Well, did you, like, know about this?

In colloquial spoken English, we use many funny small words which can add meaning and serve different functions. Consider, for instance, the title of this activity: "Well, did you, like, know about this?" If we remove the so-called discourse markers, we are left with a perfectly good sentence: "Did you know about this?" However, the meaning seems to have changed... The words "well" and "like" might express hesitation, fill a silence that the speaker needs to choose the right words, or mitigate the potentially accusatory tone of the question. They can do a lot!

Well, there are also words like that in Russian. Let's explore what these words are and what they can do! Before we begin, however, remember: small words can mean a lot. Maybe for this reason, their meanings and functions are notoriously difficult to pin down. As you work through these activities, keep in mind that there are many possible answers out there.

НУ

You can say so much with just these two letters! A possible equivalent of "НУ" in English is "WELL," as in: "Well, are you coming or not?" Let's see if we can figure out some of the meanings and functions of "НУ"!

1

Take a look at the examples below. These examples come from the Russian National Corpus, a collection of writing and speech produced by Russian speakers.

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Well, how did it go?

The functions and meanings of small words like "НУ" can be difficult to pin down! Here are four functions that we came up with based on the examples provided above:

Take another look at the examples given above. Can you find at least one example for each of these four functions of "НУ"?

3

Here is another set of examples! This set comes from MACAWS, a collection of Russian language learner texts. Given the complexity of "НУ," these learners were only introduced to one of its functions. Can you identify that function?

a)





b)



c)

Катя: Марк, моя подруга Лена прилетает из Москвы. Ты можешь встретить её? 

Марк: Не знаю, Катя, там будет много трафика. 

Катя: Пожалуйста, Марк. Я не могу встретить её потому что я работаю. 

Марк: Ну, хорошо.


Лиза: Да, давай! Может быть положим [put] ковер в прихожую? 

Катя: Ну, не знаю, а может быть положим ковер в гостиную?


Катя: Лиза, слушай, давай поставим [put] обеденный стол в гостиную, рядом с телевизором. 

Лиза: Ну, я не знаю, я думаю лучше поставить обеденный стол в кухню и можно поставить журнальный столик в гостиную. 

Катя: Ну, хорошо, а куда мы положим ковёр?

Bonus: Some common phrases with "НУ"

Reluctance: Ну да. Ну ладно. Ну хорошо. 

Intensification: Ну конечно!

Impatience: Ну, что? Ну, где ты?

ТИПА

You might recognize the word "ТИПА" as the Genitive form of the noun "тип" (type). The learners who contributed to the MACAWS corpus also know and use it as a noun. For instance: "Eсть три типа русских квартир: хрущевка, сталинка, и брежневка."

However, "ТИПА" can also do and mean lots of other things! It is typically used informally in conversational Russian and is closest in meaning and usage to the English "LIKE," as in "Are you two, like, dating?" Let's see if we can figure out some of the meanings and functions of "ТИПА"!

4

Take a look at the examples below. As before, these examples come from the Russian National Corpus.

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Did you, like, figure it out?

In general, "ТИПА" means that whatever the speaker is saying is only an approximation. It can serve many functions, but for now, we are focusing on only two of them:

Take another look at the examples above. In which of these examples is "ТИПА" used to convey someone else's words or thoughts? In which of these examples is "ТИПА" used to approximate (be it a term, a concept, or something else)?

Bonus: How to use "ТИПА"

Quoting someone: 

Approximating:

КОРОЧЕ

Translated literally, "КОРОЧЕ" means "shorter." It is the comparative form of the adjective "короткий" (short), and as such, it can be helpful when comparing two items. For instance, "Белое платье короче, чем чёрное" (The white dress is shorter than the black one). 

However, "КОРОЧЕ" can also mean and do other things! Let's see if we can figure them out!

6

Take a look at the examples from the Russian National Corpus provided below and see if you can identify other meanings and uses of "КОРОЧЕ."

-  Короче, это было недели три назад, когда только начали встречаться [started dating].

- В общем, рассказываю. Короче, Танька пригласила меня работать моделью в её салон.

-  Я пришла, короче, в офис. Шамиля нету, Шамиль ушел. Я говорю: "Куда Шамиль ушел?" - "Не знаю."

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What is the answer, anyway?

The meaning and usage of "КОРОЧЕ" is similar to the phrase "в общем," which can be translated as: so, overall / in general / in a word.

The two functions of "КОРОЧЕ" that are exemplified above are:

Take another look at the examples above. In which of these examples is "КОРОЧЕ" used to begin a story? In which of these examples is "КОРОЧЕ" used to conclude a story or a thought?

8

The examples provided below come from the MACAWS corpus, a collection of learner texts. In these examples, "КОРОЧЕ" is used both as a comparative adjective (meaning "shorter") and as a discourse marker (to conclude or summarize a story).

ДАВАЙТЕ ПОПРОБУЕМ! 

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With a partner, read through the sentences below and fill in the blanks with either НУ, ТИПА, or КОРОЧЕ. Make sure to read the translations to convey the intended meanings appropriately!

10

Work in a group of three. 

When you finish, pick a new topic and switch roles!

Additional materials: