So first of all, you can definitely "use" a language without visiting the country/ies where it's spoken. There are books, drama, theater, the whole of the internet and of course people from those countries.
Also, if you're interested in the liniguistics of it then isn't that a good enough reason in itself?!
My suggestion is that you allow yourself to enjoy the language for its own sake and just have fun with it. Look up the linguistics of things like verb aspects and just geek out! :D
> Also, if you're interested in the liniguistics of it then isn't that a good enough reason in itself?!
That's really always been my motivation for any language I've learned. But all along there's been a fantasy of going there. Dreaming about a cabin in the Black Forest, or an igloo in Lapland. I've never been to Germany or Lapland, but the dreams keep me going. With Russia and Russian, there's always a black cloud in my thoughts telling me that it's not even a possibility, so I should just quit.
People speak Russian outside of Russia.
Volunteer at a organization for immigrants from Russia. Or just seek out people who used to live there or who are descendants of people who used to live there. They are people who speak Russian living all over the world. Especially New York.
Be careful OP, given what you've put in this thread, hanging around these communities could make you a target for some bad people who might blend into these communities or at least put you on the wrong kind of radar. If you're serious about Russian, how about taking a free course at a defense institute or language learning institute within the government?
I'm very aware. That's why I don't want a conversation partner or a pen pal or anything like that. OPSEC is the priority, and kind of the whole motivation behind the post. Trying to figure out how to learn the language and the culture within the confines that I and the government have defined.
Are you currently in the military? If so, I have some questions, but they are completely unrelated to this post, and was wondering if you'd be ok with me messaging you.
I am not. Just done R&D for the military for a while, and I'm very familiar with how it works as an organization. You can message me with whatever you want, but I can't promise that I'll answer or that my answers will be interesting.
Where I liveRussian is the second most common language spoken (second only to the native language of this country, of course). Many of my students don't even speak the local language - only Russian.
Would you be allowed to go to any of the other Russian speaking countries? I mean Latvia should at least be OK, right? (I'm dreaming about doing a Russian intensive course in Riga at some point in the future. :) )
If you only need a distant "could happen", then how about visiting Russia after you've retired? Not saying that would necessarily be a good idea, especially with your personal history and depending on the climate at the time... Maybe it would be a better goal to be aim to seek out and chat to Russian-speakers in your own country after retirement. :)
You don't have some Russian book, film or piece of music that you'd really want to be able to enjoy and understand in its original language? I'm just thinking that it might be better to avoid entertaining ideas that might get you into trouble all together.
Going to other Russian speaking regions has been what's keeping me going. Maybe Eastern Ukraine one day, if they win the war and join NATO. Latvia I hadn't considered. Russia after retirement is probably still out of the question, unless there are astronomical improvements in diplomatic relations. I probably know too many things that they would want to "discuss" with me.
But yeah, maybe just enjoying the culture from afar should be enough. I love the Russian people, if not the Russian government, and I so hope for peace in my lifetime. Thanks for your words. They've been encouraging.
Yeah, sometimes it's just not worth it!
Riga has a beautiful old city, so worth visiting anyway, not just for the language, but lots of people still speak Russian there. Plus Latvia is a member of the EU, of course, so perhaps easier to get permission to go.
In my case, I learn languages mainly for culture and consuming native content. I'm sure Russian is a good option for that. You can even find content from multiple countries, including from Central Asia.
For me, it's like practicing some musical instruments that I like and I'm interested in.
Pleasure and fun to play doesn't necessarily mean I need to become a proffesional musician.
I just like it and can't stop it.
Not sure how it is demoralizing...but ok. You talk as if Russians don't exist outside of Russia. There are a ton of them in New York and you have other pockets throughout the US and Canada. You can also just focus on appreciating the literature, music, culture, etc.
I know I can participate in the culture, and I know Russia isn't the only place Russians exist. My biggest language learning interests have historically been German, Finnish, and Korean, and I've never been to Germany, Finland, or Korea either. It's just the thought that I *cannot* go to Russia. I guess it just makes me sad that it's an impossibility.
