Russian Language
Russian is an Eastern Slavic language native to Russia. The Russian language dates from the early 10th century AD, the time of its earliest known writings. Russian uses the Cyrillic alphabet as its writing system. Today, the Russian language is Europe’s largest native language and the world’s eighth largest language by number of speakers.
Approximately 260 million people speak Russian. It is one of the official languages of Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan. Russian is one of the official languages of international and regional organizations such as the United Nations, World Health Organization, World Bank, Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and one of two primary operational languages used aboard the International Space Station (NASA).
Why Study Russian?
- Opinion of the American Council of Teachers of Russian
- 10 Reasons to Learn Russian
- Why Learn Russian after 2022
Tea Time
One of the key traditions of the Russian program at Columbia is the weekly tea time featuring cookies, sweets, and homemade baked goods. People with all levels of language proficiency drop by — from those just starting to learn Russian to those in their final semesters, as well as program alumni, graduate students in the Department of Slavic Languages, and faculty members teaching language and content courses. Please don't worry that this event is only for those with perfect language skills, or that your language will be judged in any way. On the contrary, we're all here simply to laugh, chat, share our stories, and drink tea in the company of good people. So, if you happen to be walking through the seventh floor of Hamilton Hall on Thursday evening and you hear Russian being spoken behind the open door of Room 713, know that this is a place where you can have some tea, catch up, and make some new friends.
Time: Every Thursday, 5pm - 6pm (starting September 15)
Place: 713 Hamilton
Questions: Please contact Tatiana Mikhailova ([email protected])
