Russian is one of the international languages and is in the top five in the number of people speaking it. This is the state language in Russia, interethnic in the countries of the former USSR, official in the UN. Uniqueness, informativeness, an abundance of stylistic, linguistic, expressive means and opportunities - these are a small part of the advantages that the Russian language has inherited over the centuries of its existence. The statements of the great writers, the Slavic culture and the special place in it of our language (it belongs to the eastern branch) emphasize that over time its role in the world community only intensifies.
However, it is not enough to master only its colloquial form. A truly literate person is one who has mastered the laws and characteristics of the literary language in which the best writers and poets of Russia have worked at all times .
What we have - do not store ...
But, unfortunately, at the present stage, the state of the Russian (both colloquial and literary) language causes more and more debate and receives an ambiguous assessment. Some believe that everyday speech should fully reflect the realities of life, and therefore allow the use of a large number of borrowings (they always were, but there was a measure), youth slang and jargon, abusive and even obscene language. Others, as a rule, people with philological education, are concerned that the centuries-old pride of the people (recall the numerous statements of prominent writers about the Russian language) may cease to be so in the future. And this is understandable. Very often from the TV screen or from a high political platform (it is assumed that there are educated people) we hear a speech with a huge number of grammatical and orthoepic errors, noticeable even to an ordinary student. But just recently, the profession of announcer or speaker required special training, and the presentation itself was the standard of competent speech for every inhabitant of a vast country.
What are the reasons for the appearance and such rapid development in the Russian language of negatively affecting its state of phenomena?
Speaking correctly is not fashionable
No matter how sad it sounds, but it is. Listeners are sometimes more attracted to the interlocutor's ability to flaunt a beautiful vocabulary, especially a foreign one. And it does not matter if it is used appropriately (here it is worth quoting the words of V. Belinsky, who wrote that the use of a foreign word instead of the existing Russian can be taken as an insult to “common sense and ... taste”) and whether its meaning is distorted. The ability to stand out from the crowd is often appreciated in society, even if at the same time complete ignorance or ignorance of accepted etiquette is demonstrated. In this regard, I recall not one statement about the Russian language of Russian writers. For example, that somehow handling the language means also thinking somehow (A. Tolstoy). A. Chekhov, reflecting on the qualities of an intelligent person, noted that speaking badly for him “should be considered as indecent as not being able to read and write.” It would be nice to know and keep this in mind for our politicians, cultural figures, television and radio workers, who are preparing for various kinds of public appearances.
Saving words is a sign of fast-moving time
Another negative phenomenon leading to the impoverishment of the Russian language is the active use of mobile phones and the Internet in everyday life. For all their merits, it should be noted that modern people have practically stopped writing and reading. In conditions of constant haste, short SMS turned into the main means of communication not only for adolescents and youth, but also for those who are older. And traditional letters that have existed for centuries have completely disappeared - they were replaced by electronic messages, usually consisting of several short phrases, drawn up in haste. On the one hand, of course, it is good that the modern generation is learning to succinctly express their thoughts and respond mobilely to what is happening. After all, N. Nekrasov also urged us to say so, “so that the words were cramped, and the thoughts were spacious.” Here are just such short statements about the Russian language and the advantages of concise speech are often taken literally. As a result, brevity becomes a manifestation of limited thinking, lack of vocabulary, and not a sharp mind.
The great power of the word of art
The real misfortune of the current generation, as noted above, is that it has practically ceased to read. Classical works, which a couple of decades ago re-read excitedly and several times, today for many students - and not only! - turned into overwork. What kind of enjoyment is there of the magnificent verses of Pushkin, Lermontov, Blok, Yesenin, Tsvetaeva ... Or sincere empathy with the heroes of Gogol, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Bunin, Chekhov, Bulgakov ... Today, their brief content has overcome - already success. Meanwhile, quotes and statements about Russian literature confirm the idea that has long been familiar to everyone: reading good works of art helps to learn to speak beautifully and correctly, to concisely and accurately express your thoughts. For example, M. Lomonosov in his time considered books to be the source of “the beauty, grandeur, strength and wealth of the Russian language”. R. Descartes called reading good books "a conversation with the best people of the past ...". And only to those who are fully able to enjoy the language of a work of art will the true meaning of K. Paustovsky’s phrase be revealed: “Many Russian words radiate poetry ...”.
Dominated by pop and yellow press
What does young people get in return for classical literature, who will represent and govern our state tomorrow? Mostly short but catchy “musi-pusi” and “clap eyelashes” in senseless pop songs with rhythmic music. Or endless washing of bones and primitive plots in base editions: the press, tabloid detectives and love stories. And who else will recall the statements of great writers about the Russian language in which he is called “a flexible, magnificent, inexhaustibly rich, intelligent poetic instrument” (A. Tolstoy), helping in life, or “precious thing itself” in which “everything is grainy , as large as pearls ”(N. Gogol).
