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{{short description|Russian–English macaronic language}}

'''Runglish''', '''Ruslish''', '''Russlish''' ({{langx|ru|рунглиш, руслиш, русслиш}}), or '''Russian English''', is a language born out of a mixture of the [[English language|English]] and [[Russian language|Russian]] languages. This is common among Russian speakers who speak English as a second language, and it is mainly spoken in [[post-Soviet states]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Lambert|first=James|date=2017|title=A multitude of "lishes": The nomenclature of hybridity|url=https://benjamins.com/catalog/eww.38.3.04lam|journal=English World-Wide|language=en|volume=38|issue=3|doi=10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 |issn=0172-8865|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The earliest of these [[portmanteau]] words is ''Russlish'', dating from 1971. Appearing later are (chronologically): ''Russglish'' (1991), ''Ruglish'' (1993), ''Ringlish'' (1996), ''Ruslish'' (1997), ''Runglish'' (1998), ''Rusglish'' (1999), and ''Rusinglish'' (2015).<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lambert |first1=James |title=A multitude of "lishes": The nomenclature of hybridity |journal=English World-Wide |date=2017 |volume=38 |issue=3 |doi=10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 }}</ref>

As with [[List of lishes|other "lishes"]], there is no universally accepted definition of Runglish. The term may refer to English used by native Russian speakers in general, various types of Russian language [[Language transfer|interference]] in use of English, [[Mixed language|heavily hybridized speech]] of Russian immigrants in English-speaking countries, Russian-English [[code-switching]] in bilingual communities, [[Romanization of Russian|romanization]] or [[Englishization]] of the Russian language.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Rivlina |first=Alexandra A. |last2=Абрамовна |first2=Ривлина Александра |date=2020-12-15 |title=Russian English and what it is not |url=https://doi.org/10.22363/2687-0088-2020-24-3-649-668 |journal=Russian Journal of Linguistics |language=ru |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=649–668 |doi=10.22363/2687-0088-2020-24-3-649-668 |issn=2686-8024|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Although less widespread than other [[pidgin]]s and [[Creole language|creoles]], such as [[Tok Pisin]], Runglish is spoken in a number of English-Russian communities, such as in [[Southern Australia]] and most notably the Russian-speaking community of [[Brighton Beach]] in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Lambert|first=James|date=2017|title=A multitude of "lishes": The nomenclature of hybridity|url=https://benjamins.com/catalog/eww.38.3.04lam|journal=English World-Wide|language=en|volume=38|issue=3|doi=10.1075/eww.38.3.04lam|doi-broken-date=12 July 2025 |issn=0172-8865|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Brighton Beach has been nicknamed ''Little [[Odessa]]'' due to its population of Russian-speaking immigrants from [[Ukraine]] and [[Russia]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Idov |first1=Michael |date=13 April 2009|title=The Everything Guide to Brighton Beach |url=http://nymag.com/guides/everything/brighton-beach |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026021416/https://nymag.com/guides/everything/brighton-beach/ |archive-date=26 October 2021 |url-status=live |magazine=[[New York Magazine]]}}</ref> Runglish is considered to be used and spoken by at least 130 million people.<ref>{{Cite news |title=КраткаЯ историЯ рунглиша |trans-title=A brief history of Runglish |newspaper=Русский Базар [Russian Bazaar] |location=New York (Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, Bronx) and New Jersey |language=ru |url=http://russian-bazaar.com/ru/content/6978.htm |access-date=25 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220706174718/http://russian-bazaar.com/ru/content/6978.htm |archive-date=6 July 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=September 2025}} This number mainly consists of Russian-speaking immigrants and their descendants.

== Origins ==
[[File:Happynewyearcard.jpg|thumb|298x298px|Russian immigration]]

=== History ===
The appearance of Runglish has been caused by a number of social, scientific and political factors from the 19th to 21st centuries.

One of the multiple causes for the blending of the two languages is the increased immigration of Russian speaking communities to the English-speaking parts of the world, and specifically the United States. The main periods of the immigration are the following:

* [[Pogroms in the Russian Empire|The Imperial Russian religious prosecutions]] ([[pogrom]]s),
* [[Russian Revolution (1905)|Russian Revolution]],
* [[Russian Civil War]],
* [[Soviet repressions|Soviet era repressions]]
* [[Post-Soviet states|Post-Soviet period]].

