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Comment by retrac | Hacker News Reader

> ethnic stereotypical Russians are Finno-Ugric people

They speak Russian, a Slavic language. The culture is clearly linked and descended from the Old Slavonic people.

I'd love to know about the thinking as I'm scratching my head here. This is the first I've heard this claim and I am half Finnish, quarter Russian by ethnicity. My grandparents certainly did not think they were from the same ethnic group.

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> They speak Russian, a Slavic language

Modern Russian is a little bit older than hundred years.

"Pre-reform" language was significantly different in script, vocabulary and grammar and wasn't older than hundred years itself. Before Napoleonic war 1812 nobility was speaking French, ruling family was German and serfs were speaking Polish, Belarusian, Ukrainian or one of the Turkic dialects.

The only slavic parts remaining in the modern Russian is Cyrillic script and words borrowed from Ukrainian.

Not exactly true. The Bible was translated into Russian in 1820 so we have a pretty good idea of what Russian language was like back then (99% similar to today’s language). There were a few minor changes to the script, but nothing crazy.

The first argument is theoretical and controversial. The second point is not.

What part of Russian being a Slavic language is controversial?

Poster is not saying that — they are answering the immediate parent’s question, not analyzing his arguments, and instead analyzing the two arguments of the grandparent post.

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