pushkin's nanny

[Alexei Kokin]

"Arina" is a folk or affectionate form of "Irina." As
a name in its own right, "Arina" only gained (limited)
currency among the educated in the late 20th century.
In A.K. Tolstoy's <I>Tsar Feodor Ioannovich</i>, Tsar
Feodor lovingly calls his wife (Irina) Arinushka.

Anna is certainly not a short form of anything but a
New Testament name of Jewish origin. Its own
diminutives are rather curious, though--from Netochka
to Nyusya.

The bottom line is, Pushkin's nanny was called either
Arina or Anna--definitely not both.

My 2 kopecks,

Alexei


--- "Cole M. Crittenden" <critendn at PRINCETON.EDU>
wrote:

> Arina Rodionovna is sometimes referred to as Anna
> Rodionovna (I've run across it in a couple of essays
> and brief bios of Pushkin).  Wondering if Anna can
> be a short form of Arina, or vice versa, or if this
> is simply a wrong substitution that somehow got
> currency in English.
> Thanks in advance,
> Cole Crittenden.
>
>
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