The exposure of English to Russian speech and literature continued with the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], as the [[Iron Curtain]] had been eliminated, which opened a possibility for international tourism and communication. Additionally important was the expansion of international contacts, the creation of partnerships and alliances in which English was the main language of communication, state computerization, and, most importantly, the introduction of the Internet.<ref name="TitovaProshin">{{cite conference |last1=Titova |first1=U.V. |last2=Proshin |first2=R.D. |date=22 April 2013 |title=Linguistic Phenomenon "Runglish": English Language Penetration Into Russian Language |url=https://venec.ulstu.ru/lib/disk/2015/103.pdf |location=Ulyanovsk |publisher=[[Ulyanovsk State Technical University]] |pages=20–22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630162518/http://lib.ulstu.ru/venec/disk/2015/103.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2023 |book-title=Язык, Культура, История: Конференция Молодых Ученых, Аспирантов и Студентов (г. Ульяновск, 22 апреля 2013 года): сборник научных трудов [Language, Culture, History: Conference of Young Academics, Graduate Students, and Students (Ulyanovsk, 22 April 2013): Collected papers] |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Brighton Beach ===
In the [[United States]], Runglish is used in a number of Russian communities. Runglish is particularly popular among the Russian-speaking community in [[Brighton Beach]] in New York. Brighton Beach, a small area in New York, is rightfully considered the capital of "Russian English".<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Fedorova|first=Anna|date=December 14, 2020|title=Runglish and Its Features, or What the Speaker Is Speaking About.|journal=Moscow State Institute of International Relations|pages=1–3|ssrn=3750434}}</ref> Before the [[Great Depression]], Brighton Beach used to be a fashionable destination. However, as the economic crisis progressed, luxurious life in the southern part of Brooklyn came to an end, and poor immigrants began populating it instead of wealthy European tourists. For a long time, Brighton Beach was considered to be poor, inaccessible and criminal.<ref name="Magakian">{{Cite conference|last1=Magakian |first1=A. V.|last2=Shatokhina |first2=I.D. |orig-date=10-11 December 2019 |date=2020 |title=Runglish as one of the consequences of tourism development |location=Saratov |publisher=[[Saratov State University]] |url=https://www.sgu.ru/sites/default/files/textdocsfiles/2020/02/17/eng_2020.pdf |book-title=Young Scholars' Research in the Humanities: Proceedings of the VI All-Russia conference for young researchers: December 10-11, 2019 |pages=119–123 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022055547/https://www.sgu.ru/sites/default/files/textdocsfiles/2020/02/17/eng_2020.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Soon, Brighton Beach became a home for many immigrants from all over the world, particularly from the [[Soviet Union|USSR]]. The arrival of Russian-speaking immigrants helped to gradually develop a former disadvantaged neighbourhood into a powerful community with its own infrastructure, lifestyle and language.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|last=Fedorova|first=Anna|date=December 14, 2020|title=Runglish and Its Features, or What the Speaker Is Speaking About.|journal=Moscow State Institute of International Relations|pages=1–3|ssrn=3750434}}</ref>
[[File:Brighton_Beach_-_20151226_-_05_-_The_Boulevard_Under_the_Elevated_Tracks.jpg|thumb|349x349px|[[Brighton Beach]], [[New York (state)|New York]], has a large Russian-speaking population of immigrants from Ukraine and Russia.]]

The following are the examples of the Runglish words that are widely used on daily basis in Brighton Beach:

* Driving: Драйвить, ''Draivit'' (proper Russian: вести машину/ехать, ''vyesti mashinu/yekhat'')
* Case: Kейс, ''Keis'' (proper Russian: портфель-атташе, ''portfel-attashe,'' also дело, ''delo'' as in ''legal case'')
* Donuts: Донаты, ''Donaty'' (proper Russian: пончики, ''ponchiki'')
* Appointments: Аппойнтменты, ''Appoyntmenty'' (proper Russian: Назначения [на приём], ''naznacheniya [na priyom]'')<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Валерьевна|first=Кубаева Ольга|date=2021|title=УПОТРЕБЛЕНИЕ АНГЛИЦИЗМОВ В РУССКОМ МОЛОДЕЖНОМ СЛЕНГЕ|url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/upotreblenie-anglitsizmov-v-russkom-molodezhnom-slenge|journal=Социально-гуманитарные знания|issue=3|pages=204–210|issn=0869-8120}}</ref>