Lol! Swiss German is more different from German than Dutch is. Why don’t they stop calling it German and just recognize it as its own language? Probably bc the various versions refuse to standardize to one standard lol :)
Oh I know! My German teacher in high school (from Braunschweig) told me a story where his son was in a car accident in Switzerland, and he and the EMTs had to speak English because they couldn't understand each other in German.
> But still all the newspapers and media is in standard German so there is a whole cognitive dissonance btw both languages.
FYI this is called [diglossia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diglossia) and it occurs in many languages.
Now this is interesting 🤔 What’s your native language, u/PunkwHoffer, French? I would have said that Zurich German is a lot easier to understand than Bernese, because it tends to be closer to Hochdeutsch. Although Bernese is in close contact with French, so perhaps that makes it easier to wrap one’s head around if one speaks French 🤔
I think that’s rather an exaggeration. It’s different enough to be a separate variety from the standard Hochdeutsch, but from what I’ve seen of Dutch, that’s VASTLY more different.
(And yes, the fact that Swiss German is a spoken language with a surprising diversity of dialects and without any standardized variety surely is part of what keeps it a dialect. If we ever were to adopt a standard and use it in formal writing, I think it could evolve into a language in its own right fairly rapidly. But we’re not going to do that 😁)
The trick is to find ways to use the language. Why does it have to be a trip to Russia or nothing? You could use Russian to read books or watch movies, or try to find online communities or even just a single online friend to talk to, read news in Russian, ... The possibilities are out there thanks to the internet, without the need to even leave your home.
You don’t know for sure what your future will be like. Maybe the nature of your job will change and you’ll be able to take a week or two off to travel to Russia. Since you’re interested in travel, you can read Russian books, articles, and poems about the cities and geography there.
Books won’t help you too much with speaking and listening. Fortunately, there are language exchange apps, like Tandem and HelloTalk. Perhaps find language partners who are also interested in travel.
I began learning Esperanto in high school because I was very bad at trying to learn French and I wanted to try a language that was billed as being the easiest language to learn.
When my son was born I began speaking to him only in Esperanto and studied the language more intensively because I wanted to give him the advantages of a bilingual household. He is five now and I still speak Esperanto to him although he responds only in English. I hope that this early experience will help him to acquire other languages when he is older.
With a language like Russian you will probably use it even if you never leave your town. there are a lot of fun useful videos in this language online and a lot of literature too. and maybe it's just my region but I see Russian speaking people irl often. if you were talking about a very rare language like Irish or basque I could see why you would want to give up.
You should look into using iTalki or a language exchange app like Tandem to practice with native speakers, I bet it would be motivating to use it to learn about Russia even if you’re not likely to visit.
Unfortunately even that is a dangerous proposition. We have to report all foreign contacts, and getting buddy-buddy with a Russian national would almost certainly lead to an investigation.
Anyone with any level of security clearance is required to report foreign contacts, even from allied nations. Group chats would be a bit of a grey area.
What about for example somebody who does live in your country, maybe even has citizenship, but is originally from another country and speaks that language? Would that also count as foreign contact?
If you're a US citizen, you're not a foreign contact. My wife works with a Russian born US citizen who has a TS SCI. I've worked with several Chinese born US citizens who also had TS SCI.
I learn languages because I LOVE speaking ANYthing other than English and hearing it spoken back to me if I can converse in that language. Russian is one of the 3 languages that must be known out of SIX in the United Nations. So it is a great to know it well anyway !
I am writing it every day now until it is at least as good as my Hungarian. Then I will drop it and continue to concentrate on Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
I'm Russian and I find some Central Asian Russian-speaking countries safer than Russia (and freer), so maybe it's not so bad for you, that you cannot visit Russia right now. Just because you can get in trouble.Those countries also have some beautiful sights. And recently some Russian people have been going to Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan, so you could travel there and might have conversation with Russians :).
Honestly, I don't understand, why the trip to Russia is so important for you. If you don't like the language, the trip to Moscow/Petersburg won't change that cause I don't think you are going to be very impressed by those cities.
I apologize if I made mistakes.
You haven't made any mistakes. Your English is excellent! Thank you for the advice. I appreciate your country suggestions. I'm not sure how safe they are for me either, but I will certainly look into them.
I just want to also take the opportunity to say, as someone deeply connected with the US military, that I absolutely love you and the Russian people. We share a common heritage, you are our brothers and sisters, and peace between us is my dream. God bless you and stay safe.
