Russian Translation(s) & Details for 'majority'

English Word: majority

Key Russian Translations:

• большинство [bɐlʲʂɨnstvə] - [Formal, Singular, Used in general contexts such as statistics or discussions]
• преобладающее большинство [prʲɪɐbləˈdajʊʂːɛ bɐlʲʂɨnstvə] - [Formal, Emphasizing dominance, Used in political or analytical contexts]

Frequency: High (Commonly used in everyday Russian, especially in news, politics, and academic discussions)

Difficulty: B2 (Intermediate; requires understanding of noun declensions and formal vocabulary; for 'большинство', it's straightforward, but 'преобладающее большинство' may vary slightly in complexity)

Pronunciation (Russian):

большинство: [bɐlʲʂɨnstvə]

преобладающее большинство: [prʲɪɐbləˈdajʊʂːɛ bɐlʲʂɨnstvə]

Note on большинство: The stress is on the third syllable ('-in-'), which can be tricky for English speakers due to the soft 'l' sound (palatalized). Pronunciation may vary slightly in rapid speech.

Audio: []

Meanings and Usage:

Primary Meaning: The greater number or part of something

Translation(s) & Context:

• большинство - Used in formal contexts like voting or demographics to indicate the larger group.
• преобладающее большинство - Applied when emphasizing overwhelming superiority, such as in elections or surveys.

Usage Examples:

• В голосовании победило большинство избирателей.

  In the voting, the majority of voters won. (This example shows 'большинство' in a political context, demonstrating its use with nouns in the genitive case.)

• Большинство студентов предпочитают онлайн-обучение.

  The majority of students prefer online learning. (Here, 'большинство' is used in a general educational context, illustrating agreement with a plural noun.)

• Преобладающее большинство населения поддерживает реформы.

  The overwhelming majority of the population supports the reforms. (This highlights 'преобладающее большинство' in a societal context, emphasizing intensity.)

• В этой группе большинство — женщины.

  In this group, the majority are women. (Example shows 'большинство' in a descriptive sentence, varying gender agreement.)

• Без преобладающего большинства голосов решение не проходит.

  Without an overwhelming majority of votes, the decision doesn't pass. (This demonstrates 'преобладающее большинство' in a conditional structure.)

Russian Forms/Inflections:

'Большинство' is a neuter noun in Russian, which follows the standard declension pattern for third-declension nouns. It is indeclinable in some contexts but typically changes based on case. 'Преобладающее большинство' includes an adjective that agrees with the noun.

For 'преобладающее большинство', the adjective 'преобладающее' changes to agree: e.g., Genitive: преобладающего большинства. This noun does not have a plural form in standard usage as it inherently implies a collective.

Russian Synonyms/Antonyms:

• Synonyms:
  • большая часть (bol'shaya chast') - Often used interchangeably, but implies a portion rather than a count.
  • основная масса (osnovnaya massa) - Emphasizes the bulk or main body, with a slight connotation of weight or significance.
• Antonyms:
  • меньшинство (menʲʂɨnstvə) - Directly opposite, meaning 'minority'.
  • небольшая часть (nʲɛbɐlʲʂəja chast') - Meaning 'small part', used for lesser quantities.

Related Phrases:

• большинство населения (bol'shinstvo naseleniya) - The majority of the population; used in demographic or social discussions.
• иметь большинство (imat' bol'shinstvo) - To have the majority; common in political contexts, e.g., in voting.
• абсолютное большинство (absoĺjutnoje bol'shinstvo) - Absolute majority; implies more than half plus one, often in legal settings.

Usage Notes:

In Russian, 'большинство' directly corresponds to the English 'majority' but is often used in formal or written contexts. It must agree in case with the noun it modifies, which can differ from English word order. For example, choose 'преобладающее большинство' when emphasizing dominance to add nuance. Be cautious with gender and number agreements, as Russian adjectives and nouns must match. In informal speech, simpler synonyms like 'большая часть' might be preferred.

Common Errors:

• Error: Using 'большинство' without proper case agreement, e.g., saying "в большинство" instead of "в большинстве" (in the majority).

  Correct: в большинстве случаев (in most cases). Explanation: Russian requires the prepositional case here; ignoring it can make the sentence grammatically incorrect.

• Error: Confusing 'большинство' with 'большинство' in plural contexts, treating it as countable when it's not.

  Correct: Use as a singular collective noun. Explanation: English speakers might mistakenly pluralize it, but in Russian, it remains singular, e.g., avoid saying 'большинства' incorrectly for multiple groups.

Cultural Notes:

In Russian culture, terms like 'большинство' often appear in discussions of democracy and collectivism, reflecting historical influences from Soviet-era politics where majority decisions were emphasized in communal settings. This can carry connotations of unity or conformity in modern contexts.

Related Concepts:

• демократия (demokratiya)
• голосование (goloso vaniye)
• общественное мнение (obshchestvennoye mneniye)