The Russian Way, Second Edition: Aspects of Behavior, Attitudes, and Customs of the Russians

by Dabars, Zita; Vokhmina, Lilia

• ISBN13: 9780658017964
• ISBN10: 0658017969
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-25
• Publisher: McGraw Hill

Summary

Fully updated to reflect the rapidly changing cultural climate in today's Russia,The Russian Wayis indispensable for understanding the Russian way of life and for communicating with the Russian people. It is not only fascinating but also invaluable to businesspeople, travelers, and students.Organized alphabetically, the book answers questions such as: How do Russians celebrate holidays? How do Russians think, do business, and act in their daily lives? What do Russians enjoy eating?

Author Biography

Zita Dabars, Ph.D., is an experienced academic, teacher, and author. She is president of The American Council of Teachers of Russian and has visited Russia more on more than thirty occasions.

Lilia Vokhmina has authored over sixty books and has taught for many years at the Pushkin Institute of Russian Language, Moscow.

Table of Contents

Introduction	viii
Acknowledgments	xi
Abbreviations	1	(3)
Advertising	4	(1)
Approaching Strangers in Public to Ask for Information	5	(1)
At the Table	6	(1)
Attracting Someone's Attention	7	(1)
Babushka, Grandmother	7	(1)
Ballet and the Russian Theater	8	(2)
Banya, the Russian Sauna	10	(1)
Bribery and Blat, ``Pull''	11	(1)
The Calendar	12	(1)
Celebrations and Holidays	13	(3)
The Circus	16	(1)
Clothing	16	(2)
The Colors Blue and Brown	18	(1)
Compliments	18	(1)
Crafts	19	(1)
Dacha, Country House	19	(2)
Dating, Marriage, and Divorce	21	(2)
``Do You Not Know?''	23	(1)
Education and Upbringing, Obrazovanie and Vospitanie	23	(4)
Family	27	(1)
Fibbing, Vranyo	28	(1)
Flowers	29	(1)
Foreigners	29	(2)
Friend, Drug [``Droog''], and Ways to Denote Friendship	31	(1)
Gestures	32	(1)
Gifts	33	(1)
Greetings, Salutations, and Leavetakings	34	(1)
Gulag (Prison, Exile), the Secret Police, and the KGB	35	(3)
Health Care	38	(1)
Housing and Houses	39	(3)
Hygiene	42	(1)
Ice and the Purity of Russian Water	43	(1)
The Intelligentsia	43	(1)
Introductions	44	(1)
In the Kitchen	45	(1)
Letters, Greeting Cards, and Announcements	46	(3)
Meals and Mealtimes	49	(2)
Milestones	51	(3)
Monetary Units	54	(1)
Mushrooms	54	(1)
Nekulturno, Uncultured	55	(1)
Patronymics	55	(1)
Pensions	56	(1)
People's Names and Name Days	57	(1)
Physical Distance and Contact	58	(1)
Politics and Parties	59	(6)
Privacy	65	(1)
Punctuality	65	(1)
Religion	66	(2)
Restaurants	68	(4)
The Russian Language	72	(3)
Russian Nationality and Citizenship	75	(1)
The Russian Soul	76	(1)
The Seasons	77	(1)
Shopping	78	(4)
Shortages and Deficiencies	82	(1)
Slogans	82	(1)
Sports	83	(1)
Staring	84	(1)
Street Names and Addresses	85	(1)
The ``Strong Man'' Concept	86	(1)
Supersitions	86	(2)
Tea	88	(1)
Telephone (and Mail)	89	(3)
Television and Radio	92	(4)
Temperature	96	(1)
Time of Day	97	(1)
Toilets	98	(1)
Tourist Information	99	(9)
Transport, Traffic, Accidents, and How to Cope with a Militiaman (Policeman)	108	(1)
Tsereteli, Zurab Konstantinovich	109	(2)
Ty and Vy, ``You''---Familiar and Formal (TbI and BbI)	111	(1)
Vacations	112	(1)
Vodka and Drinking	113	(1)
Weights and Measures	114	(1)
Work and Professions	115	(4)
Select Bibliography and Additional Readings	119	(2)
Select Web Sites	121	(6)
Index	127