245 episodes
The Word's Worth The Moscow Times
-
- Society & Culture
-
-
5.0 • 39 Ratings
-
Get to know Russia from the inside out, with podcasts on Russian language, culture and the latest news.
-
Plug It, Mute It, or Hear It
The words for things that shut out sound and let you hear it are the same in Russian. Of course they are.
-
Alexei Navalny and the Secret List of Forbidden Words
It's hard to know where general language ends and criminal slangs begins.
-
And Yet It's Nevertheless, All the Same, After All
The joy of particles (not).
-
A Guide to Giving a Bribe in Russian
What you say when you bribe depends on whether you want something or they want something.
-
Who is Gulya and Why Do We Care About Her Nose?
The preposition "c" has some weird constructions.
-
Spitting, Eating Your Teeth and Other Weird Gestures
When a person eats his teeth, is that bad or good? Or even possible?
Customer Reviews
Outstanding
Some people may be disappointed that these podcasts are "only" Michele Berdy reading her Moscow Times columns--I don't *think* I've heard any bonus material--but I for one appreciate hearing her pronunciation and inflections. If you are a fan of her columns and/or her book, The Russian Word's Worth, you will love this podcast. Less-than-fluent speakers, like me, might like to listen to the podcasts while reading the column. But that sounds too much like homework and is not necessary.
Michele Berdy is a treasure
This podcast features the wonderful Michele Berdy on the Russian language. Her work has been a must-read and now a must-listen, for any Anglophone Russian language learner. I speak as someone with a strong command of the language. I always learn something from her.
One complaint - the podcast title gives no indication it is the Michele Berdy show. I was pleasantly surprised to find that's what it was. They should package it as such.
Witty Word’s Worth Well Worth One’s While
I’ve been enjoying Michele Berdy’s column in The Moscow Times for many years so it was a delight to discover it now exists in podcast form. As an eternal student of the Russian language I find her thematic deep dives help sort out some of the subtle nuances, but the real trick is making this entertaining as well.