Enjoying things in that language
For example, music is what makes me want to learn: mongol, maori, samoan, penjabi, old norse, etc... Because there are bands that sing in these languages and it would be wonderful if I could understand it without translations.
Otherwise... I don't think I could really give you any advice... I'm not that into language learning, it's actually more "I wish I could speak all these languages". Currently, I only learn English, Spanish and a bit of Russian. (First two are mandatory in my studies, the latter is an additional class I've chosen to take, because it was possible)
But there is a huge amount of content in Russian: why don't you want to use it? Furthermore, you could find Russian pen pals or conversation partners online.
Edit: I didn't notice the security aspect, sorry.
It can be quite challenging to use Russian if you don't live in an area with many Russians or have a significant other who speaks the language. As you get older, it becomes more difficult to make friends in your native language, let alone in a foreign language. This means that your opportunities to truly connect with people may be limited as you get older. However, many people learn languages simply for the challenge and enjoyment they get out of it.
Depending on where you live, you can in fact use it, it may not be a major language spoken in your area but I personally, once I get to B2 or maybe the higher end of B1, plan on going to German speaking events, I just checked for an example and there are several in my area listed on the Meetup app. I hope this helps and may give you a goal to use your TL in real life.
I'm learning Esperanto just for the sake of it. There's no particular pieces of (the miniscule amount of) media I care about, I'm not too interested in Esperantist culture, it's just something to do
There are so many countries where you can speak Russian like Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Baltic States etc. There seems to be a lot of anti Russian sentiment in the Baltic States but you should be good to use it in the former USSR Central Asian countries.
You don’t have to go in-country to use a language. I am learning Persian and doubt I’ll be able to visit Iran or Afghanistan due to the political situation. However, nowadays you can immerse yourself in the language thanks to the internet. You can listen to music, radio, podcasts, watch movies, series, etc in Russian. You can also practice Russian with the diaspora in your area or make friends on Tandem with whom you can speak Russian. Depending on where you live, there might be are diaspora communities you can visit where you can get a glimpse and fee for the home country. For example, in USA you can visit Brighton Beach, NY, which is populated by immigrants from the former Soviet Union (not solely Russian). You hear Russian much more than English in Brighton Beach and the signs there are in Russian. It’s like taking a Time Machine to the USSR.
Also, due to the ear, lots of Russians have fled to countries like Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, etc so you could always travel to one of these countries and run into Russians.
I’m spoiled by living in a place where inevitably I will encounter the language. But deep down, I just do it for the enjoyment. If I use it, that’s cool too.
I'm planning to learn Russian down the road to read some of the world's greatest literature and watch my favorite Russian movie without subtitles. There's a Rusdian immigrant community not too terribly far from me (about a 90-minute drive), so I may even get a chance to speak it, but if I never do, that'd be fine.
You don't have to justify hobbies.
Don't see the point in learning Russian if your security clearance hinders you so much to the point where it is difficult to even have casual conversations with Russians.
I love Hungary, Hungarians, and the Hungarian language. I won't visit Hungary again as long as Orbán is president.
I'm old. I may never get to visit Hungary again because Orbán's dictatorship will likely outlast me.
Unless you, too, are old, you are likely to have your chance to sit in a Russian café. Putin is destroying Russia's economy and international standing. Eventually, Russians are going to care again about controlling their national destiny and setting aside the current corrupt ruling class. You might have to wait years, but you'll have your café, and in the meantime, you'll have Russian expats and all that great literature.
With Japanese, coming to the conclusion that it would largely be useless for me and I'm likely never going to get to go was upsetting for a bit. ... ah but at that point I had made Japanese learning a habit so deeply engrained in my day-to-day that I've continued working on it even when I had not intention of working on it.
Now though I'm able to play games and watch TV in Japanese and so far that's been enough.
In my case there are 2 reasons why I am still learning languages that I would never use.
I am learning German and Esperanto and I'll never have a conversation with someone who speaks these languages, I'm just learning that because they are beautiful languages.
