Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Diminutive and pejorative suffixes (8.8) indicate a speaker’s attitudes, e.g. -о´к (сыно´к, dear son ); -и´шкa (лгуни´шкa, wretched liar ); -и´шко

(городи´шко, little town or ghastly town ); -и´щa (бороди´щa, hideous beard ). The adjectival suffix -у´щий (большу´щий, whacking great ), the adjectival prefix прe- (прeглу´пый, really stupid ), and the verbal suffix

-ничaть (бродя´жничaть, to be a tramp ) are also characteristic of the colloquial register.

r

morphology

In some masculine nouns certain forms may be preferred to standard

forms in some cases, e.g. prep sg in -у´ (в отпускуínstead of в о´тпускe, on leave ; 9.1.5); nom pl in -a´ (сeкторaínstead of сe´кторы, sectors ;

9.1.6); gen pl in zero ending (грaмм, помидо´р instead of гpa´ммов, of 11

1

Varieties of language and register

grammes , помидо´ров, of tomatoes ; 9.1.7). Diminutive forms of first names may be used in a truncated vocative form, e.g. Taнь, Tania

(7.3.1). The suffix -eй may be preferred in short comparatives (e.g.

быстрe´й instead of быстрeé, quicker ) and the prefix пo- is commonly attached to such comparatives (e.g. полу´чшe, a bit better , 9.3.3). The infinitive forms видa´ть, слыхa´ть may be preferred to ви´дeть, to see , слы´шaть, to hear (3.4). There is a tendency to simplification, which entails weakening of certain grammatical rules, e.g. a speaker may

fail to decline all components of a numeral in an oblique case (11.4.3,

note 2) or both parts of a compound word (e.g. полго´дом рa´ньшe,

half a year earlier , instead of полуго´дом). Forms may be used which strictly speaking are grammatically incorrect, e.g. Tы умнeé нa´шeго

instead of Tы умнeé нaс, You’re brighter than us , and even к пe´рвому

мa´рту instead of к пe´рвому мa´ртa, by 1 March . Nouns may be used in a case that is incorrect after the preposition that governs them. Thus the dative case is commonly used after по in expressions of time such as по истeчe´нию, on expiry , in which the preposition means upon, after , and should strictly speaking govern the prepositional case (по

истeчe´нии; R3).

syntax

r The nature of the colloquial register makes for sentences consisting of only one word (e.g. дa, yes ; нeт, nо ; вон, get away ; мaрш, forward ; кa´к

жe, of course (iron); пожa´луйстa, please ), incomplete sentences, and simple sentences. In complex sentences coordinating conjunctions are much more frequent than subordinating conjunctions. Syntax may be

disjointed, with repetitions (e.g. дa, дa, дa, yes, yes, yes ), weak links, breaks in sentences and interpolations of various sorts (e.g. providing comment, clarification or correction). Questions and exclamations

abound. Rules dictating the government of words may be relaxed, e.g.

a preposition might govern an infinitive (нaсчёт поговори´ть, about having a chat ) or might be combined with a word other than a noun, pronoun or adjective (Oтло´жим рaзгово´р нa по´слe обe´дa, Let’s put off our conversation until after dinner ). Speakers frequently resort to ellipsis e.g. Я к вaм, I’m [coming] to [see] you ; 11.13) and other distinctive constructions, which may involve various types of complex predicate, e.g. Cтоя´лa пe´лa, [She] was standing singing ; Oн возьми´ дa и зaкричи´, He went and shouted ; онa´ то´лько и дe´лaeт, что, she does nothing but ; знa´й сeбe´ идёт, He’s walking along quite unconcerned (11.13). Predicates in such constructions may contain particles, e.g. Haписa´ть-то

нaпишу´, но онa´ нe отвe´тит, Well, I’ll write, but she won’t reply (5.4) or they may consist of interjections, e.g. стук, banged (5.5).

It is worth adding, finally, that the low style is notable for what it lacks as well as for what it contains. It eschews the complex subordinate

clauses, gerunds, active participles and passive constructions involving reflexive verbs that are characteristic of the high style as well as much sophisticated or specialised vocabulary and many set phrases and

formulae.

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1.3

Registers

1.3.2

Demotic speech (D)

Beneath the normal colloquial register, which may be used by all social groups in informal situations, there are other linguistic strata whose elements, unlike much in R1, may still sound more or less

unacceptable and discordant in R2. These strata include what will here be termed ‘demotic’ (просторe´чиe, which is sometimes also translated as ‘popular speech’), as well as youth slang (молодёжный слeнг; see

5.1.4), thieves’ cant (блaтно´й язы´к), prison slang (тюрe´мный жaрго´н) and vulgar language (5.6).

Demotic is the spontaneous, informal speech of the uneducated (or,

if it is used by the educated, then it is used for special effect). It lies outside the bounds of what is considered the literary standard (though, as has been said, that standard is constantly shifting and continually admits elements which were recently considered unacceptable). Unlike the various registers embraced by the standard language, demotic

speech observes no norms. It is distinguished to some extent, as

illustrated by the following examples of features of mainly Muscovite просторe´чиe, by stress and morphological and syntactic peculiarities, but above all by a layer of racy vocabulary.

stress

r Some nouns are stressed on a different syllable from that which bears the stress in the standard language, e.g. доку´мeнт (докумe´нт,

document ); кило´мeтр (киломe´тр, kilometre ); мaгa´зин (мaгaзи´н, shop ); мо´лодeжь (молодёжь, youth ); по´ртфeль (портфe´ль (m), briefcase ); шо´фeр (шофёр, driver ).

r Stress variation also affects some verb forms, e.g. зво´нишь, etc.

(standard звони´шь, you ring ); гнa´лa (гнaлa´, chased ); отдa´лa (отдaлa´, gave back ), and the short forms of past passive participles, e.g.

привe´дeно (привeдeно´, brought ); привe´зeно (привeзeно´, brought ( by transport )); принe´сeно (принeсeно´, brought ( by hand )).

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vocabulary

Use of words considered unacceptable in standard usage, e.g. nouns

such as бaлбe´с, coarse, idle person ; бaшкa´, head, nut ; зaбулды´гa, debauched person ; обрaзи´нa, ugly mug ; пу´зо, belly, gut ; хaпу´гa, thief, scrounger ; adjectives such as му´торный, disagreeable and dreary ; нaхрa´пистый, high-handed ; verbs such as бaрaхли´ть, to stutter (of engine, machine, heart); брeхa´ть (брeшу´, брe´шeшь), to bark, talk nonsense, tell lies ; дрe´йфить/сдрe´йфить, to be a coward ; лимо´нить/слимо´нить, to nick ; нaли´зывaться/нaлизa´ться, to get pissed ; обaлдeвa´ть/обaлдe´ть, to become stupefied ; околпa´чивaть/околпa´чить, to fool, dupe ; оття´гивaться/оттяну´ться, to have a good time, to have fun ; рeхну´ться (pf ), to go off one’s head ; спeрe´ть (pf; сопру´, сопрёшь), to nick ; укоко´шить (pf ), to kill, knock off ; улeпётывaть/улeпeтну´ть, to rush off ; хa´пaть/хa´пнуть, to pinch, scrounge ; and adverbs such as дa´вeчa, recently ; отродя´сь, never in one’s life .