Thread: Diminutives, endearments, and other forms of the name. Diminutive names: etiquette of use

Vladimir or Olga, Anastasia or Nikolai, Ekaterina, Sergei, Leopold, Maria ... We can most often find this form in a birth certificate and in a passport, as in any official document. But we call each other differently in the family and school - Vovochka, Olenka, Tasya, Kolyunya, Katyusha. Why such a difference? It arises precisely from the desire to distinguish between areas of use: diminutive names, unlike full ones, are used in an informal setting.

With the help of them, we, as it were, limit the circle of "ours" from strangers. It is no coincidence that diminutive names are allowed only with a closer acquaintance, and even then they are not appropriate in all cases.

From prehistory

Some anthroponyms in Russian have Slavic origin, most are borrowed from Greek and Latin. With the baptism of Rus', the tradition of naming children in honor of saints and great martyrs became widespread. But although angels, historical and biblical characters were considered patrons, such a name was not fully used in everyday life. On the one hand, there was a desire to save language tools: Katya is much shorter and more comfortable than Ekaterina, and Sasha is "more compact" than Alexander. On the other hand, from time immemorial there have been forms "for strangers" and diminutive names, for the closest, for the initiates. There were also special secret anthroponyms that were supposed to lead evil forces from a person. In addition, nicknames were widespread. Sometimes they turned into diminutive names, and sometimes - into surnames.

Natasha or Natalia? Masha or Maria?

For a Russian person, this would seem to be the same anthroponym. Only Masha and Natasha are diminutive and affectionate forms of the name. But foreigners who are not familiar with the intricacies of Russian morphology sometimes call their children "Sasha" or "Rita", "Lena" or "Nadya". And for them, these are full forms. Often in Russia there is no unity in the interpretation of anthroponyms. For example, the female name Vlad or Lada could not be registered in the registry office as independent. It could only be part of the full - Vladlen. Diminutive names often become full - but mostly in other languages.

Way of education

Anthroponyms are formed, as a rule, by a combination of roots (in the case of Slavic - Bogdan, Velimir, Yaroslav) or by transcription. Therefore, diminutive names (male and female) often represent one part. It is interesting that the second root is preferred in Russian: for example, Slava is the "universal" variant - for Svyatoslav, and for Yaroslav, and Mstislav, and Vladislav ...

Sometimes a part of a foreign root is taken and modified. This is how diminutive names such as Nastya (Anastasia) or Kolya (Nikolai) were formed. In most cases, some suffixes are added, which subsequently turn (together with the corresponding ending) into options: Sasha-Sashura-Shura, Anna-Anyuta-Nyuta-Nyura or Nyusha ...

Functioning in modern society

Most states, when registering a newborn, have certain requirements for a name. There have been cases of prolonged litigation when parents wanted to name a new member of society with an unusual anthroponym, but officials did not allow it. Who is right in such a situation? Regrettably - representatives of the authorities most often. After all, they are guided not so much by an assessment of the creative imagination and creativity of their parents, but by how the name will function in society. Or rather, the person who was named so, and not otherwise. After all, even "normal" names often change, to say nothing of the bizarre or funny! Nobody wants to be bullied. Therefore, when thinking about how to name a child, parents should also take care of how diminutive names will sound, whether they will be offensive or funny. For example, Yvette is a beautiful anthroponym French descent. But the diminutive - Vetka - is not so pleasant to hear. However, it is not the name that makes a person beautiful. So let's not forget about it.

Diminutives, affectionate and other forms of the name

A special group of derivatives from full names is formed by diminutive and affectionate forms. Unlike full, official names and their short form, they are emotionally colored and do not have stylistic neutrality: their use clearly reveals a warm, affectionate attitude of the speaker towards the one whose name is called. However, some diminutive forms carry a different emotional connotation - dismissive or derogatory. That is, the property of the designated forms of names is a pronounced modality. Accordingly, the use of diminutive and affectionate forms, as a rule, is possible in a limited domestic circle of close relatives or between people who have established a close mutual affection. Such names are often used by parents in relation to their children.