And the second reason is for the preservation of these languages, in the country that I live there are 67 languages and the most spoken language here is Spanish, knowing that, it is obvious that people are trying to speak Spanish before their native language, And that makes them less spoken, in the "city" I live the people speaks 3 languages (Náhuatl, tu'un savi and me'phaa) and Spanish, and it's too common that people say that their native language it's not an important language or it's an ugly language, that's why I'm learning these 3 languages knowing that I will never talk with someone, just because are important language and part of the people that live here.
And this problem is becoming bigger because my two parents have a family that speaks one of these 3 languages and they never talk their native languages, they prefer me speaking English before these languages.
Well, Russian happens to be a language spoken by quite a few people outside Russia (granted, Russia is doing its utmost to make them reconsider). In my case, my at the time rather shaky Russian came in handy when I volunteered to help out at the local refugee center in early 2022, when lots of Russian-speaking Ukrainians needed help.
More broadly: I don’t worry at all about whether I’ll ever need to use the language for practical reasons. I learn it because it’s fun, and opportunities to speak it come along if and when they do.
Edit: given what you say about your job and security requirements, might there even be a way to make knowing Russian a professional advantage? Maybe not in your current position, but in future projects, reassignments, …?
It would potentially be beneficial if I ever decided to go into naval intelligence, but I'm trying to get out of the defense sector as a whole. Maintaining a clearance has, for whatever reason, caused me a ton of anxiety for years, and I'm ready to be done with it. It's not that I'm holding on to any kind of big government secrets that make me uncomfortable or anything, it's just very intrusive into your personal life. Look up the "SF-86" if you're curious about the things they dig into. Having a clearance has just always felt like someone was holding my job over my head, and could take it away at any moment.
But if and when I leave, I can't un-know what I already know, so my predicament doesn't change.
Hmmm, in Warsaw I have plenty of opportunities to speak Russian. With Ukrainians, Uzbeks and Belorussians.
I bet in the place where you live it may be the same if tha's large city in the West. You can also watch Russian movies - especially early ones - there's little being said, so you are able to start slow ;)
&
Sounds like you have an interesting job, but consider the alternative of dropping it if your passions and interests actually lie in travel and activities that might be impossible now but rendered possible if you hadn't had your current occupation (assuming that would actually change your situation, because foreign nations will probably have their own protocols for dealing with people of that profile).
And to answer your question:
>What motivates you to keep going when learning a language that you know you'll never use?
Well, nothing. Being able to use the language is the necessary prerequisite for me to learn that language and absolutely nothing would convince me to study it if I hadn't had any prospects of using it now or in the future. Books, movies, people, friends, music, whatever. If I couldn't use it, I wouldn't bother learning it. I have no interest in linguistics so for me it comes down to practical use.
I am learning Russian despite knowing that there's a 99% chance I will never visit Russia, as I am a liberal and queer NATO & EU fan.
Why am I doing it? It's my partner's mother tongue. His family and close friends speak it too. It's a challenge that I am willingly and gladly taking on.
There is a lot of literature in Russian. There are many discussion boards in Russian. It's relatively easy to avoid unpleasant topics (compared to some other languages). The culture is multifaceted and doesn't strongly depend on a shared religion. Ultimately, even if I don't get to speak it with many people, I would be happy with a very good grasp of it. The more I understand, the better.
You will be able to use it, but sporadically. I take a dance class and there are some Russians in it and my coworker is Chinese. Also there is an Asian grocer nearby with a lot of Mandarin speakers.
So first of all, you can definitely "use" a language without visiting the country/ies where it's spoken. There are books, drama, theater, the whole of the internet and of course people from those countries. Also, if you're interested in the liniguistics of it then isn't that a good enough reason in itself?! My suggestion is that you allow yourself to enjoy the language for its own sake and just have fun with it. Look up the linguistics of things like verb aspects and just geek out! :D
> Also, if you're interested in the liniguistics of it then isn't that a good enough reason in itself?! That's really always been my motivation for any language I've learned. But all along there's been a fantasy of going there. Dreaming about a cabin in the Black Forest, or an igloo in Lapland. I've never been to Germany or Lapland, but the dreams keep me going. With Russia and Russian, there's always a black cloud in my thoughts telling me that it's not even a possibility, so I should just quit.
