Alive as Life. About the Russian Language

We no longer hear the once popular word "frishtikat" in cafes and restaurants; we slowly forget that companions may not have anything to do with space; only a few will remember what ZAGS stands for; and hardly anyone, when saying:... "It stunned me," thinks of the heroic helmet. Any living language is forever moving, forever growing, and the Russian language is as alive as life. Korney Ivanovich Chukovsky (1882–1969) gifted children with many wonderful tales, and to those who care about the history and fate of the Russian language, he gifted this book. "We all," says Korney Ivanovich, "must fight to ensure that our language does not become 'dead as death.'" Therefore, this book is not just a collection of linguistic observations and anecdotes, but also an engaging discussion of questions that are still contentious today. How can we preserve the purity and imagery of the Russian language? Do borrowings and jargon spoil it? And why are bureaucratic phrases the most terrible and dangerous disease threatening the Russian language?