pushkin's nanny

[Alina Israeli]

Totally agree with everything Alexei Kokin said, except the curiousness of
formation (unless he meant interesting):

>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.

Diminutive suffixes with -u- are plentiful: ul, ut, ur, us:

Marfa - Marfuta, (also Anjuta, hense "anjutiny glazki")
Sasha - Sashura (->Shura)
Mar'ja - Marusja (also babusja, Lenusja, Natusja)
Vera - Verulja (also babulja, etc.)

So, Anja -> Anjuta/Anjusja -> Njuta, Njusja

Netochka is probably from French Annette -> Annetochka -> Netochka. To
support this theory: we don't find Netochka among peasants characters, only
among the St.Petersburg characters.

__________________________
 Alina Israeli
 LFS, American University
 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
 Washington, DC 20016

 phone:    (202) 885-2387
 fax:      (202) 885-1076

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