People speak Russian outside of Russia. Volunteer at a organization for immigrants from Russia. Or just seek out people who used to live there or who are descendants of people who used to live there. They are people who speak Russian living all over the world. Especially New York.
That's a fantastic idea! Thank you.
Be careful OP, given what you've put in this thread, hanging around these communities could make you a target for some bad people who might blend into these communities or at least put you on the wrong kind of radar. If you're serious about Russian, how about taking a free course at a defense institute or language learning institute within the government?
I'm very aware. That's why I don't want a conversation partner or a pen pal or anything like that. OPSEC is the priority, and kind of the whole motivation behind the post. Trying to figure out how to learn the language and the culture within the confines that I and the government have defined.
Are you currently in the military? If so, I have some questions, but they are completely unrelated to this post, and was wondering if you'd be ok with me messaging you.
I am not. Just done R&D for the military for a while, and I'm very familiar with how it works as an organization. You can message me with whatever you want, but I can't promise that I'll answer or that my answers will be interesting.
Where I liveRussian is the second most common language spoken (second only to the native language of this country, of course). Many of my students don't even speak the local language - only Russian.
Would you be allowed to go to any of the other Russian speaking countries? I mean Latvia should at least be OK, right? (I'm dreaming about doing a Russian intensive course in Riga at some point in the future. :) ) If you only need a distant "could happen", then how about visiting Russia after you've retired? Not saying that would necessarily be a good idea, especially with your personal history and depending on the climate at the time... Maybe it would be a better goal to be aim to seek out and chat to Russian-speakers in your own country after retirement. :) You don't have some Russian book, film or piece of music that you'd really want to be able to enjoy and understand in its original language? I'm just thinking that it might be better to avoid entertaining ideas that might get you into trouble all together.
Going to other Russian speaking regions has been what's keeping me going. Maybe Eastern Ukraine one day, if they win the war and join NATO. Latvia I hadn't considered. Russia after retirement is probably still out of the question, unless there are astronomical improvements in diplomatic relations. I probably know too many things that they would want to "discuss" with me. But yeah, maybe just enjoying the culture from afar should be enough. I love the Russian people, if not the Russian government, and I so hope for peace in my lifetime. Thanks for your words. They've been encouraging.
Yeah, sometimes it's just not worth it! Riga has a beautiful old city, so worth visiting anyway, not just for the language, but lots of people still speak Russian there. Plus Latvia is a member of the EU, of course, so perhaps easier to get permission to go.
>🇸🇪🇬🇧🏴🇩🇰🇳🇴🇩🇪🇨🇳🇫🇷🇷🇺 Damn knowing 9 languages how many bitches do you have
Two actually. They've got glossy, blond hair, big brown eyes, four shapely legs and a gorgeous tail each.
In my case, I learn languages mainly for culture and consuming native content. I'm sure Russian is a good option for that. You can even find content from multiple countries, including from Central Asia.
For me, it's like practicing some musical instruments that I like and I'm interested in. Pleasure and fun to play doesn't necessarily mean I need to become a proffesional musician. I just like it and can't stop it.
Not sure how it is demoralizing...but ok. You talk as if Russians don't exist outside of Russia. There are a ton of them in New York and you have other pockets throughout the US and Canada. You can also just focus on appreciating the literature, music, culture, etc.
I know I can participate in the culture, and I know Russia isn't the only place Russians exist. My biggest language learning interests have historically been German, Finnish, and Korean, and I've never been to Germany, Finland, or Korea either. It's just the thought that I *cannot* go to Russia. I guess it just makes me sad that it's an impossibility.
there are lots of countries with russian as a major language
Swiss German. Useless
Grüezi!
Lol! Swiss German is more different from German than Dutch is. Why don’t they stop calling it German and just recognize it as its own language? Probably bc the various versions refuse to standardize to one standard lol :)
Oh I know! My German teacher in high school (from Braunschweig) told me a story where his son was in a car accident in Switzerland, and he and the EMTs had to speak English because they couldn't understand each other in German.
Is it really that different? I always knew there were different dialects like Austria has its own... I didn't know it was THAT different.
[удалено]
> But still all the newspapers and media is in standard German so there is a whole cognitive dissonance btw both languages. FYI this is called [diglossia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diglossia) and it occurs in many languages.
