TL;DR
A widely shared tweet highlights excerpts attributed to Vladimir Nabokov from a 1945 student linguistics text on Slavic languages. The passages mock the challenge of mastering Russian pronunciation and verb morphology and suggest extreme skepticism about usefulness of conventional study advice.
What happened
A Twitter account reposted short passages attributed to Vladimir Nabokov from a 1945 linguistics book aimed at students, drawn from a chapter identified as "The Diseases of Language." The excerpts, as presented in the post, include practical comments about adjusting the jaw for Russian sounds and an emphasis on the language’s complex verb suffixes; the overall tone is dismissive about easy remedies for foreign learners. The post — first shared in October 2024 and visible with a timestamp in late December 2025 — drew attention on the platform, registering over 100,000 views and attracting multiple replies. The tweet frames the book as a candid, sometimes caustic classroom guide to Slavic, but it does not provide the book’s full title, publisher information, or a direct citation to verify the quotations.
Why it matters
- The excerpts underscore how established writers and teachers have portrayed the difficulty of learning Russian for nonnative speakers.
- If accurately attributed, the material provides historical insight into mid-20th-century approaches to teaching Slavic languages.
- The post sparked public attention online, showing continued interest in literary figures’ language views and in debates about language pedagogy.
Key facts
- The material was shared by the Twitter account @haravayin_hogh.
- The post attributes the passages to Vladimir Nabokov and describes them as coming from a 1945 linguistics textbook for students on Slavic languages.
- The quoted chapter title in the post is "The Diseases of Language."
- Passages highlighted in the post discuss pronunciation techniques (including jaw adjustment) and draw attention to Russian verb suffixes.
- One passage, as paraphrased in the post, expresses that conventional study tips offer little help compared with being native-raised in Russia.
- The tweet was first shown as posted on Oct 21, 2024 and carried a timestamp of Dec 23, 2025 on the visible copy.
- The visible post recorded more than 113,000 views and drew multiple replies on Twitter.
- The post presents the excerpts in a sharply candid tone that mixes practical instruction with skepticism about easy solutions for learners.
What to watch next
- not confirmed in the source
- not confirmed in the source
Quick glossary
- Verb suffix: An ending attached to a verb stem that can indicate tense, aspect, mood, or other grammatical features.
- Pronunciation: The way in which a language or a particular word is spoken, including sounds, stress, and intonation.
- Slavic languages: A branch of the Indo-European family that includes Russian, Polish, Czech, Ukrainian and others.
- Linguistics textbook: An instructional book that presents theories and practical information about language structure and use.
Reader FAQ
Did Vladimir Nabokov actually write these passages?
The tweet attributes the passages to Nabokov and to a 1945 student linguistics book, but the original book title and full source citation are not provided in the post; this is not confirmed in the source.
What book are these excerpts from?
Not confirmed in the source.
When was the tweet posted and how widely was it seen?
The visible post shows an initial date of Oct 21, 2024 and a later timestamp in Dec 23, 2025; it recorded more than 113,000 views and drew multiple replies on Twitter.
Do the excerpts offer teaching tips?
The post presents comments about adjusting jaw position for Russian sounds and highlights the complexity of verb suffixes, framed with skepticism about simple study advice.
Yevardiaղ @haravayin_hogh Nabokov's advice to foreigners learning Russian, giving pronunciation advice on how to reposition one's jaw and taking slightly sadistic pleasure in highlighting its intimidating array of verb suffixes….
Sources
- Nabokov's guide to foreigners learning Russian
- Nabokov's guide to foreigners learning Russian
- How Not to Review a Translation
- Lessons From Nabokov: Finding Freedom in a Foreign …
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