Audio content: Russian Olympic champions and their families react to their victories. Includes an example of dialectical language variation.
Visual content: Russian athletes and fans, a few domestic interiors.
(Video embedded below, or available here)
Recently I took a break from Луч света to focus on my research for a little while, but I’ve been keeping track of some good videos and will be posting them over the next few weeks. Here is one more follow-up on Russia’s Olympic appearance. The video focuses most of all on Inna Deriglazova, a 26-year-old fencer who won a gold medal in a closely fought 12-11 victory over a former gold medal champion from Italy. We hear from her, her coach and her family.
This video clip has a few culturally and linguistically interesting aspects. The interviewees, and Inna in particular, come across as role models for the values promoted in official circles and in the state-controlled media — values of decency, graciousness, commitment to family and simple straightforward patriotism. The brief comment at the end from the 19-year-old swimmer Anton Chupkov, a bronze medal winner, also fits into this framework. Note as well the cross around his neck — a fairly common sight amid the post-Soviet revival of the Russian Orthodox Church. The segment ends, however, with a little jab at the U.S. (not included in my transcript): the announcers mention that the Russian swimmer Yuliia Efimova will be competing in the 200-meter breaststroke tonight and that the American swimmer Lilly King did not even qualify for this event. Russian fans are encouraged to gloat over this fact because of what happened after the 100-meter breastroke: King, the gold medal winner, did not congratulate silver medal winner Efimova because of doping suspicions. The International Swimming Federation had in fact banned Efimova from the Rio Olympics because of earlier positive doping tests. The suspension period for these violations was over, but Efimova was excluded because of the stricter criteria being applied to the Russian team because of the nation’s state-supported doping scandal (see the previous blog entry). Efimova subsequently won an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. She had to endure boos from the crowd during her races.
From the linguistic point of view, the video provides two interesting examples of atypical speech: a woman speaking a southern dialect and the speech of a young child — see below.
Замечания о языке:
- Russian is not a language with strong regional differences, but one dialectical variation is very apparent in this video clip. Deriglazova grew up in the south of Russia near the Ukrainian border, in the town of Kurchatov, and her mother’s speech has characteristics of the southern dialect (южное наречие, южный говор). What most stands out is her pronunciation of the letter “г” as “х” in the words говорить, награды.
- Other notable words: “болеть” means “to be sick” but also “to root for, be a fan of.”
- One of Deriglazova’s enthusiastic fans addresses her as “Innochka,” a diminutive-affectionate variation of her name, as a way to establish a sort of friendly intimacy between them, even though he has probably never met her.
- Use the instrumental case to say what you are proud of: “гордиться чем” — as seen in the daughter’s comments.
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VIDEO CLIP:
(or view it on the Первый канал site, where the player may function better)
Link to the video at Первый канал (additional partial transcripts available here)
Russian Transcript
0:35-0:55
Инна Дериглазова, фехтовальщица: Это счастье! На шее у меня висит счастье. Я… наверное, в моей жизни несколько таких счастливых событий: это рождение дочери, я была безумно счастлива оттого, что я стала матерью, и вот эта олимпийская медаль. Это просто счастье!
1:20-1:35
Тренер Дериглазовой: Я сказал ей о том, что мы много работали, что мы шли к этому всю жизнь, и… я знаю, что ты будешь жалеть потом об этом, и тебе будет очень больно, поэтому лучше выиграть. И она сказала: «Конечно, я постараюсь!»
1:45-1:55
Дериглазова: У меня очень трудолюбивый тренер, он просто трудоголик. Это наша с ним общая победа, это общая заслуга.
Deriglazova sings the Russian anthem during the medal ceremony.
2:05-2:45
Дериглазова: Я его знаю наизусть. Еще со школьных годов на уроке музыки, мы изучали гимн России. Я его так [?] выучила, как порядочная ученица, наверное. И я горда оттого [?], что я пела гимн Российской Федерации, я его знаю, дали бы мне еще микрофон, я бы… да, дала бы жару!
Болельщик: Слышите, голос весь сорван, так болели, что уже почти не осталось сил. Слава Богу, не первый раз уже здесь звучит наш гимн, в этом прекрасном зале. Но мы надеемся, что не последний.
Другой болельщик: Спасибо, Инночка! Ты самая лучшая, самая красивая!