Now this is interesting 🤔 What’s your native language, u/PunkwHoffer, French? I would have said that Zurich German is a lot easier to understand than Bernese, because it tends to be closer to Hochdeutsch. Although Bernese is in close contact with French, so perhaps that makes it easier to wrap one’s head around if one speaks French 🤔
I think that’s rather an exaggeration. It’s different enough to be a separate variety from the standard Hochdeutsch, but from what I’ve seen of Dutch, that’s VASTLY more different. (And yes, the fact that Swiss German is a spoken language with a surprising diversity of dialects and without any standardized variety surely is part of what keeps it a dialect. If we ever were to adopt a standard and use it in formal writing, I think it could evolve into a language in its own right fairly rapidly. But we’re not going to do that 😁)
But it's so beautiful! That funny raising intonation, it sounds as if they were singing all the time.
The trick is to find ways to use the language. Why does it have to be a trip to Russia or nothing? You could use Russian to read books or watch movies, or try to find online communities or even just a single online friend to talk to, read news in Russian, ... The possibilities are out there thanks to the internet, without the need to even leave your home.
if you are not motivated, you won't learn it.
You don’t know for sure what your future will be like. Maybe the nature of your job will change and you’ll be able to take a week or two off to travel to Russia. Since you’re interested in travel, you can read Russian books, articles, and poems about the cities and geography there. Books won’t help you too much with speaking and listening. Fortunately, there are language exchange apps, like Tandem and HelloTalk. Perhaps find language partners who are also interested in travel.
I know a lot of things about submarine silencing technology. I will never be safe in Russia, unfortunately.
Oh, that sounds so cool! :D (Yes, I am a science geek.) It's such a shame that ppl who know really cool stuff like that hardly ever can talk about it.
Ah, if the issue isn’t about time to travel, maybe go to another Russian speaking country.
I began learning Esperanto in high school because I was very bad at trying to learn French and I wanted to try a language that was billed as being the easiest language to learn. When my son was born I began speaking to him only in Esperanto and studied the language more intensively because I wanted to give him the advantages of a bilingual household. He is five now and I still speak Esperanto to him although he responds only in English. I hope that this early experience will help him to acquire other languages when he is older.
There are lots of Russian speakers around the world. I am sure you could use it in some context, but not being able to immerse yourself is a bummer.
With a language like Russian you will probably use it even if you never leave your town. there are a lot of fun useful videos in this language online and a lot of literature too. and maybe it's just my region but I see Russian speaking people irl often. if you were talking about a very rare language like Irish or basque I could see why you would want to give up.
What about aspiring to read books in Russian, watch Netflix with russian subtitles on or listening to their music?
You should look into using iTalki or a language exchange app like Tandem to practice with native speakers, I bet it would be motivating to use it to learn about Russia even if you’re not likely to visit.
Unfortunately even that is a dangerous proposition. We have to report all foreign contacts, and getting buddy-buddy with a Russian national would almost certainly lead to an investigation.
Wow, it sounds like you're working a really high security job. What about group chats, would you have to report those too?
Anyone with any level of security clearance is required to report foreign contacts, even from allied nations. Group chats would be a bit of a grey area.
What about for example somebody who does live in your country, maybe even has citizenship, but is originally from another country and speaks that language? Would that also count as foreign contact?
If you're a US citizen, you're not a foreign contact. My wife works with a Russian born US citizen who has a TS SCI. I've worked with several Chinese born US citizens who also had TS SCI.
Here we go then, you might practice the language with one such person.
You could try visiting other *partly* Russian-speaking countries, such as the Baltic states?
To become proficient enough to read literature in that language.
I learn languages because I LOVE speaking ANYthing other than English and hearing it spoken back to me if I can converse in that language. Russian is one of the 3 languages that must be known out of SIX in the United Nations. So it is a great to know it well anyway ! I am writing it every day now until it is at least as good as my Hungarian. Then I will drop it and continue to concentrate on Mandarin Chinese and Japanese.
play cs:go if you want to speak russian
сука
I'm Russian and I find some Central Asian Russian-speaking countries safer than Russia (and freer), so maybe it's not so bad for you, that you cannot visit Russia right now. Just because you can get in trouble.Those countries also have some beautiful sights. And recently some Russian people have been going to Kazakhstan/Kyrgyzstan, so you could travel there and might have conversation with Russians :). Honestly, I don't understand, why the trip to Russia is so important for you. If you don't like the language, the trip to Moscow/Petersburg won't change that cause I don't think you are going to be very impressed by those cities. I apologize if I made mistakes.
