{"id":721,"date":"2010-04-22T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2010-04-22T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=721"},"modified":"2014-07-16T20:00:26","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T20:00:26","slug":"love-me-russian-or-a-little-something-about-the-diminutive-part-i-introduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/love-me-russian-or-a-little-something-about-the-diminutive-part-i-introduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Love Me Russian! or a little something about the diminutive [Part I: Introduction]"},"content":{"rendered":"

In English language the grammatical term \u2018diminutive\u2019<\/a><\/em> translates as a diminutive word or suffix word indicating small size (such as \u201cbooklet\u201d, etc.), a shortened form of a name or a name indicating fondness and that it can also be used to describe a very small person or a very small thing. In Russian language this grammatical term translates as \u00ab\u0443\u043c\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e-\u043b\u0430\u0441\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0444\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043c\u0430 \u0441\u0443\u0449\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e\u00bb<\/a> <\/strong>[diminutive from of the noun]. In this noun we can make out two adjectives made from the verbs \u00ab\u0443\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0448\u0438\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [decrease, diminish, abate, reduce] and \u00ab\u043b\u0430\u0441\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb [<\/strong>caress, fondle, stroke; flatter; pet, cosset]. This means that diminutive in Russian can be used practically in the same way as it is used in English \u2013 to express a)<\/strong> that something is small; and\/or b)<\/strong> that something is dear to you. Adding to this you\u2019ll have to learn what proper suffixes to use, of course! More to come about this in a moment. First I\u2019ll share with you \u00ab\u0430\u043d\u0435\u043a\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [an anecdote, short narrative describing an interesting or amusing incident; joke] about how it is not always that easy to tell exactly in which of these two meanings someone \u2013 a native speaker of Russian language obviously \u2013 is using a particular diminutive. Two years ago I took a class in pedagogy and as a part of it each of us in the group had to give a lecture or a seminar to each other on one of the subjects we\u2019d be teaching in the future. In my group everyone was Russian, except for me and two other girls: \u00ab\u0430\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [an American girl] and \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u043d\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [a Mongolian girl]. The American girl held a seminar on Russian literature for foreigners (despite the apparent deficiency of foreigners in the room)<\/em> and we were reading a chapter from \u00ab\u0410<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u0430 \u041a\u0430\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043d\u0430\u00bb<\/a><\/strong> [\u201cAnna Karenina\u201d<\/a>] by \u00ab\u041b\u0435\u0432 \u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u0422\u043e\u043b\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439<\/a>\u00bb <\/strong>[Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy<\/a>] together out loud. In this chapter there\u2019s a passage where \u00ab\u0412\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [Vronsky (not yet at the time Anna\u2019s lover)<\/em>] looks at Anna and her \u00ab\u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [hand] is described by the narrator all of the sudden by the diminutive \u00ab\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>. Naturally the \u2018teacher\u2019 turned to the classroom and asked us: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0447\u0435\u043c\u0443<\/span>?\u00bb<\/strong> [Why?]. I thought that I had it all figured out already, so I raised my hand and suggested: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0443 \u043d\u0435\u0451<\/span> \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0438\u0435 \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u043a\u0438 \u043f\u043e \u0441\u0440\u0430\u0432\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u044e \u0441 \u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0438 \u0412\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [Because she has small hands in comparison with Vronsky’s hands]. But no! I was wrong. So wrong! And my \u2018teacher\u2019 was not pleased with me as I had to be corrected by one of the Russian students: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0435\u0451<\/span> \u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span> \u0435\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [Because her hand is dear to him]. By using the diminutive \u00ab\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> instead of \u00ab\u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> in this passage Tolstoy is making a subtle, yet notable hint that Vronsky is starting to have feelings for Anna; not necessarily that her hands are small at all. But I\u2019m far from the only foreigner to get this wrong. Sometimes diminutive is used by Russians to describe small things and sometimes things they\u2019re fond of and thus they get us confused a lot of the time. For example, a few weeks ago I was rehearsing the play \u00ab\u041c\u0435\u0434\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u044c\u00bb<\/a><\/strong> [\u201cThe Bear\u201d] by \u00ab\u0410\u043d\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043d \u041f\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 \u0427\u0435<\/span>\u0445\u043e\u0432<\/a>\u00bb<\/strong> [Anton Pavlovich Chekohv<\/a>] together with a fellow foreign student from China here at the university. In the play the male character also calls the hand of the female character \u00ab\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong>. But my Chinese partner went against the word of Chekhov and used \u00ab\u0440\u0443\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> instead for as he explained it \u2013 my hands are really not that small\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

In \u00ab\u041c\u0435\u0434\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0434\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cThe Bear\u201d] Smirnov says to Popova: \u00ab\u0412\u044b \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u0442\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u043a\u0430\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0435 \u0441\u0447\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044c\u0435 \u0443\u043c\u0435\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043e\u0442 \u0440\u0435\u0432\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0430, \u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u044b\u0439 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u0440\u0436\u0438\u0442 \u044d<\/span>\u0442\u0430 \u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u043a\u0430\u044f \u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0445\u0430\u0442\u043d\u0430\u044f \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [lit. \u201cYou cannot understand what happiness it is to die from the revolver which is held by this small velvet hand\u201d].<\/em><\/p>\n

