A philologist on words
Short videos from a Russian philologist on where words come from: why an old joke is a "bayan," what "lzya" means and who the Jack in "jackpot" is.
What it is
The TikTok account of "Филолог всея Руси" ("The Philologist of All Russia"), a popular-science project about the Russian language and literature. Its author, Yulia Afonina, started it on YouTube, where she now has over 400,000 subscribers. On TikTok there are about 46,000 followers and a new video every few days. The format is simple: one word or one question, and a quick answer about where it came from and why it means what it means. Everything is in Russian.
Why we picked it
Etymology is perfect for short videos: everyone knows the word, almost nobody knows its story. Why do Russians call a stale joke a "bayan," the name of an accordion? If "nelzya" means "you can't," was there ever a "lzya"? Why do people say a girl who ignores your texts is "dynamiting" you? Who is the Jack in "jackpot," and where did Scotland Yard get its name? In September she covered all of that, plus why children pick up nouns faster than verbs.
The tone is light and teasing; the profile promises language and literature "with a curl." Behind the jokes there's real training: the author studied philology and went on to a master's at Moscow State University. When a minute isn't enough, the long literature breakdowns are on YouTube, and her Telegram channel covers what she's reading.
Where to start
- "That's a bayan!", the story behind a word everyone uses.
- "You're allowed everything?", on words that survive only in the negative.
- "Why is she dynamiting you?", a surprising etymology.
- "Who is Jack in jackpot?", an English borrowing with a backstory.
- "Why do kids learn nouns faster?", a bit of psycholinguistics.
Who it's for
Anyone who likes arguing about words, Russian learners at an intermediate level and up who want to understand the language from the inside, and students of the humanities.
Quick answers
What language is it in? Russian, spoken quickly, so it suits confident learners best.
Do I need a linguistics background? No. The videos are made for a general audience.
Where are the longer videos? On the "Филолог всея Руси" YouTube channel, linked from the TikTok profile.