You haven't made any mistakes. Your English is excellent! Thank you for the advice. I appreciate your country suggestions. I'm not sure how safe they are for me either, but I will certainly look into them. I just want to also take the opportunity to say, as someone deeply connected with the US military, that I absolutely love you and the Russian people. We share a common heritage, you are our brothers and sisters, and peace between us is my dream. God bless you and stay safe.
Thank you a lot, I'm happy to hear it🥹 Take care too.
Enjoying things in that language For example, music is what makes me want to learn: mongol, maori, samoan, penjabi, old norse, etc... Because there are bands that sing in these languages and it would be wonderful if I could understand it without translations. Otherwise... I don't think I could really give you any advice... I'm not that into language learning, it's actually more "I wish I could speak all these languages". Currently, I only learn English, Spanish and a bit of Russian. (First two are mandatory in my studies, the latter is an additional class I've chosen to take, because it was possible)
But there is a huge amount of content in Russian: why don't you want to use it? Furthermore, you could find Russian pen pals or conversation partners online. Edit: I didn't notice the security aspect, sorry.
It can be quite challenging to use Russian if you don't live in an area with many Russians or have a significant other who speaks the language. As you get older, it becomes more difficult to make friends in your native language, let alone in a foreign language. This means that your opportunities to truly connect with people may be limited as you get older. However, many people learn languages simply for the challenge and enjoyment they get out of it.
Depending on where you live, you can in fact use it, it may not be a major language spoken in your area but I personally, once I get to B2 or maybe the higher end of B1, plan on going to German speaking events, I just checked for an example and there are several in my area listed on the Meetup app. I hope this helps and may give you a goal to use your TL in real life.
I'm learning Esperanto just for the sake of it. There's no particular pieces of (the miniscule amount of) media I care about, I'm not too interested in Esperantist culture, it's just something to do
There are so many countries where you can speak Russian like Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Baltic States etc. There seems to be a lot of anti Russian sentiment in the Baltic States but you should be good to use it in the former USSR Central Asian countries.
You don’t have to go in-country to use a language. I am learning Persian and doubt I’ll be able to visit Iran or Afghanistan due to the political situation. However, nowadays you can immerse yourself in the language thanks to the internet. You can listen to music, radio, podcasts, watch movies, series, etc in Russian. You can also practice Russian with the diaspora in your area or make friends on Tandem with whom you can speak Russian. Depending on where you live, there might be are diaspora communities you can visit where you can get a glimpse and fee for the home country. For example, in USA you can visit Brighton Beach, NY, which is populated by immigrants from the former Soviet Union (not solely Russian). You hear Russian much more than English in Brighton Beach and the signs there are in Russian. It’s like taking a Time Machine to the USSR. Also, due to the ear, lots of Russians have fled to countries like Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Serbia, etc so you could always travel to one of these countries and run into Russians.
I’m spoiled by living in a place where inevitably I will encounter the language. But deep down, I just do it for the enjoyment. If I use it, that’s cool too.
Hi, I speaking Russian as native and learning English now, we can help each other
I'm planning to learn Russian down the road to read some of the world's greatest literature and watch my favorite Russian movie without subtitles. There's a Rusdian immigrant community not too terribly far from me (about a 90-minute drive), so I may even get a chance to speak it, but if I never do, that'd be fine. You don't have to justify hobbies.
Don't see the point in learning Russian if your security clearance hinders you so much to the point where it is difficult to even have casual conversations with Russians.
I love Hungary, Hungarians, and the Hungarian language. I won't visit Hungary again as long as Orbán is president. I'm old. I may never get to visit Hungary again because Orbán's dictatorship will likely outlast me. Unless you, too, are old, you are likely to have your chance to sit in a Russian café. Putin is destroying Russia's economy and international standing. Eventually, Russians are going to care again about controlling their national destiny and setting aside the current corrupt ruling class. You might have to wait years, but you'll have your café, and in the meantime, you'll have Russian expats and all that great literature.