A variety of diminutive suffixes participate in the word formation of diminutive and affectionate forms of names (-points-, -echk-, -onk-, -enk-, -ushk-, -yushk-, -yush-, -yash-, -ush-, -ul -, -un-, -us-, -k-, -ik, and others), and both the basis of full names and short forms are used as stems. For example, from full form the name Maria and Marya form diminutives Maryunya, Marunya, Marusya, Maryusha and Maryushka, Maryasha; from the short form Masha → Mashka, Mashenka, Mashulya; from the short form Manya → Manechka, Manyusya, Manyusha, Manyasha, etc. The choice of the diminutive form of the name depends on the fullness of the feeling experienced by the speaker in relation to the named; given the variety of bases, due to the many short forms, and suffixes, diminutive and affectionate names make it possible to express a wide range of emotional colors in speech.

Diminutive names formed with the help of the suffix -k- carry a connotation of disdain, belittling the dignity of the named (Sashka, Grishka, Svetka, etc.). Historically, this is due to the existing tradition of using the already mentioned half-names (which were just formed using the suffix -k-) for self-abasement when referring to a person from a privileged class. However, among common people when communicating with people of equal social status, this form of names, as a rule, did not have such a connotation, indicating only ease of treatment and obvious closeness. Nevertheless, in modern Russian, diminutive names like Vaska, Marinka, Alka are considered stylistically downgraded; such a form of address is incompatible with respect for equality, courtesy and respectful attitude in communication. In some way, the form using the suffix -k- served in the folk environment as an analogue of names with suffixes -ochk-, -echk-, -onk-, -enk- (Lenochka, Tolechka, Fedenka); the use of the latter was peculiar only to the educated classes. The suffix -ik (Pavlik, Svetik, Vitalik) is also referred to as purely urban, intelligent, but such a correlation is inaccurate. Diminutive names with the suffix -ik were used in the folk dialects of the western regions of Russia; perhaps their spread was facilitated by the influence of the Polish language, which is characterized by diminutives with the suffix -ek (Zdenek, Vladek).

Thus, diminutive names can have not only an emotional connotation, but also indicate the social status or socio-psychological qualities of the carrier. Yu. A. Rylov illustrated this with examples from the literature:

One of early stories M. Bulgakov is called "Lidka"; this onym contains a special modality that combines a warm, “own” attitude towards the girl and the low social status of a peasant daughter: if the heroine of the story was a girl of a higher origin, then the form “Lidka” would hardly be possible. On the contrary, in I. Bunin's story "Zoyka's Love", the suffix -к- implies a modality of some familiarity and an ironic attitude towards the underdeveloped professor's daughter.

In addition to diminutive and affectionate forms of names, there are coarsened ones; exaggeratingly coarsening (argumentative) suffixes -x-, -ah-, -uh-, -yuh-, -in-, -yan and others are involved in their word formation: Lyosha → Lyokha, Natalya → Natakha, Maria → Marukha, Nastya → Nastyuha, Tolya → Tolina, Vasya → Vasyan. The names Vovan, Kolyan, and Tolyan (derived from Vladimir, Nikolai, and Anatoly) are indicative in this respect; in the 1990s, they became the names of characters in popular jokes about the “new Russians.” Vovan and his "brothers" Kolyan and Tolyan are "cool" businessmen of the criminal world with an extremely low level of general culture.

The abundance of diminutive and affectionate derivatives of personal names with many modal shades, naturally perceived by the Slav due to the so-called background knowledge known from early childhood, remains incomprehensible to Western Europeans; their languages ​​do not have such a large number of noun derivatives. For example, in English language There is short form on behalf of Alexander - Alec (Alec), it is similar to the Russian Alik, but the English and Russian forms are stylistically unequal between themselves. Alik is included in a long series of derivatives along with Sasha, Sasha, Sashenka, Shurik, Alka and others, each with its own emotional and social nuances; there is no such thing in English. The translator of works of Russian classics into English A. Paymen noted:

Even if you get into your head that, say, Mitya is the usual abbreviation of Dmitry, how can a foreign reader feel that Mitenka sounds more familiar, Mityukha is slightly dismissive, and Mityusha is rather gentle, while Mityushenka simply melts on the tongue ...<…>In my translation, I have kept diminutives only where they are used not so much as pets, but just like that, out of habit. Thus, Katya remained Katya, Fenechka - Fenechka, but from Arkasha in the mouth of Nikolai Petrovich came out “Arkady, my dear boy” (“Arkady, my dear boy”), and from Enyusha in the maternal greeting of Arina Vasilievna - “Eugene, my little "("Yevgeny, my little one"), from Enyushenka - "my little Yevgeny love".

