Subj : Cough...  1.
To   : alexander koryagin
From : Ardith Hinton
Date : Thu Oct 12 2017 23:02:27

Hi, Alexander!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

 ak>>  Now in Russia we have a new jargon -- we can call a woman
 ak>>  (when she doesn't hear it) with a funny sounding word used
 ak>>  by small children (aunty - tetenka).

                               [...]

 ak>   the matter is that many words in the Russian language sound
 ak>   funny, even for the Russians ;=) So, we use such words to
 ak>   make speech more informal.


           Now that I think about it, we do much the same.  Very young children 
may be referred to as toddlers or tykes... young teens or pre-teens (especially 
girls) as teenyboppers or tweenies... and elderly men as gaffers or geezers.  A 
lot of the appeal of these words is that they sound amusing to us.  But just as 
you say, we tend to apply them informally when the subject is out of earshot.

           Another way we have fun with English is by rhyming.  IIRC there is a 
song from +/- the late 1950's about an "itsy-bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka dot 
bikini", e.g., which the wearer has not yet mustered the courage to show off in 
public.  I've also heard "handy-dandy", "hocus-pocus", and "hoity-toity".  :-))



 ak>   Ukrainian words for the Russians look even more funny
 ak>   (because of similarity of the languages) and Russian
 ak>   people often also use them for the same purpose.


           Ah.  I noticed how, in WAR AND PEACE, Pierre entertained his Russian 
friends by imitating a Ukrainian accent... partly because I'm interested in the 
way consonant sounds vary from one language to another & partly because we find 
the similarities & differences between English & German words amusing at times. 
A North American TV ad capitalizes on them by showing us the words "Volkswagen. 
Das Auto."  Then the words are read aloud, using the German pronunciation.  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+
 * Origin: Wits' End, Vancouver CANADA (1:153/716)

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