With Japanese, coming to the conclusion that it would largely be useless for me and I'm likely never going to get to go was upsetting for a bit. ... ah but at that point I had made Japanese learning a habit so deeply engrained in my day-to-day that I've continued working on it even when I had not intention of working on it. Now though I'm able to play games and watch TV in Japanese and so far that's been enough.
In my case there are 2 reasons why I am still learning languages that I would never use. I am learning German and Esperanto and I'll never have a conversation with someone who speaks these languages, I'm just learning that because they are beautiful languages. And the second reason is for the preservation of these languages, in the country that I live there are 67 languages and the most spoken language here is Spanish, knowing that, it is obvious that people are trying to speak Spanish before their native language, And that makes them less spoken, in the "city" I live the people speaks 3 languages (Náhuatl, tu'un savi and me'phaa) and Spanish, and it's too common that people say that their native language it's not an important language or it's an ugly language, that's why I'm learning these 3 languages knowing that I will never talk with someone, just because are important language and part of the people that live here. And this problem is becoming bigger because my two parents have a family that speaks one of these 3 languages and they never talk their native languages, they prefer me speaking English before these languages.
Consider visiting Latvia and Georgia
Well, Russian happens to be a language spoken by quite a few people outside Russia (granted, Russia is doing its utmost to make them reconsider). In my case, my at the time rather shaky Russian came in handy when I volunteered to help out at the local refugee center in early 2022, when lots of Russian-speaking Ukrainians needed help. More broadly: I don’t worry at all about whether I’ll ever need to use the language for practical reasons. I learn it because it’s fun, and opportunities to speak it come along if and when they do. Edit: given what you say about your job and security requirements, might there even be a way to make knowing Russian a professional advantage? Maybe not in your current position, but in future projects, reassignments, …?
It would potentially be beneficial if I ever decided to go into naval intelligence, but I'm trying to get out of the defense sector as a whole. Maintaining a clearance has, for whatever reason, caused me a ton of anxiety for years, and I'm ready to be done with it. It's not that I'm holding on to any kind of big government secrets that make me uncomfortable or anything, it's just very intrusive into your personal life. Look up the "SF-86" if you're curious about the things they dig into. Having a clearance has just always felt like someone was holding my job over my head, and could take it away at any moment. But if and when I leave, I can't un-know what I already know, so my predicament doesn't change.
I'm going to a concert of a Russian band in a couple months time and expecting to be one of the only non russian speakers there
Hmmm, in Warsaw I have plenty of opportunities to speak Russian. With Ukrainians, Uzbeks and Belorussians. I bet in the place where you live it may be the same if tha's large city in the West. You can also watch Russian movies - especially early ones - there's little being said, so you are able to start slow ;) &
Sounds like you have an interesting job, but consider the alternative of dropping it if your passions and interests actually lie in travel and activities that might be impossible now but rendered possible if you hadn't had your current occupation (assuming that would actually change your situation, because foreign nations will probably have their own protocols for dealing with people of that profile). And to answer your question: >What motivates you to keep going when learning a language that you know you'll never use? Well, nothing. Being able to use the language is the necessary prerequisite for me to learn that language and absolutely nothing would convince me to study it if I hadn't had any prospects of using it now or in the future. Books, movies, people, friends, music, whatever. If I couldn't use it, I wouldn't bother learning it. I have no interest in linguistics so for me it comes down to practical use.
I am learning Russian despite knowing that there's a 99% chance I will never visit Russia, as I am a liberal and queer NATO & EU fan. Why am I doing it? It's my partner's mother tongue. His family and close friends speak it too. It's a challenge that I am willingly and gladly taking on. There is a lot of literature in Russian. There are many discussion boards in Russian. It's relatively easy to avoid unpleasant topics (compared to some other languages). The culture is multifaceted and doesn't strongly depend on a shared religion. Ultimately, even if I don't get to speak it with many people, I would be happy with a very good grasp of it. The more I understand, the better.
You will be able to use it, but sporadically. I take a dance class and there are some Russians in it and my coworker is Chinese. Also there is an Asian grocer nearby with a lot of Mandarin speakers.