Russian Language on the Verge of Nervous Breakdown

The world around us is changing rapidly and the language is changing as well. Who can say they do not use new words, but also that they do not frown when they hear someone else use them? Loanwords, jargon, swearwords – which we cannot do without anymore – make us angry and, most importantly, give us a reason for constant grumbling. Who does not enjoy, from time to time, speculating about how the language is being ruined, or even dying? The author, having suffered from a “multiple personality disorder”, alternately occupies the position of an irritated common man, and then a cold-blooded linguist, and these two talk together. When reading, you should stay calm and dispassionate. Having read the book, you should be able to answer the main question: who is really on the verge of a nervous breakdown – is it the Russian language or ourselves?

Moscow: LRC Publishing House, 2008