Re: Russian names (was: Re: A perfect day...)

At 21:51 -0500 2.2.2000, Nik Taylor wrote:
>
>I seem to remember hearing that this is becoming common in European
>languages, for the familiar forms to be used where traditionally the
>formal ones would've been used.
In Swedish the polite use of plural pronouns been virtually abolished for
decades.  They were and are felt to signal inequality and distance rather
than actual politeness -- especially when some young, conservative voters
and some service companies are trying to reintroduce them.  I consequently
answer with the "Royal We" when addressed thus! :-)

At the heart of the problem lies the fact that the traditional Swedish
polite address was **not** by plural pronouns, but by titles -- i.e. you as
a rule had to keep track of people's professions, or their husbands, since
the wife of a doctor would be a _doktorinna_ etc.  It was also a career
whip of no mean order: one would make sure to get at least a Masters in
order not to have to be called _Kandidat_ (B.A. etc.) all one's life! :-)
All that is happily obsolete.



/BP

 B.Philip Jonsson  <mailto: bpj@...> <mailto: melroch@...>
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~__
            Anant' avanaute quettalmar!               \ \
   __  ____ ____    _____________  ___ __   __ __     / /
   \ \/___ \\__ \  /___  _____/\ \\__ \\ \  \ \\ \   / /
   / /   / /  /  \    / /Melroch\ \_/ // /  / // /  / /
  / /___/ /_ / /\ \  / /Melarocco\_  // /__/ // /__/ /
 /_________//_/  \_\/ /Eowine__   / / \___/\_\\___/\_\
I neer Pityancalimeo\ \_____/ /ar/ /_atar Mercasso naan
~~~~~~~~~Cuinondil~~~\_______/~~~\__/~~~Noolendur~~~~~~
|| Lenda lenda pellalenda pellatellenda cuivie aiya! ||
"A coincidence, as we say in Middle-Earth" (JRR Tolkien)