=== NASA ===
[[File:ISS Expedition 1 crew portrait.jpg|thumb|194x194px|[[ISS]] crew: [[Soyuz programme|Soyuz]] Commander [[Yuri Gidzenko]] (left), Commander [[William Shepherd|Bill Shepherd]] (center), and Flight Engineer [[Sergei Krikalev]] (right)]]
The term "Runglish" was popularized by [[Cosmonaut]] [[Sergei Krikalev]] in 2000, describing the way Russian and American cosmonauts spoke on the International Space Station.<ref name="Selivanova">{{Cite conference |last=Selivanova |first=A.A. |orig-date=22 November 2010 |date=2011 |title=Runglish as a new linguistic phenomenon |book-title=Мир в XXI веке: экономические, политические и социокультурные аспекты: материалы Республиканской студенческой научно-практической конференции, Минск [The World in the 21st Century: Economic, Political, and Sociocultural Aspects: Materials of the Republican Student Scientific and Practical Conference, Minsk] |publisher=[[Belarus State Economic University]] |location=Minsk |pages=14–15 |url=http://edoc.bseu.by:8080/handle/edoc/22845 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915231727/http://edoc.bseu.by:8080/handle/edoc/22845 |archive-date=15 September 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev said: "We say jokingly that we communicate in 'Runglish,' a mixture of Russian and English languages, so that when we are short of words in one language we can use the other, because all the crew members speak both languages well." Ever since, NASA has begun listing Runglish as one of the on-board languages.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2001-10-06|title=NASA Human Spaceflight > Personal Space > Expedition One Crew|url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/perspace/profile_crew_1.html|access-date=2021-10-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011006184256/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/perspace/profile_crew_1.html|archive-date=2001-10-06}}</ref>

== In culture ==
Runglish is widely used in poetry ([[Vladimir Mayakovsky]] "American Russians"), music ([[Splean]] "[[:ru:Фонарь под глазом|My English-Russian dictionary]]") and in prose ([[Arthur C. Clarke|Arthur С. Clarke's]] 1982 novel, [[2010: Odyssey Two]]").<ref name="Selivanova"/> A monthly published periodical called ''Wind—New Zealand Russian'' existed from 1996 to 2003.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=RUDNIKOVA|first=E.V.|title=Immigrants from the Russian Empire in the Early History of New Zealand|journal=Russia and the Contemporary World|date=2020|issue=3|pages=6–22|doi=10.31249/rsm/2020.03.01|s2cid=229238497|issn=1726-5223|doi-access=free}}</ref>

=== Literature ===
A small subplot in [[Arthur C. Clarke]]'s novel ''[[2010: Odyssey Two]]'' concerned the crew of a Russo-American spaceship, who attempted to break down boredom with a ''Stamp Out Russlish!!'' campaign. As the story went, both crews were fully fluent in each other's languages, to the point that they found themselves crossing over languages in mid-conversation, or even simply speaking the other language even when there was no-one who had it as their native tongue present. [[Robert Heinlein]]’s novel ''[[The Moon is a Harsh Mistress]]'' is written in the heavily Russian-influenced English (much Russian vocabulary, some Russian grammar) of a joint Australian/Russian penal colony on the Moon.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Heinlein|first=Robert|title=The Moon is a Harsh Mistress|publisher=G. P. Putnam's Sons|year=1996|isbn=0-312-86355-1|language=English}}</ref>

=== A Clockwork Orange ===
The 1962 novel [[A Clockwork Orange (novel)|''A Clockwork Orange'']] by [[Anthony Burgess]] is partially written in a [[Russian language|Russian]]-influenced [[argot]] called "[[Nadsat]]", which takes its name from the Russian suffix that is equivalent to '-teen' in English.<ref name=":5" /> The language in the novel is a secret, used as boundary separating the teen world from the adult.<ref name=":5">{{cite conference |last1=Varushkina |first1=A. V. |last2=Sereda |first2=A.M. |title=What is Runglish? |url=https://elar.urfu.ru/handle/10995/100405 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240330030832/https://elar.urfu.ru/handle/10995/100405 |archive-date=30 March 2024 |url-status=live |date=29 April 2021 |location=Ekaterinburg |publisher=Ажур [Openwork] |book-title=Язык в сфере профессиональной коммуникации: сборник материалов международной научно-практической конференции преподавателей, аспирантов и студентов [Language in the Field of Professional Communication: Collected Materials from the International Scientific and Practical Conference of Instructors, Graduate Students, and Students] |pages=57–61}}</ref> There are multiple examples of the words used by teenagers in the novel:

* droog - друг - friend;
* ooko - ухо - ear;
* oomny - умный - smart;
* oozhassny - ужасный - horrible/awful;
* oozy - цепь (узы) - chain/bond;
* osoosh - осушать/вытирать - drain/wipe;
* otchkies – очки - glasses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Evans|first=Robert O.|date=1971|title=Nadsat: The Argot and Its Implications in Anthony Burgess' "A Clockwork Orange"|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3831064|journal=Journal of Modern Literature|volume=1|issue=3|pages=406–410|jstor=3831064|issn=0022-281X}}</ref>
* korova - корова - cow (found in the movie version)
* moloko+ - молоко плюс - milk plus (found in the movie version)

Even though "Nadsat" is a [[Fictional language|fictional]] [[constructed language]] that is very different from Runglish, it exemplifies a common usage of a slang combining the English and Russian languages.

