Gallicisms and the Ways They Entered the Russian Language

Abstract

The article examines Gallomania, its causes, and the ways in which Gallicisms entered the Russian language. Catherine the Great regarded the French language as a means of Europeanizing Russia; consequently, French exerted an influence on all spheres of Russian life. It became the language of politics and diplomacy, secular communication, philosophical reflection, and literary creativity. The reign of Catherine II marked a qualitatively new stage in the development of Russian–French cultural and linguistic relations. This period was characterized not merely by a quantitative increase in French borrowings but also by their systematic integration into the structure of the Russian language and culture. The Gallomania of the Catherinean era had deep sociopsychological roots. French was perceived as a symbol of European civilization, contrasted with the “barbarism” of pre-Petrine Russia. Proficiency in French became a kind of passport to the European cultural space and a marker of membership in educated and privileged society. Translation activities played an important role in the spread of French influence. Accordingly, in the eighteenth century, publishing became one of the most powerful means of intensifying French cultural and linguistic influence on Russian society.