'Winged phrases' from Soviet cinema: the use and dynamics of high-frequency film quotations in modern Russian

Abstract

The focus of this study is ‘winged phrases’ from Soviet cinema; that is, phrases from films, as they make their way into spoken and written Russian and thereby enter the collective consciousness. This research examines the contexts for, as well as how and why, popular winged phrases from Soviet films have been incorporated into contemporary Russian language practice.

Drawing on theoretical insights based on the concept of ‘dialogism’ (Bakhtin), the field of semiotics (Lotman, Clark), Propp’s model of the fairy tale and Coulson’s space structuring model, this study analyses four data sets to form a view on these matters: online communications within the “Цитаты советского кино” (Quotations from Soviet cinema) group on the ВKонтакте (VKontakte) social network; responses to an online questionnaire on the matter; posts on the ЯПлакалъ (YaPlakal) online discussion forum and article headings from the prominent Russian newspapers “Комсомольская правда – Москва” (Komsomolskaya Pravda – Moskva / Komsomolʹs Truth – Moscow), “Известия” (Izvestiya / News) and “Литературная газета” (Literaturnaya gazeta / Literary Gazette).

This data analysis provides the first detailed description of the use and dynamics of winged phrases from Soviet films in contemporary spoken and written Russian. The study demonstrates that winged phrases from Soviet cinema appear to be taking on a role as a new folklore genre; new contexts of usage and transformation types of such phrases are evident. The study also demonstrates there is value in including winged phrases from Soviet films in the curriculum of Russian taught as a foreign language. Some directions for further research are offered in this respect.