Overview of the Russian Language
Russian Language
The Russian language, known as русский язык in Russian, is an East Slavic language primarily spoken in Russia and is the native language of the Russians. It belongs to the Indo-European language family and is part of the larger Balto-Slavic language group.
Geographical Spread & Importance
Russian is an official language in:
- Russia 🇷🇺
- Belarus 🇧🇾 (co-official)
- Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 (co-official)
- Kyrgyzstan 🇰🇬 (co-official)
- Tajikistan 🇹🇯 (as inter-ethnic language designated by the constitution)
It’s also recognized as a minority language in several countries and is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Russian is not only significant due to its widespread use across Eurasia but also because of its historical role as the de facto language of the former Soviet Union. It continues to serve as a lingua franca in regions like Ukraine, Moldova, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and to a lesser extent in the Baltic states and Israel.
Speakers
Native speakers: Approximately 150 million (as of 2020 census).
Second-language speakers: Around 110 million (as of 2020 census).
Total speakers worldwide: Over 258 million.
Language Family & Similarities
Russian is one of four living East Slavic languages. It shares similarities with other Slavic languages like Ukrainian and Belarusian, which also have East Slavic roots.
Writing System
Russian uses the Cyrillic script for its writing system, which includes the Russian alphabet and Russian Braille. The Cyrillic script distinguishes between consonant phonemes with palatal secondary articulation (“soft” sounds) and those without (“hard” sounds).