Derek Offord - Using Russian - A Guide to Contemporary Usage

Anton: She was with you for just a week, how could you find anything out?

Ella Georgievna: She was with us for just a week, and that was enough for me

[makes a gesture over her head]. I could hardly wait, I could hardly wait .

Presenter: Amazing . . . And we can hardly wait either. [Marina appears.] Hello Marina. You’ve obviously lived all these years without knowing you were a . . .

Marina: Thank you .

Presenter: And why’s mum saying that? Try and explain it to us. So what’s it all about then?

Marina: I didn’t want to come here. I’ve just been dragged here. [To Anton]

Anyway, I wanted to tell you that your mum’s just not a normal woman.

Obviously your mum decided to go along with some ancient tradition and check up on my virginity. That’s to say her son’s wife had to be an innocent . . .

Presenter: Little girl . . .

Marina: Yes, so you see, like, how much that degrades me . . . Do you understand, I was saving myself all the time for you, that’s what, and then all of a sudden I get this . . .

Anton: I don’t understand .

Ella Georgievna: Anton, the only thing I asked of her was: ‘Marina, I’ve got a very good friend here who’s a doctor, let’s pop round there on the quiet, well, let’s go and see the doctor, it’ll be all right, it’s a woman and she’ll have a look at you and I’ll know that you really are . . . ’

Marina: What’s that necessary for, what for? After all, your son trusts me .

Ella Georgievna: Well, when you have a son of your own you’ll completely trust . . . just words .

34

2.1

R1: from a TV show

Anton: Why . . .

Marina: Yes, I think that we’ll, like, sort out our own lives for ourselves .

Anton [to his mother]: Why are you doing this? Why are you interfering in my life?

Ella Georgievna: I’ve seen a thing or two myself . . . [To Marina] And you know what I want to say to you . . . If you’re such a good girl, then what have you got to be afraid of, why don’t you just go and get checked? What are you afraid of ?

Marina: I’m not afraid of anything, I just want to tell you that you’ve got to trust people a bit .

Ella Georgievna: I don’t trust you at all .

The television programme from which the excerpt is taken follows the format of Western talk shows such as ITV’s Trisha and is therefore symptomatic of the influx of Western popular culture into Russia.

Linguistically the excerpt illustrates the colloquial register that

people use for discussion, or argument, about highly personal matters.

Utterances are frequently incomplete or incoherent and people may

repeat themselves, e.g. хорош ó, что онa´ уe´хaлa (8), Почeму´, он

спрa´шивaeт почeму´ (11). The colloquial features of the passage

include the following.

r

modes of address

Use of the familiar second-person-singular personal pronoun ты

(26, 28, 31), second-person-singular verb forms, e.g. знaéшь (7, 65), понимaéшь (47), дe´лaeшь (63), вмe´шивaeшься (64), and

second-person-singular imperative forms, e.g. объясни´ (6). The

familiar forms of address are not confined to people who know each

other well (i.e. Ella Georgievna and her son, Anton, and Anton and his girl-friend, Marina). Ella Georgievna also addresses Marina in this way (and in this case the familiar form has a tone of condescension or

contempt). The presenter too at one point uses the familiar

second-person-singular imperative form Cпроси´ when addressing

Anton (5), thus entering into the intimate spirit of the exchanges.

r

vocabulary

Words such as сплошнa´я (21), the derogatory хa´мкa (12).

r Diminutive or familiar forms: потихо´нeчку (53) and Maри´ночкa (36), a diminutive form of Maри´нa (used by the presenter).

r Repeated use by all three participants of the word вот, which occurs in the expression вот тaк (32–3), or which may serve as a filler (6, 7, 17, 25, 48, 58). In one utterance by Ella Georgievna this word occurs three times (16–17). Other fillers are used too: вообщe´ (which is a favourite of Ella Georgievna’s: 13, 20, 21), and про´сто (41, 49) and кaк бы (47, 61), both of which are characteristic of Marina’s speech.

r Use of modal particles, e.g. the post-positive particle -то (18), ж(e) (19, 40) and ну (40, 56, 58).

syntax

r Turns of phrase such as Hу, что ж тaкоé-то (40), a тут вдруг про´сто

(48-9), тaм это (53), and про´сто тaк (59).

35

2

Passages illustrating register

r Use of a clause with the second-person-singular imperative form in a conditional or concessive sense: любу´ю дe´вушку привeди´ (15), if you

[one] were to bring any girl or whatever girl you [one] might bring .

r Use of the verb взять to suggest sudden action (67).

2.2

R1: based on a conversation in a Russian

internet chatroom

A:

здрa´вствуйтe, до´брыe мои´ знaко´мыe. C но´вым Го´дом!

B to A:

A нeзнaко´мыe?

C to D:

тaк во´т e´сли нe сeкрe´т, кро´мe того´, что вы обитaéтe нa нeбeсa´х, гдe вa´шa зeмe´льнaя дислокa´ция!!

5

E to F:

э´то я ужe´ ви´дeлa, ну и кaк ты ду´мaeшь удовлeтвори´ть?

F to E:

я нe знa´ю твои´х зaпро´сов:)))

G to F:

глa´вноe отли´чиe компью´тeрa от мозо´в зaключaéтся в том, что им

по´льзуются

H to I:

и что дa´льшe?

10

I to H:

тaкси´ проeзжaéт ми´мо, торможуéго´, a он мнe ти´пa до го´родa

сто´льник, a минe´ дee´нeх тaк жa´лкa и вaщe´ тaкa´я крaси´вaя, a он –

сто´льник, грю 30 то´кa и улыбa´юсь во всe 32 зу´бa

A:

и нeзнaко´мыe, хотя´ тaки´х прaкти´чeски нeт, здрa´сти

C to E:

брa´во!! a что вы eщё ви´дeли! a лу´чшe скaжи´тe что вы покa´зивaли!!!

15

I to A:

здрa´сти

D to C:

ну во-пe´рвых, нa ты:) a во-вторы´х, моя зaмeчa´тeльнaя, кaк ты

зaмe´тил, дислaкa´ция, в г. К.

A to I:

C прa´здником, рa´дость моя´!

F to G:

смe´лaя мысль, нa ли´чном о´пытe осно´вaнa?

20

E to C:

вы о чём?

A to B:

ты Haтa´шa?

C to E:

ну с кeм ты тaм говори´шь о том, что ты ви´дeлa!!

B to A:

дa . . . A вы . . . ?

B to A again:

Пaрдо´н . . . ты

25

H to I:

He томи´ ду´шу! Paсскa´зывaй!

E to C:

ни скeм я однaÍ to H:

привёз он мeня´ и тeлeфо´нчик остaвляéт, грит, нaзa´д поe´дитe,

вызывa´йтe и лы´бится