==Examples==
Words in Runglish may be created in the following ways:

# Loan translation or [[calque]], i.e. a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal, word-for-word or root-for-root translation. For example: аккаунт (account - учетная запись), брифинг (briefing – информационное совещание), трафик (traffic – дорожное движение), спичрайтер (speechwriter – составитель текстовых речей), мануал (User's manual - инструкция по применению), адаптер (adapter – переходник), коннектор (connector – соединитель, ''soyedinitel''), cплиттер (splitter – разветвитель, ''razvetvitel'')
# Borrowing of English abbreviations "as if those were words": АСАП (ASAP – “as soon as possible” - как можно быстрее), ИМХО (IMHO – “in my humble opinion” – по моему скромному мнению), бтв (BTW – "by the way" – если что), ЛЭД ([[LED]] – light-emitting diode; in Russian: светодиод, ''svyetodiod'') etc.
# Confusion of languages in phrases like that: забукать номер в отеле (to book – зарезервировать), зачекиниться в аэропорту (to check in – зарегистрироваться);
# Hybrids, i.e. words formed by joining the foreign roots of Russian suffixes, prefixes and endings, for example: 
:''юз''ать (to ''use'' - использовать), 
:за''френд''ить (to be''friend''), 
:по''фикс''ить (to ''fix'' - исправить), 
:по''шер''ить (to ''share'' – делиться), 
:про''чекап''ить (to ''check up'' - проверить);<ref name="TitovaProshin"/>

Linguists have highlighted the following spheres, where Runglish is actively used:<ref name="Magakian"/>

# Designation of new activities and professions, e.g. «мерчендайзер» (merchandiser), «фрилансер» (freelancer), «менеджер» (manager), «супервайзер» (supervisor), «ютубер» ([[YouTuber]]);
# Designation of new areas of human knowledge: «блог» (blog), «пиар» (PR), «промоушн» (promotion);
# Designation of items: «лэптоп»/«ноутбук» ([[laptop]]), «мэйкап» (make-up), «постер» (poster), «чипы» ([[microchip]]s), «чипсы» ([[Potato chip|potato chips]]); «Джиэсэм» (GSM cell-phone network)
# Designation of terms to give them prestige: «джоб-оффер» ("job offer"), «cателлит» ("satellite", as in "satellite city");
# Designation of [[musical genres]]: «транс» ([[Trance music|trance]]), «фолк» (folk), «рэп» (rap), «эмбиент» ([[Ambient music|ambient]]), «ар-эн-би» (R'n'B), «фьюжн» ([[fusion jazz]]), «лаунж» ([[lounge music]]), «дип хауз» ([[deep house]]).

Some Russian brands use an English name to imply some "Western", Occidental concept used.
* "[[Fix Price]]" [[convenience store]]s are a prime example of this logic. The store chain initially introduced the "everything costs X rubles" concept of fixed price (similar to the "Everything 99 cents" stores or the "Dollar tree").

== Runglish in Russia ==
[[File:Teenagers in Moscow.jpg|thumb|Russian youth]]