It should also be noted that the noun \u00ab\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> in Russian also means ‘handle; pen’<\/em>. There is thus a distinctive differentiation between the following two questions:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u043e \u044f \u0432\u043e\u0437\u044c\u043c\u0443<\/span> \u0442\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span> \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0443?\u00bb<\/strong> [Is it okay if I take your pen?]<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041c\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043d\u043e \u044f \u043f\u043e\u0446\u0435\u043b\u0443<\/span>\u044e \u0442\u0432\u043e\u044e<\/span> \u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0443?\u00bb<\/strong> [Is it okay if I (or: May I)<\/em> kiss your hand?]<\/p>\n

As an answer to both you will either receive a \u00ab\u0434\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [yes] or a \u00ab\u043d\u0435\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> [no] but one and the same noun here still means different things.<\/p>\n

Now for the different suffixes used in Russian to make an ordinary noun into an emotionally tinted one! There\u2019s a more than a few of those (not to mention that in Russian you can also make diminutive forms of adjectives and adverbs, but more about this in \u201cPart II: Continuation\u201d of this post in two days!)<\/em> so to save both your and my time I\u2019ll only give you a few examples of words for each of them:<\/p>\n

\u00ab-\u043e\u043a\u00bb<\/span><\/strong>, \u00ab-\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong>, \u00ab-\u0447\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0441\u044b\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0441\u044b\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [son, sonny (form of address used when speaking to a young boy)<\/em>].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [coffee table, low table used next to tables and couches].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u0438\u0447\u043e<\/span>\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [old man, elderly gentleman].<\/p>\n

\u00ab-\u0435\u0446\u00bb:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0431\u0440\u0430\u0442\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0446\u00bb <\/strong>[my boy; old man, old chap].<\/p>\n

\u00ab-\u043a\u0430\u00bb:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0434\u043e\u0447\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0434\u043e<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [daughter].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0433\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [path, walkway; track, lane; runway].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u043a\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0433\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u043a\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0436\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [book, booklet]. (You can also take it to the next level of endearment and say \u00ab\u043a\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0436\u0435\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> instead\u2026 but more about this in a future post!)<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00ab-\u043a\u043e\u00bb:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00ab\u043b\u0438\u0446\u043e<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u0438\u043a\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [small or dear face].<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u043e\u043a\u043d\u043e<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> – \u00ab\u043e\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [window; smaller window].<\/p>\n

An interesting thing about Russian language is that you can express to someone that they are dear to you \u2013 or that you\u2019re fond of them, that you like the person, appreciate the person in general \u2013 by using the diminutive for material thing. This applies to official or formal relationships when it in Russia is not custom to make use of the diminutive form of names<\/a>, when you are \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u0412\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> with each other. But this doesn\u2019t have to mean that you are cold to each other or not close friends with each other when in formal relationships in Russia. Quite on the contrary! Even when Russians call colleagues at work \u00ab\u043f\u043e \u0438<\/span>\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438 \u0438 \u043e<\/span>\u0442\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0443\u00bb <\/strong>[by first name and patronymic] they can change the neutral \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0443\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [chair] into the emotionally tinted \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u0447\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> (without meaning a smaller than average chair)<\/em> to show a warmer feeling for the person:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0412\u043e\u0437\u044c\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u0447\u0438\u043a \u0438 \u0441\u0430\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435\u0441\u044c \u0436\u0435, \u0418\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043d \u0418\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447!\u00bb<\/strong> [Take a chair and have a seat, Ivan Ivanovich!]<\/p>\n

This can be done with practically any noun there is in Russian language, for example saying instead of \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [glass, cup] \u00ab\u0441\u0442\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0447\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> in the following context:<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u041d\u0435 \u0445\u043e\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0442\u0430\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0447\u0438\u043a \u0447\u0430<\/span>\u044f, \u041b\u044e\u0434\u043c\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u0430 \u0410\u0440\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u044c\u0435\u0432\u043d\u0430?\u00bb<\/strong> [Don\u2019t you want a cup of tea, Lyudmila Arkad\u2019evna?]<\/p>\n

In our next post on this subject we\u2019ll take it even further and explain both how to make adjectives and adverbs into diminutive as well as how you can use diminutive in Russian to also express a NEGATIVE emotion! Now isn\u2019t that something to look forward to?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In English language the grammatical term \u2018diminutive\u2019 translates as a diminutive word or suffix word indicating small size (such as \u201cbooklet\u201d, etc.), a shortened form of a name or a name indicating fondness and that it can also be used to describe a very small person or a very small thing. In Russian language this…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8,7828,7827,7826],"tags":[8392,8379,8382,8378,12134,8380,8391,1237,1248,8381,8386,8383,8390,8387,8388,1674,1696,8389,8385,8384,1804],"class_list":["post-721","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","category-russian-for-beginners","category-russian-life","category-when-in-russia","tag-an-anectode-from-russia","tag-anna-karenina","tag-anton-pavlovich-chekhov","tag-diminutive","tag-how-to-express-that-you-like-something-or-someting-in-russian","tag-lev-nikolaevich-tolstoy","tag-notes-from-russian","tag-russian-grammar","tag-russian-language","tag-the-bear","tag-8386","tag-8383","tag-8390","tag-8387","tag-8388","tag-1674","tag-1696","tag-8389","tag-8385","tag-8384","tag-1804"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13867,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721\/revisions\/13867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=721"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=721"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}