Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

227

7 Verbal etiquette

7.1

Introductory remarks

Every language has conventional formulae to which its speakers resort in certain situations that constantly occur in everyday life: addressing others, attracting their attention, making acquaintance, greeting and parting, conveying congratulations, wishes, gratitude and apologies, making

requests and invitations, giving advice, offering condolences and paying compliments. Telephone conversations take place and letters are written within established frameworks that vary according to the relationship between those communicating and the nature of the exchange.

Ignorance of the formulae in use for these purposes among speakers

of a language may make dealings with them on any level difficult and unsuccessful or may even cause offence. Or to look at it from a more positive point of view, the speaker who has mastered a limited number of these formulae will make her or his intentions and attitudes clear, set a tone appropriate to the situation and thereby greatly facilitate

communication and win social or professional acceptance.

One may say that there are particular advantages for the foreign

student of Russian in deploying the correct formulae in a given

situation. In the first place, Russians are aware of the difficulty of their language for the foreign student and have little expectation that a

foreigner will speak it well, let alone that a foreigner should be

sympathetic to their customs, of which they are inured to criticism.

They therefore tend to be more impressed by and favourably disposed

towards the foreigner who has mastered the intricacies of their

language and is prepared to observe at least their linguistic customs than are perhaps the British towards foreign English-speakers. And in the second place, it would be true to say that Russian society has

remained, at least until very recently, in many respects conservative and traditional and has adhered quite rigidly to conventional procedures, including linguistic usage, at least in the public sphere.

The following sections give some of the most common

conventional formulae that are of use to the foreign student of

Russian. Many of the formulae may occur in very numerous

combinations of their parts, only a few of which can be given here.

One may introduce many formulae, for example, with any one of the

following phrases meaning I want or I should like to . (The phrases are arranged with the most direct first and the least direct last.)

Я хочу´

Я хотe´л(a) бы

Mнe хо´чeтся

Mнe хотe´лось бы

228

7.2

Use of ты and вы

Often the grammatical forms used in the formula (in particular

choice of тыor выforms) are determined by the context. A formula used exclusively in a formal situation, for example, is likely to contain only выforms.

The formulae given in this chapter may be taken to be stylistically

neutral and therefore of broad application unless an indication is

given that they belong predominantly to R1 or R3. In general,

formulae in the lower register are characterised by ellipsis (see 11.13)

while those in the higher register are more periphrastic and often

contain the imperative forms позво´льтeor рaзрeши´тe( allow [me]/

permit [me] ).

Translations of the formulae given here are often inexact in a literal sense; an attempt has been made instead to render the spirit of the

original by the most appropriate English formula.

7.2

Use of ты and вы

English-speaking students, having only one second-person form of

address ( you ) at their disposal, must take particular care with the second-person pronouns in Russian. To use them incorrectly is at best to strike a false note and at worst to cause offence.

If one is addressing more than one person, then only выmay be used. If on the other hand one is addressing only one person, then

either выor тыmay be used. As a general rule one may say that выis more respectful and formal than ты, but a fuller list of factors that determine choice of pronoun would include the following

considerations.

вы

ты

degree of intimacy

to adults on first meeting

to people well known or close to

to adults not well known to the

the speaker

speaker

to one’s partner, parents, children

children to other children

Note:

one may switch from выto тыas one comes to know the addressee better.

This switch may take place almost immediately between people of the same age, especially young people, or it may be delayed until some closeness develops. Even when one knows a person well and feels close to them one may remain on выterms; this is particularly the case among educated older people who wish to preserve the sense of mutual respect connoted by вы.

relative status

to seniors in age or rank

to juniors in age or rank

Note:

one may address one’s seniors as тыif one knows them well enough; conversely, to address a junior as тыappears condescending unless there is some closeness and mutual trust between the speakers.

formality of

in formal or official contexts

in informal or unofficial contexts

situation

229

7

Verbal etiquette

Note:

even if one normally addresses a person as тыone should switch to выin a formal or official situation.

state of relations

cool, stiff, strained, excessively

disrespectful, over-familiar

polite

The point here is that subversion of the normal rules indicates that the relationship is not as it should be, given the degree of intimacy, relative status and formality or informality of the situation. The speaker

therefore chooses the pronoun which in normal circumstances would

seem inappropriate.

7.3

Personal names

All Russians have three names: a first or given name ( и´мя), chosen by one’s parents; a patronymic ( о´тчeство), derived from one’s father’s name; and a surname ( фaми´лия).

7.3.1

First names (имeнa´)

Use of a person’s first name only is an informal mode of address. The foreigner may use the first name, in its full form ( и´мя по´лноe) or in its shortened form ( и´мя сокрaщённоe), if one exists, in addressing children and students. However, it might seem impolite if one were to use the first name on its own on first acquaintance to an adult

(particularly one’s seniors in age or status) unless invited to do so (therefore see also 7.3.2).

The majority of Russian first names have shortened forms and

diminutive forms. The foreigner must be aware of these forms, which

may be confusing in their abundance and variety, because they will be frequently encountered in informal conversation and in imaginative

literature. However, great care must be taken both to use them only in the right circumstances and to distinguish the nuances of the various forms. Three principal forms must be distinguished apart from the