TRANSLATION PROBLEMS: REPLIES

[Robert Orr]

I heard "drug" being clearly used as "boyfriend" in the late '70's by quite
a few speakers (the use of "drug" seemed to be one way of hinting "I'm not
available") .

Robert Orr

-----Original Message-----
From: Edward M Dumanis <dumanis at ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU>
To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU <SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU>
Date: Thursday, April 12, 2001 12:26 AM
Subject: Re: TRANSLATION PROBLEMS: REPLIES


>I am wondering why no one so far has mentioned that the examples like
>"milyj drug" or "drug serdtsa" have specific modifiers of the word "drug."
>I am quite sure that the usage of just "drug" in the meaning of boyfriend
>is a quite recent development.
>Moreover, even "milyj drug" or "drug serdtsa" do not specifically indicate
>any boyfriend/girlfriend type of relationship, e.g. from A. Pushkin's "Moj
>milyj drug, moj drug bestsennyj..." to V. Dolina's "Drug serdtsa moego,
>sestra..."
>
>
>Edward Dumanis <dumanis at acsu.buffalo.edu>
>
>
>
>On Wed, 11 Apr 2001, Alina Israeli wrote:
>
>> >>>    I have noticed something. I have heard "drug" being used in the
>> >>> sense of a "boyfriend". Perhaps, it may be a new usage.
>> >
>> >I quote from Zhukovskij's Svetlana (1808-1812):
>> >Kak mogu, podruzhki, pet'?/ Milyj drug daleko;/ Mne sud'bina umeret'/ V
>> >grusti odinokoj.
>> >
>> >I doubt that Svetlana is referring to a platonic acquaintance.
>>
>> Why not? Weren't those "gadan'ja"?
>>
>> Those days it was "drug serdca", now, on the other hand...
>>
>> Maybe there are studies about sexual habits in Alexandrian or Nikolaevan
>> Russia, similar to those that exist for Victorian England, maybe I am
>> totally wrong (about "serdechnyj drug" and my apologies to Jules Levin).
I
>> seem to remember reading it somewhere years ago that about one third of
>> women marrying in Victorian times were pregnant. I never heard of such a
>> study on Russian territory.
>>
>> AI
>>
>> **************************************************************
>> Alina Israeli
>> LFS, American University                phone:  (202) 885-2387
>> 4400 Mass. Ave., NW                     fax:    (202) 885-1076
>> Washington, DC 20016
>>
>> aisrael at american.edu
>>
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>
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