Alve:

ceigered:Mmm, the Russian is wrong

It isn't In Russian "I speak English" is "Я говорю по-английски", but "I speak Esperanto" is "Я говорю на эсперанто"

My (native) Russian instructors at the Defense Language Institute told us anytime we talk about speaking a langauge the phraseology is "po-X" with X being in the й-less form of the adjective describing the nationality........I asked specifically about Esperanto citing "po-esperantski" and they said it should just be po-esperanto.

Maybe the rules have been changed in the last 20 years?

orthohawk:

Alve:

ceigered:Mmm, the Russian is wrong

It isn't In Russian "I speak English" is "Я говорю по-английски", but "I speak Esperanto" is "Я говорю на эсперанто"

My (native) Russian instructors at the Defense Language Institute told us anytime we talk about speaking a langauge the phraseology is "po-X" with X being in the й-less form of the adjective describing the nationality........I asked specifically about Esperanto citing "po-esperantski" and they said it should just be po-esperanto.

Maybe the rules have been changed in the last 20 years?

Would that institute happen to be in monterrey (sp?)

orthohawk:My (native) Russian instructors at the Defense Language Institute told us anytime we talk about speaking a langauge the phraseology is "po-X" with X being in the й-less form of the adjective describing the nationality........I asked specifically about Esperanto citing "po-esperantski" and they said it should just be po-esperanto.

Maybe the rules have been changed in the last 20 years?

The rule is, if a language name is an adjective ending on -ий ("английский" (Engilsh) or "французский" (French), for example), you should use "по-X" ("по-французски"). But if it is a noun not ending in -ий, like "фарси" (Farsi), "хинди" (Hindi) or "эсперанто", the right form is "на Х" - "на хинди", "на фарси" and "на эсперанто".

Спасибо Alve, I was not aware of that, so I guess I learnt something today

Alve:

The rule is, if a language name is an adjective ending on -ий ("английский" (Engilsh) or "французский" (French), for example), you should use "по-X" ("по-французски"). But if it is a noun not ending in -ий, like "фарси" (Farsi), "хинди" (Hindi) or "эсперанто", the right form is "на Х" - "на хинди", "на фарси" and "на эсперанто".

Hmmm...I guess the rule HAS changed.......or else my memory is not what it used to be.....I AM old, afterall!