Love for the country begins with love for the language
Similar reasoning leads to another important point. Each person should always remember one thing: without a good knowledge of the mother tongue it is impossible to become a patriot, which is confirmed by short statements about the Russian language. The national language is “the history of the people, the path of civilization and culture” (A. Kuprin), “the confession of the people, their soul and life ...” (P. Vyazemsky). That is why, along with documentary sources, for a full understanding of the processes occurring during the development of the country, very often they get acquainted with folklore works (especially proverbs, sayings, songs, epics), masterpieces of classical literature, and academic dictionaries.
To summarize, I would like to draw attention to the famous words of N. Karamzin that you cannot call yourself a patriot without love for your native language.
Place in the world
The indifference of many people to their own speech is especially offensive against the backdrop of the recognition of the virtues of our grammar by foreigners. For example, the best statements of Russian by foreign figures emphasize its superiority over other well-known languages. The richest among all the "European dialects", "the language of poetry" was called by the French writer P. Merimet, "beautiful", "the most powerful and richest living language" - F. Engels. A statement about the Russian language of Russian writers will be appropriate here. The worldwide recognition and superiority of Russian grammar was noted by the poets M. Lomonosov and M. Derzhavin. According to F. Dostoevsky, only having fully mastered the native language, one can learn a foreign language. The point of view of L. Tolstoy, who was fluent in French, is also remarkable. He admitted that the latter is only fit to “shine”, but heart to heart you can only speak Russian.
“Russian is one of the richest languages in the world ...”
So wrote V. Belinsky more than a century and a half ago. Carefully reading the statements of great writers about the Russian language, you can gradually grasp the laws of ideal speech, which, as already noted, has become a rarity today. “There are no sounds, colors, images and thoughts for which there would be no exact expression,” K. Paustovsky noted. And Chekhov, trying to protect his contemporaries and descendants from excessive refinement in words, warned: "The language should be simple and elegant." Then, in skillful hands, he, according to A. Kuprin, will become “beautiful, melodious, expressive, flexible, obedient, dexterous and roomy,” and, according to K. Paustovsky, it will be possible to “work miracles with him”.
Every statement of Russian poets about the Russian language is filled with love and respect.
"Great, powerful, truthful and free ..."
Such epithets were honored by the native language of I. S. Turgenev, the author of a prose poem, known, perhaps, to every inhabitant of the country. The writer sees in him the “support and support” that he needs, far from his homeland. The work is imbued with an inexhaustible love for the main treasure of the people, which helps to objectively evaluate what is happening in the country. Similar feelings are experienced by Ivan Sergeyevich in relation to the Russian people - the bearer of a great language. These two concepts are inseparable from each other in the mind of the writer, as evidenced by short statements about the Russian language: “you can’t believe that such a language was not given to a great people”.
"Native language"
Full of contradictions, the sublime and somewhat tragic poem of the symbolist V. Bryusov. The poet is frank in his confessions that language is for him the embodiment of the best achievements of the Russian people. He gives the initiate wings, saves during the "hours of powerlessness", plunging into the secret of strange sounds. At the same time, for the poet, the Russian language is not only a “faithful friend”, but also an “insidious enemy”, “tsar”, who has entwined with fetters and does not let go. Because Bryusov rightfully requires for himself all of his wealth by inheritance. A similar statement about the Russian language by Russian writers and poets proves their special purpose on earth: to preserve the great word given to the people and pass it on to descendants. “Your world is forever my abode,” V. Bryusov draws a line under his thoughts, determining the place of the Russian language in his life.
Works by K. Balmont
A river and a steppe expanse filled with the cry of an eagle and the roar of a wolf, the ringing of a praying mantis and the cooing of a dove, the murmur of a key and a spring ray, he sees the Russian language in a poem of the same name. The master’s word helps the poet to describe the unique beauty of his native country, to express love for his father’s house and Russia, which he was forced to leave forever.
The quotes and statements of the great about the Russian language given in this article have something in common with words from another work by K. Balmont - “Russian language: Will as the basis of creativity”. In it, the poet calls his native speech “true, primordial, pure, excellent”, making up “one of the main talismans” of great Russia. It is enough to touch the Russian language, and it will give a magnificent picture, familiar to everyone since childhood. And already the lines of I. Turgenev, who also longed for a foreign land, sound for Balmont with a prayer.
"Courage"
Another great poem belongs to A. Akhmatova, it was written in 1941 in besieged Leningrad. Anna Andreevna says in the most difficult time for the country on behalf of the whole generation, who stood up for the defense of her native country and the main national treasure: "... we will save you, Russian language ...". This is her first priority as a poet and citizen, capable of inspiring and supporting compatriots with the “great Russian word”. And the last lines of the poem sound like an oath: “We will carry you free and pure ... and we will save you from captivity forever.”
Indeed, such statements by Russian writers about the Russian language, beautiful poems about his power and strength more than once supported the people in the most difficult time for him and for the country.
To summarize
Undoubtedly, the Russian literary language makes up the golden fund of our country. And the works of art written on it are included in the treasury of world literature. And so that every statement about the Russian language of Russian writers, poets, other cultural figures after decades and centuries is imbued with the same pride that they are its carriers, faith in its power, we must preserve what is inherited.