Re: phonology of borrowed words

On Sunday 24 November 2002 06:55 pm, Steg Belsky wrote:
> So then what makes a "montaña rusa" ('russian mountain', roller coaster)
> Russian?
        "Amjerikanskije gory" or "American mountains." :)
        Interestingly enough, the roller coaster was indeed invented in Russia; the
first ones were gigantic ice slides; the first wheeled roller coaster was
built in St. Pete in 1784, from which it made its way to Paris (and the rest
of the world) in 1804.
        While I am not certain what the "old" roller coasters were called in Russia,
the modern roller coaster is a combination of French and American design. Of
course, Americans love their roller coasters (they're fast, exciting, and
seem dangerous--a sure way to win an American heart), so it doesn't surprise
me that the modern incarnation of roller coasters are so labelled in Russian.
        :Peter