Languages spoken by Nicholas, Alexandra and Family

[AGRBear]

Alexandra's background is Hesse, a GERMAN, state. What do you think they would have thought of her father if he hadn't spoken German? What do you think the Hessians would have thought if Alexanra and her siblings didn't speak German?

And, please, don't assume German wasn't spoken in the private rooms of Queen Victoria. Because it was.

AGRBear

[ChatNoir]

Originally Posted by AGRBear

And, please, don't assume German wasn't spoken in the private rooms of Queen Victoria. Because it was.

AGRBear

Don't forget that Prince Albert came from the stud farm of Saxe-Coburg, and that Victoria's governess was German. Thus Victoria spoke German before she spoke English.

ChatNoir

[Russophile]

Originally Posted by Monna

I don`t say that Alexandra would never speak German with OTMA, but German definitely wasn`t the language they used in everyday life. The girls took lessons of German. I remember Tatiana and Maria mention it in their diaries. But they were never fluent in it. Remember it was their fourth language after Russian, English and French.
Empress Alexandra was a german princess, but English was the language she thought and wrote in.

From P. Gilliard`s memoires: Her Majesty talked English with them /the children/, the Tsar Russian only. The Tsarina spoke English or French with the members of her suite. She never spoke in Russian (though she spoke it pretty well ultimately) except to those who knew no other language. During the whole period of my residence with the Imperial family I never heard one of them utter a word of German, except when it was inevitable, as at receptions, etc.

I agree that it wasn't her FIRST language, but to imply, like Maria did above, that she NEVER spoke German, well, I disagree. And to imply that Greg King and Penny Wilson, eminent authors, MADE IT UP, we'll, I disagree.

[ChatNoir]

Well, even Gilliard says that they did speak German when it was not avoidable. So clearly the family did speak some German through their life, but only outside the family. Or so it seems.

ChatNoir

[Avicenna]

Originally Posted by Leslie2006

Alexandra learned Russian, but never spoke it very well. She spoke English and German most of the time; her daughters and son learned French, although I can't remember which of them was supposed to have mastered the language very well.

According to Mark D.Steinberg and Vladimir Khrustalev in their book "The fall of the Romanovs" Page 315:

"... Although most accounts state that Nicholas wrote this and the following responses (Documents 140,142), the handwriting does not resemble his or Alexandra's. It closely resembles Olga's script, however. Olga, who knew French fairly well, very likely wrote the letters on behalf of the family"

It is about a correspondance with an "officer" about finding a way to free the family in Yekaterinenburg. The original documents (in french) are printed as well as their translation in English.

BTW earlier in the book it is pointed out that Alexandra knew German well, even criticized Russian wartime propaganda for its "abominable" German grammar.

[acdc1]

I read somewhere that Nicholas could "manage" reading in Danish. Does anyone know if this is true?

[ChatNoir]

Originally Posted by acdc1

I read somewhere that Nicholas could "manage" reading in Danish. Does anyone know if this is true?

Well, his mother was Danish, so that could very well be the case.

ChatNoir

[ysbel]

Well Alix's father Grand Duke Ernst of Hesse reportedly got into an argument with Alexandra, Princess of Wales at Queen Victoria's and the language they fought in was German.

Princess Alice named her daughter Alix because it was the only way that Germans could pronounce her name correctly.

Alix and her father though hated the Prussian influence with the Kaiser though.

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by ChatNoir

Well, his mother was Danish, so that could very well be the case.

ChatNoir

I read somewhere that OTMAA had Danish lessons also.

[COUNTESS]

Nicky did not speak or write Danish. He and his mother communicated in French and the Marie spoke Russian, more than wrote it. So, I doubt, that OTMAA had Danish lessons. Reference King, Kaiser, Tsar, by Catherine Clay.

[lexi4]

Originally Posted by ysbel

Well Alix's father Grand Duke Ernst of Hesse reportedly got into an argument with Alexandra, Princess of Wales at Queen Victoria's and the language they fought in was German.

Princess Alice named her daughter Alix because it was the only way that Germans could pronounce her name correctly.

Alix and her father though hated the Prussian influence with the Kaiser though.