Diminutive forms

From almost every name, several diminutive names can be derived, which should express various shades of relationships with loved ones. They allow us to express the diversity of our feelings and emotions and can take on an affectionate, mocking and even derogatory form. So, the diminutive names Vanyusha, Tanyusha, Ksyusha have an affectionate connotation, and Vanka, Tanka, Ksyukha have a derogatory connotation. A huge variety of diminutive names, for the most part, is formed due to various suffixes, which are appended to the root stem of the name. However, the formation of diminutive names is possible in a completely different way. All forms of diminutive names can be divided into four types.

First type diminutive names most closely matches the full name and is formed from its root stem with the preservation of the initial letters: Andrey - Andryusha, Sergey - Seryozha, Tatyana - Tanya, Natalya - Natasha. When such abbreviations are formed, only the second half of the full name changes, while the first remains unchanged. This type includes a very large number of names that differ only in suffixes that give the name different shades: Daria - Dasha, Dashenka, Dasha, Dashuta, Danya, Daria, etc.

When a pet name is obtained from a full name by changing only the second half, it is a continuation of official name. And if a man chooses to call himself that type nickname, it exposes in him very serious attitude to the shadowy, intimate side of life. Alexanders, who call themselves Aleks, are more serious about the problems of personal relationships than Sasha, Sani and Shura.

Any full name can be represented as two halves, the first of which is light, active, bestowing, male, and the second is shadow, passive, receiving, female. Therefore, when the first half remains in the diminutive name, this indicates the preservation of the active beginning associated with this name. A person who calls himself such a diminutive name tends to manifest himself actively and independently, even among close people. If a man chooses such a diminutive name for himself, we can draw the following conclusion: in the intimate sphere, at worst, he manifests himself as an egoist, and at best, he takes this side of life very seriously and introduces a strong masculine principle into it. This type of abbreviation can create unnecessary problems for men in their personal lives. It will be more difficult for Antosha and Alyosha to open up to loved ones than Tosha and Lesha. And Sasha and Sani feel more free in personal relationships than Aliki.

For women, on the contrary, the preservation of the active half in the diminutive name makes it possible to remain more independent and independent in their personal lives. Names like these help them build harmonious relationship with close people and not to become dependent on their attachments, not to lose their individuality. Therefore, this type of pet names is more suitable for women. For Alexandra, unlike Alexander, it is better to call herself Alya, not Sasha. It will be much easier for Lyudmila to find herself in her personal life if she calls herself Luda, and not Mila. The diminutive Sveta is more suitable for Svetlana than Veta or Lana, as they sometimes call themselves. Just like Margarita, it is better to call yourself Mara, not Rita.

Second type diminutive names is obtained when the initial letters are discarded in the full name and its second part is used: Alexey - Lesha, Lech, Vadim - Dima, Elena - Lena, Elizabeth - Liza. This type of pet name retains the shady, passive half of the full name and is much better suited for men as it helps them be more relaxed in their personal lives. Such names give men the opportunity to get rid of the official form and show the innermost, shadowy sides of their nature. And when women call themselves diminutive names of this type, they become more dependent in their personal lives. Any Katya, Lena, Nastya, Liza cannot fully open up in relationships with loved ones, they feel more constrained than Natasha, Tanya, Lida.

It’s better for Tatyanas not to call themselves Yans, Irinam - Rinami, Galina - Linami, Natalia - Tashami. Anastasia feels better in her personal life if she is called Asya, and not Nastya, just like Alina - Alei, and not Lina. If possible, it is desirable to keep at least the first letter in the female diminutive name, and to renounce the first letter in the male diminutive name, humble yourself, muffle your "ego". It is important for men to take off their formal clothes in order to be normal people in personal relationships. IN intimate life It is advisable to remove outer clothing. However, it is better to keep part of the root base of the male name: Anton - Tosha, Alexei - Lesha, Vladislav - Slava.

