Along with Brazil, RusÂsia is the othÂer junior memÂber of the BRICs (see Part 1 for more on the BRIC conÂcept.)
While it’s not necÂesÂsarÂiÂly the counÂtry that’s first on AmerÂiÂca’s list of future ecoÂnomÂic comÂpetiÂtors, it’s expectÂed to be a playÂer. And, if GoldÂman Sachs is right, RusÂsia, a resource-rich nation, will overÂtake Italy’s econÂoÂmy in 2018; France’s in 2024; the UK’s in 2027 and GerÂmany’s in 2028 — that’s assumÂing that none of its underÂlyÂing probÂlems (a declinÂing popÂuÂlaÂtion, Vladimir Putin’s heavy-handÂed polÂiÂtics, enviÂronÂmenÂtal deteÂriÂoÂraÂtion, etc.) become too severe.
ThroughÂout the Cold War, the RussÂian lanÂguage was very in vogue. When the Wall fell in 1989, it fadÂed. Now, if the ecoÂnomÂic preÂdicÂtions hold true, it could become the lanÂguage of the future yet again. As of this moment, there’s no shortÂage of good podÂcasts that can get you speakÂing a litÂtle RussÂian. First, we’ll point you to A SpoonÂful of RussÂian (iTunes — Feed — Web Site). This well-reviewed podÂcast gives you a chance to learn conÂverÂsaÂtionÂal RussÂian from a native RussÂian speakÂer (Natalia WorÂthingÂton), and when it comes to teachÂing the alphaÂbet, they use video to teach CyrilÂlic letÂters.
Next, if you’re lookÂing to do busiÂness in RussÂian, this podÂcast is for you. SimÂply called
BusiÂness RussÂian (iTunes Feed Web Site) this series, preÂsentÂed by the UCLA CenÂter for World LanÂguages, teachÂes stuÂdents, as you could guess, the essenÂtials of RussÂian busiÂness comÂmuÂniÂcaÂtion. FinalÂly, to give things a litÂtle more of an intelÂlecÂtuÂal twist, we present
RussÂian LitÂerÂaÂture (iTunes Feed), anothÂer UCLA podÂcast that lets users improve their
comÂpreÂhenÂsion and vocabÂuÂlary by lisÂtenÂing to excerpts from TolÂstoy,
Gogol, Chekhov and othÂer RussÂian litÂerÂary greats.
FinalÂly, if you’re lookÂing for a more comÂpreÂhenÂsive approach to learnÂing RussÂian, we’ve listÂed sevÂerÂal prodÂucts on the marÂket in our new AmaÂzon store.
See our comÂplete colÂlecÂtion of ForÂeign LanÂguage LesÂson PodÂcasts.
Check in tomorÂrow for our third installÂment dedÂiÂcatÂed to speakÂing HinÂdi.