That's really interesting Ysbel. Do you remember where you read that?

[Russophile]

That's okay Bear, you won't get flak for it here, just good, intellectual discussion!
Hey Felix, how'z it going? I should have told you over at our other forum that you need to put your introductions into the Members corner. This way the Mod's and Admin's know you're here. But good to see you!

Bear, on the languages, always informative as usual!

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by COUNTESS

Nicky did not speak or write Danish. He and his mother communicated in French and the Marie spoke Russian, more than wrote it. So, I doubt, that OTMAA had Danish lessons. Reference King, Kaiser, Tsar, by Catherine Clay.

I believe my reference was Massie's book which he could have been wrong in but he offhandedly mentioned that the children were going off to their Danish lessons.

[ysbel]

Mod Note:

I moved the posts about Anna Anderson to our pending forum for the new Questions of Identity forum.

The forum is not ready for discussion yet, many apologies from your poor moderators. This will be a top priority for us this weekend.

Thanks for your patience.

Cheers.
ysbel
Russian forum moderator

[ysbel]

Originally Posted by Russophile

That's okay Bear, you won't get flak for it here, just good, intellectual discussion!
Hey Felix, how'z it going? I should have told you over at our other forum that you need to put your introductions into the Members corner. This way the Mod's and Admin's know you're here. But good to see you!

Bear, on the languages, always informative as usual!

Its nice but its not required for new members to post an introductory post into the Members corner.

[lexi4]

Originally Posted by ysbel

I believe my reference was Massie's book which he could have been wrong in but he offhandedly mentioned that the children were going off to their Danish lessons.

Thank you. I thought that was probably where it came from. I'll look now to see if he sourced his information.

[AnastasiaEvidence]

Alexandra spoke to the children in English.Nicholas did speak to them in Russian. The girls spoke Russian together. I think they also knew French too. The girls had childish Russian and fair English. Alexei didn't learn English until like 1914. He usually spoke mainly Russian.

[lexi4]

Originally Posted by AnastasiaEvidence

Alexandra spoke to the children in English.Nicholas did speak to them in Russian. The girls spoke Russian together. I think they also knew French too. The girls had childish Russian and fair English. Alexei didn't learn English until like 1914. He usually spoke mainly Russian.

Do you have a source for that?

[ChatNoir]

Originally Posted by AnastasiaEvidence

Alexandra spoke to the children in English.Nicholas did speak to them in Russian. The girls spoke Russian together. I think they also knew French too. The girls had childish Russian and fair English. Alexei didn't learn English until like 1914. He usually spoke mainly Russian.

From Gleb Botkin's book: The Woman who rose again:
"But the Grand Duchesses and the Czarevich spoke not only fluently but so rapidly that at first I was hardly able to understand them. In addition to this, they had an accent which seemed English when they spoke in Russian and Russian when they spoke in English, and in actual fact was an accent quite their own."
Nothing here about Alexis not speaking English before 1914. And since he was the heir to the throne and had to be groomed from day one, it seems very strange that his English lessons did not begin before 1914. And I cannot see his mother speaking Russian with him all those years. From Harriet Rathlef-Keilmann's book: Anastasia, the survivor of Ekaterinburg:
"With Mamma we always spoke in English. If alone with Papa, we ofteh spoke Russian; but when we were all together, English alone was always spoken."
Now I would like to see your sources, if I may.

ChatNoir

[AGRBear]

Originally Posted by AnastasiaEvidence

Alexandra spoke to the children in English.Nicholas did speak to them in Russian. The girls spoke Russian together. I think they also knew French too. The girls had childish Russian and fair English. Alexei didn't learn English until like 1914. He usually spoke mainly Russian.

Alexandra spoke to her children in English. Then you tell us that Alexis didn't learn English until 1914. So, Alexandra and everyone else must have just spoken to Alexei just in Russian from 1904 to 1914. But this doesn't seem correct. Not when parents and siblings are speaking Russian and English as their main languages and learning others during those years.

What was the next (third) language Alexei learned?

AGRBear

PS Chat, seems like we're on the same wave length and posted almost at the same time.