With increased globalization after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, English has made its way into the languages used in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other former Soviet states. Runglish is used to talk about politics, economics, and other areas of modern life, often appearing in Russian-language news articles and headlines.<ref name=":1">{{cite conference |last1=Titova |first1=U.V. |last2=Proshin |first2=R.D. |date=22 April 2013 |title=Linguistic Phenomenon "Runglish": English Language Penetration Into Russian Language |location=Ulyanovsk |publisher=[[Ulyanovsk State Technical University]] |book-title=Язык, Культура, История: Конференция Молодых Ученых, Аспирантов и Студентов (г. Ульяновск, 22 апреля 2013 года): сборник научных трудов [Language, Culture, History: Conference of Young Academics, Graduate Students, and Students (Ulyanovsk, 22 April 2013): Collected papers] |pages=20–22 |url=https://venec.ulstu.ru/lib/disk/2015/103.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630162518/http://lib.ulstu.ru/venec/disk/2015/103.pdf |archive-date=30 June 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>{{efn|For example: «Снегопад в России: травмы, пробки и блэкаут» ("Snowfall in Russia: Injuries, Traffic Jams, and Blackout").<ref>{{cite web |title=Снегопад в России: травмы, пробки и блэкаут |trans-title=Snowfall in Russia: Injuries, Traffic Jams, and Blackout |url=https://www.vesti.ru/article/1985621 |website=vesti.ru |language=ru |date=5 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022072250/https://www.vesti.ru/article/1985621 |archive-date=22 October 2021 |url-status=live |access-date=22 October 2021}}</ref>}} English is considered more prestigious, and English loanwords may be used to demonstrate one's level of education and involvement in the global community.<ref name=":3">{{Cite conference|last1=Magakian |first1=A. V.|last2=Shatokhina |first2=I.D. |orig-date=10-11 December 2019 |date=2020 |title=Runglish as one of the consequences of tourism development |location=Saratov |publisher=[[Saratov State University]] |url=https://www.sgu.ru/sites/default/files/textdocsfiles/2020/02/17/eng_2020.pdf |book-title=Young Scholars' Research in the Humanities: Proceedings of the VI All-Russia conference for young researchers: December 10-11, 2019 |pages=119–123 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022055547/https://www.sgu.ru/sites/default/files/textdocsfiles/2020/02/17/eng_2020.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Young people are major contributors to the popularization of Runglish. Anglicisms аre an essential part of the youth vocabulary, and are becoming increasingly fixed within the language.<ref name=i3vestno>{{cite web|title=Лингвисты вывели из тени "дилера", "киллера" и "офшор" |trans-title="Linguists bring 'dealer,' 'killer,' and 'offshore' out of the shadows" |url=https://i3vestno.ru/novosti/-560406 |date=10 November 2021 |access-date=25 November 2021 |website=i3vestno.ru |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230706213448/https://i3vestno.ru/news/2021/11/10/lingvisty_vyveli_iz_teni_dilera_kilera_i_ofshor |archive-date=6 July 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> Despite this, some Russians feel that it is important to preserve the framework of rules of the Russian language.<ref name="i3vestno"/>

== Criticism ==
The opinions of linguists on the effects of Runglish are divided. Whether some argue that incorporation of foreign words into Russian language enriches it and broadens the culture, others claim that "the large-scale penetration of English is destroying the system of the Russian language, its identity and culture".<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kravchenko|first=A.V. |date=2005 |title=Бытие человека и экология языка |trans-title=Human existence and the ecology of language |journal=Лингвистические парадигмы и лингводидактика [Linguistic Paradigms and Linguodidactics] |volume=10 |pages=59–63}}</ref>

In 2006, [[Vladimir Putin]] signed the decree "On holding a year of the Russian language".<ref>{{cite journal |orig-date=29 December 2006 |title=Президент РФ В.В. Путин о Годе русского языка |trans-title=RF President V. V. Putin on the Year of the Russian Language |language=ru |journal=Русский язык за рубежом [The Russian Language Abroad] |issue=1 |year=2007 |pages=30–42 |url=http://journal.pushkin.institute/archive/archive/2007/1_(200)/5990_%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0/stat2007-1-5990.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022072252/http://journal.pushkin.institute/archive/archive/2007/1_(200)/5990_%D0%93%D0%BE%D0%B4_%D1%80%D1%83%D1%81%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE_%D1%8F%D0%B7%D1%8B%D0%BA%D0%B0/stat2007-1-5990.pdf |archive-date=22 October 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Following that, [[2007 in Russia|2007]] had been declared the "Year of the Russian Language" in Russia and abroad, in order to promote the importance and beauty of [[Russian language|Russian]] and limit the usage of foreign words. The rector of A. Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language Yuri Prokhorov admitted that it was impossible to stop the tendency of the widespread use of foreign terms. However, he believed that the bigger issue was that a large number of Russians could not use their own language correctly.<ref>{{cite news |title=English invades Russian language |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562947/English-invades-Russian-language.html |date=12 September 2007 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022072251/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1562947/English-invades-Russian-language.html |archive-date=22 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{interlanguage varieties}}
{{Russian language}}

[[Category:English-based pidgins and creoles]]
[[Category:Russian-based pidgins and creoles]]
[[Category:Macaronic forms of English]]
[[Category:Russian-American culture]]
[[Category:Russian-Australian culture]]
[[Category:Russian-Canadian culture]]
[[Category:Russian-New Zealand culture]]
[[Category:English language in Russia]]