All owners of two-part names such as Vyacheslav, Rostislav, Svyatoslav, Mstislav, Yaroslav can call themselves Slavs. Then they will form a normal attitude towards opposite sex. But if they are constantly called only Slaviks, this can lead to too much compliance and dependence in relationships with loved ones. Therefore, they sometimes need to use the full name in personal relationships.

These rules must be compared with the horoscope of a person in each specific case, since sometimes a very favorable indicator in his horoscope can be associated with the first letter of the name. If the refusal of the first letter of the name is fraught with the loss of something very valuable, then it is better to save it. For example, the first letter of a name can manifest through the Alphabetical Zodiac white moon, then it is better to keep it in a diminutive form. If the first letter does not indicate very important indicators of the horoscope, it is better to discard it in the male diminutive name.

There are names for which it is very difficult to fulfill the ideal rules for the formation of diminutive forms: Boris - Borya, Gennady - Gena, Grigory - Grisha, Konstantin - Kostya, Leonid - Lenya, Mikhail - Misha, Pavel - Pasha, Peter - Petya, Roman - Roma, Sergei - Seryozha, Yuri - Yura, etc. Similarly, for female names Ekaterina, Elena and Elizabeth, diminutive forms in which the first letter would be preserved are unusual and of little use. In rare cases, Elena and Elizabeth are called Elya, but Catherine is only Katya or Rina. Therefore, the owners of these names often have to make extra efforts to find harmonious relationships with loved ones and feel free and natural in their personal lives. However, they may also use other forms of nicknames.

Third type nicknames are names that are not directly derived from the full name: Shura, Zhora, Susha, Nyusha, Garik, Dodik, Lyalya, Gulya etc. Such names are obtained as a result of rather long manipulations with various diminutive forms, when the root stem of the original name is lost. Alexander - Sasha - Sashura - Shura, or Ksenia - Ksenyushka - Ksyushka - Syusha, or Anna - Anyusha - Nyusha. For example, the wife of Boris Yeltsin has the full name Anastasia, but everyone knows her under the diminutive name Naina.

There are quite a few such diminutive names, and they are the most unpredictable. It is completely incomprehensible how a person with such a diminutive name will behave with loved ones and manifest itself in the intimate sphere. As a rule, people with such names outwardly give one impression, but in fact they are completely different. For example, Garik, who is actually Igor, or Zhora, who goes by the full name Georgy, can outwardly give the impression of a strong and active person, but in the family circle behave completely differently: walk on tiptoe in front of his wife, be quiet and modest . Or Anna, who calls herself Nyura, may seem to others a sweet and calm woman and at the same time be a domestic tyrant, forcing the whole family to obey her.

All diminutive names that are not direct derivatives of the full name also indicate problems laid down in a person’s childhood. Such names, as a rule, take their origins from childhood, which leads to the rebirth of the essence of man. The outer and inner side of his life can be completely different. Olga, who at home is called not Olya, but Lyalya or Leley, manifests herself in completely different ways in relations with unfamiliar and close people. Such a stereotype of behavior is laid in her from childhood and is fixed when she grows up. Diminutive names of this type form duality and unpredictability of behavior in a person.

Fourth type diminutive names includes all arbitrary names that a person can think of for himself. Each of us is given the right to be a little different in the intimate sphere, and a new diminutive name helps to realize this right. You can come up with such a diminutive name for yourself, but it is desirable that at least one or two letters of the full name be preserved in it. Then this diminutive name will allow developing those forces and potentialities that were originally laid down in the full name.

Often a new diminutive name is invented for some reason. distinctive features human behavior in the intimate sphere. But at the same time, the person himself must also identify himself with the new name. Ideally, everyone should have their own special diminutive name, which he will come up with for himself and open it only to himself. close person. This name will allow him to naturally and harmoniously manifest himself in the intimate sphere.

Dictionary of names Avatya - a sage from the Avata clan, who achieved liberation in "ancient times". Agastya is a great sage (maharshi), to whom ancient tradition ascribes the creation of several hymns of the Rig Veda. According to Vedic mythology, he, like another great sage - Vasistha,