The Russian Language in America.
By J. Dyneley Prince,
Professor of Slavonic Languages in Columbia University.
The present War has placed the United States on a most enviable commercial footing, and this is especially true in connection with the possible future trade relations with the great Russian Empire. Far-seeing business men all over the country have already begun to realize this fact with respect to Russia and are, therefore, encouraging young men to take up the study of the Russian language. Columbia University has just founded a chair of Slavonic Languages and Literatures, the chief object of which is to stimulate Americans on the eastern sea-board, to take an interest in Russia, not only from historical and literary angles, but also to offer every facility to Americans to cope with the difficulties of the Russian language. For the Middle West, the University of Chicago has undertaken the same task with a new Department of Slavonic, whose chief interest centres in the economic side of Russian development. Mr. Vanderlip of the National City Bank of New York City has established classes in the Russian language in the bank, in order to enable young men to interest themselves practically in Russian business, and the Young Men's Christian Association has founded classes in Russian with a similar object.
There can be no doubt that one of the first needs for the United States must be to send trained personal investigators to study the present conditions in Russia. The Germans did this long ago, and, in consequence, have enjoyed many years of uninterrupted profitable trade with Russia. There is no use in sending men to deal with Russia who do not speak Russian, and in this, the Germans showed their wisdom. In no language in the world are there so thorough and so scientifically arranged grammars and handbooks of Russian as are found in German. Most unfortunately for the English-speaking peoples, there is not as yet in our tongue a single satisfactory grammar of Russian from the scientific point of view, so that in Columbia we are forced at the present moment to work under a great disadvantage with students who can read neither German nor French.
Russian is not like some other languages. It is impossible to learn to speak and write in it intelligibly without a thorough