The announcers explain that Deriglazova’s rapier got bent during the competition.
3:15-3:45
Дериглазова: Вот эта рапира, она, бедная, согнулась в три погибели, я ее постоянно поправляла, мне уже вот как-то я вот понимаю то, много уже, кривовато, думаю: «Нет, менять не буду, нет — я начала с этой рапирой, я ею и закончу», потому что, не знаю, дело не в рапире. Наверное, я ее вот, себе вот так вот поставлю в стеночку, и буду любоваться ею и вспоминать то, что именно она принесла мне золотую олимпийскую медаль.
Now the scene shifts to the family members who are waiting for Deriglazova back at home in the southern town of Kurchatov.
4:00-4:10
Мать Дериглазовой: Она уже тогда говорила бабушке, своей бабушке: «Ты будешь меня смотреть по телевизору, меня будут по телевизору показывать.» И она мечтала о олимпийской награде, теперь у нее все награды есть.
4:20-4:45
Диана, дочка Дериглазовой: Я горжусь своей мамой, потому что она чемпионка мира и всегда всех победит. Она может победить, она может выиграть. Мама, ты скорее приезжай, я очень тебя сильно люблю. И жду тебя прям сильно-сильно.
Finally, we hear from one more of Russia’s medal winners.
4:50-5:05
Антон Чупков, пловец: Хочу пользоваться случаем, передать огромное приветствие родителям, своей маме больше всего за то, что она болеет, переживает. Мама для меня, во-первых, это все, она всячески меня поддерживает, и я очень рад, очень люблю ее, спасибо ей.
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Literal English Translation
0:35-0:55
Inna Deriglazova, fencer: This is happiness! Happiness is hanging on my neck. I… probably, there are a few such happy events in my life: namely, the birth of my daughter — I was crazily happy at the fact that I became a mother — and here this Olympic medal. This is simply happiness!
1:20-1:35
Deriglazova’s coach: I said to her that we had worked a lot, that we had been walking toward this a whole lifetime, and… I know that you will regret this later, and it will be very painful for you, therefore it’s better to win. And she said, “Of course, I will try hard!”
1:45-1:55
Deriglazova: I have a very hard-working coach. He’s simply a workaholic. This is our shared victory together with him, this is a shared thing we earned.
2:05-2:45
Deriglazova: I know it by heart. Back in my school years in music class we studied the anthem of Russia. I learned it that way, like a proper schoolgirl, probably. And I am proud of the fact that I sang the anthem of the Russian Federation. I know it. And if they had given me a microphone, I would have… yes I would have “really put some heat into it”!
A fan: You hear — my voice is all broken. We rooted them on so much that there’s hardly any strength left. Thank God [lit. Glory to God], this is already not the first time that our anthem sounds here, in this beautiful hall. But we are hoping that it’s not the last.
Another fan: Thank you, Innochka! You are the very best, the most beautiful!
3:15-3:45
Deriglazova: This rapier here, the poor thing, it got all bent up [lit: bent to three deaths]. I was constantly fixing it, and I was already somehow… so I understand that it’s already a lot, that it’s crooked, and I think: “No, I won’t switch it, no — I started with this rapier, I will also finish with it” — because, I don’t know, the main thing is not the rapier. Probably, I will put it up on the wall for myself just like this, and I will admire it and recall that it is the one that brought me the golden Olympic medal.
4:00-4:10
Deriglazova’s mother: Already back then she would say to grandmother, to her grandmother: “Will you watch me on television? They will be showing me on television.” And she dreamed of an Olympic award — now she has all the awards.
4:20-4:45
Diana, Deriglazova’s daughter: I am proud of my mother, because she is the world champion and always beats everyone [lit. perfective “will beat” but the girl probably means to say the imperfective “побеждает”]. She can conquer, she can win. Mama, come here soon, I really love you strongly. And I am waiting for you [here, has the sense “looking forward to you”] really intensely.
4:50-5:05
Anton Chupkov, swimmer: I want to make use of the opportunity and give an enormous greeting to my parents, to my mom above all, for the fact that she is rooting [for me], going through it [suffering, enduring, being anxious] [with me]. For me, my mom, first of all, is everything. She supports me in all kinds of ways. And I am very glad and love her a lot — thank you to her.
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