“People here usually say to me: you are different than we thought and from the way American people are shown on TV. And I am happy.” 

– Sean Quirk, an American who has been living in Tuva, Siberia for almost 20 years, and knowns the Tuvan language better than Russian

Guard duty sends an old villager back to school, and down a broad and dusty lane full of memories.

If you believe the papers, Russia is in the grips of протестное настроение, which literally means a mood for protest, but which might be better translated as “loaded for bear.”

In this issue we look at the shape of things Russian.

It’s that time of year: Americans are busy making — and breaking — their New Year’s resolutions. Russians are too smart to put themselves through such torture.

An effective way to accumulate new vocabulary is to learn words and phrases that have the same root.

On the language of fall and a changing climate.

In this issue's language learning page, we consider Russian songs about trees.

Yes, it is possible to be a Russophile and a Ukrainephile. We explain how.

If it’s hard to gracefully say “no” in English, how much harder is it in Russian, where dissembling requires linguistic gifts that you might not have yet developed?

Tough time learning Russian? It’s not just you. Russians themselves frequently struggle to determine what is “correct.” 

Sometimes a subway is just that. And sometimes it is not. On the perils of inter-lingual travel...