
The Russian language is emerging again just as Russia itself is gaining confidence in its economy and political system. Ministers in Moscow have announced plans to develop a strong international foundation that will compare with those in Germany and France – similar to the Goethe Institute and the Alliance Francaise.
There had been a decline n the use of Russian after the fall of the Soviet Union, but Russian is still one of the six official languages of the United Nations and many people in the former Soviet states still speak it.
The government has put together a web page in both English and Russian to promote the language. The page also provides valuable information on international festivals and other events as well and publications and plans to build more libraries.
There is also a “Learn Russian” campaign going on which features foreigners, United States astronauts and ambassadors promoting the Russian language and encouraging others to learn it. The Japanese dancer, Morihiro Iwata described how he had to learn Russian because the Bolshoi Theater rehearsals are run in Russian. The language is not easy to learn so convincing foreigners to give it a try is not an easy task. The Kremlin has taken some steps, like banning the word “Dollar” from official communications and stressing the use of Russian currency terms, like ruble.
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