"Living as life", Chukovsky. Summary, analysis

First of all, Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky is known as the author of children's poems about Moidodyr and flying chairs. But the writer was also a literary critic and advocated for the preservation of a lively, vibrant Russian language. The book Living as Life (first published in 1962) devoted to this issue has become a classic. Today we’ll talk about its content.

Chapter One: Old and New

The story of the famous lawyer and academician Anatoly Koni opens the first chapter of "Living as Life" (Chukovsky), a brief summary of which we will now analyze. Anatoly Fedorovich was known as a man of very great kindness. But only until the moment I heard awkward Russian speech. Here his anger knew no bounds, although often the interlocutor was not really to blame.

The fact is that at that time the honorary academician was already old. He was born and raised at a time when the word "necessarily" meant "kindly, respectfully." But it acquired a different meaning over time, and now meant "without fail." Everyone who used the word “necessarily” in the meaning of “without fail” immediately fell under a flurry of criticism.

About these changes in the language, and whether it is always bad, about the “diseases” of Russian speech and other, Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky tells in this book.

Chapter Two: "Imaginary Diseases and - Authentic"

What can be considered a "disease of the word"? The book "Living as Life" (Chukovsky), the genre of which can be defined as a cross between journalism and linguistic research, helps to understand this issue.

Did you know that in Pushkin’s poems the word “scrupulous” has a completely unusual meaning for us - “haberdashery”? The word "family", so familiar, first denoted slaves and servants, and then - a wife. An interesting "pedigree" and the word "Kavardak". At first it was called a very refined dish of the XVII century, beloved by the boyars. Then they started to call a mess as an acute abdominal pain caused by a bad talker. Soldier cooks threw uncleaned fish in the sand, onions, crackers, sauerkraut and everything at hand into the cauldron. And only then the “mess” acquired the familiar meaning of “confusion, disorder”.

These transformations are natural, the language grows and develops, and it is impossible and even stupid to resist this, the author believes.

Chapter Three: "Foreign Words"

This chapter is a logical continuation of the previous one. The book "Living as Life" (Chukovsky), the brief content of which we are discussing, would be incomplete without foreign words. Korney Chukovsky wrote a lot of letters to ordinary people who care about the safety of the Russian language. Many believed that foreign words should be expelled as quickly as possible.

The author gives examples of foreign words that have long become Russian: algebra, alcohol, stocking, artel, meeting, steering wheel, rails, naive, serious ... "Is it really possible to throw them out of living Russian speech?" - asks Chukovsky. At the same time, he is glad that many foreign words did not take root in everyday life and did not supplant the original Russian. For example, the once popular “frishikat” never comes into the language of an ordinary person. Instead, we have breakfast.

Chapter Four: The Umslopogasy

Fashionable verbal abbreviations are also not able to spoil the Russian language. But in the work "Living as Life" (Chukovsky), the analysis of which we are conducting, an entire chapter is devoted to them. And not in vain. It is the cuts that show how important moderation is in everything. For example, such reductions as the Moscow Art Theater, savings bank, workday did not spoil the Russian language.

But the fashion for reductions has spawned many "monsters." Tverbul Pampush really is Tversky Boulevard, a monument to Pushkin. Massively abbreviated names - Peter Pavlovich turned Pe Pa for both students and fellow teachers. But worst of all were the cuts-pallindromes of the Rosglavstankoinstrumentsnabsbyt, Lengorshveitrikotazhpromsoyuz, Lengormetallorempromsoyuz and others of this type.

From this we need to conclude, one of the main: everything rests on a sense of style and proportionality.

Chapter Five: "Vulgarisms"

Readers of the 1960s often considered “obscene” such words as “blue-footed”, “pants”, “stink”, “rubbish”, “blow your nose” and a lot of the like that are absolutely natural for a modern person. The author recalls an angry letter addressed to him for using the word "champs" in the article.

A completely different matter is the vulgar slang of modern youth, Chukovsky writes in Living as Life. The summary of the chapter boils down to the fact that jargon such as “Bullshit”, “stuck up” (instead of “falling in love”), “dude”, “kadrishka” (instead of “girl”), “lobud”, “shikara” and others do not defile only the Russian language, but also the concepts that they mean young people.

The author correctly observes that the dude who has vnapyapilsya in the frame, experiences far from the lofty feelings of love that are described in the verses of Alexander Blok. Decomposition of the language through vulgarism leads to moral decomposition, therefore, jargon should be eradicated eagerly.

Chapter Six: The Office

It was Korney Chukovsky’s book “Living as Life” that gave the name of the only real “disease” of Russian speech - the chancellery. This term is used by linguists, including the translator Nora Gal in the book "The Word of the Living and the Dead."

Chancery is the language of bureaucracy, business papers and chancery. All these “above”, “given this certificate”, “specified period”, “on the basis of this”, “and therefore”, “for lack of”, “due to absence”, “as regards” firmly took their place in business documentation ( while sometimes reaching the point of absurdity).

The problem is that the clerk penetrated into ordinary spoken language. Now instead of “green forest” they started saying “green massif”, the usual “quarrel” became a “conflict”, and so on. These turns of speech, borrowed from business papers, became a "litmus test". It was believed that every cultured, well-mannered person should have such words in his vocabulary.

To say on the radio "Heavy rains passed" was considered rustic and uncultured. Instead, "Heavy rainfall fell." Unfortunately, the clerical problem has not disappeared. Today, this disease has strengthened its position even more. No scientist can defend a dissertation written in simple, understandable language. In everyday life, we constantly insert stationery phrases, without noticing it ourselves. So lively, strong, sparkling Russian colloquial speech turns into gray and dry. And this is the only disease of the tongue that needs to be fought.

Chapter Seven: "Contrary to the Elements"

Many perceive the Russian language as an element with which it is impossible to cope. So writes in "Living as Life" Chukovsky. The summary of the last, seventh chapter boils down to the fact that at a time when knowledge is available for everyone, ordinary and evening schools are open, no one has the right to be illiterate, not to respect their language.

All wrong words and speech should be eradicated, and the culture of the masses must grow, not fall. And just speaking is an indicator of the growth or decline of culture.

Summary

K. Chukovsky, with his research, laid the foundation for a great discussion around the Russian language. He did not adhere to any one side and proceeded from carefully verified data and a sense of proportion. Like K. Paustovsky, Korney Ivanovich was very fond of the Russian language, therefore, "Living as Life" is until today a book that must be read to everyone - both linguists and those who want to fall in love with lively, simple Russian language.